Lonely-Planet

25th April 2010 Our first proper day in Hoi An. Hoi An has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1999 as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, with buildings that display a unique blend of local and foreign influences. Its pride and joy is the distinctive architecture of the Old Town with its well preserved houses and narrow, wonderfully car-free streets. Hoi An is also famous for its tailors with shop after shop displaying examples of their work in materials ranging from silk to linen and wool. There are anywhere between 300 and 500 tailors in a town about the size of Basingstoke, so competition for customers is quite fierce with people calling out to you as you walk down the street. ...

21st April 2010 Sapa was established as a hill station by the French. The overnight train took us as far as the border town of Lao Cai, right on the Chinese border. We arrived into Lao Cai at 5am. Luckily we had our minibus already booked and were able to push our way through the throngs of drivers offering us rides to Sapa. Once we were on the minibus we had to wait for the next train to arrive and in the meantime fend off the ladies selling Sapa maps and sexy “boom boom” torches amongst other things. ...

14th April 2010 The original plan for today was a visit to the Perfume Pagoda, some 60 kms outside Hanoi. Unfortunately, due to a bad stomach (again! Don’t think either of us has had a regular day since we got to Asia!), we had to cancel. The morning was spent relaxing in the hotel room, just chilling and watching some films while waiting for the Imodium to kick in. This afternoon, feeling a bit better and up to a bit of a walk around we followed the walking tour in the Lonely Planet. Quite a few of our Lonely Planet’s have had these and they are a great way to see some things that you may otherwise miss, especially if you have limited time in a city or town. ...