11 Dec. 2011: HUE TO HOI AN

Left on the bus in the rain from Hue, sorry to have missed the Citadel. It's the ancient walled part of Hue that got bombed over and over but just kept going as the centre of town. We keep going south on the coast, hoping for sunshine (it's not really cold at 19C, just grey). Pass shorebound fishing boats and through Da Nang. Ring a bell? Da Nang was a major port and R&R spot for GI's in the "American War", as opposed to the French War or the Japanese War. The TV series China Beach was set here. Today it is a booming port-resort. Greg Norman Golf Villas, 5 Star Hotels, and Vietnam's first ever World Surfing Championship event.

Arrived at Hoi An midday with not much expectation but at least the rain stopped! The usual quaint hotel room. 260 sq. ft. with French colonial balcony, wifi (and, silly, an unused 40 X 30 ft. indoor pool!) for 24,000 dong (=$12). Walked around for local flavour and got charcoal, a funeral van, and a daycare centre. But the charm of the place became obvious with centuries-old buildings and narrow lanes of shops and markets. More detail in tomorrow's blog --- it is a really really cool place. Even Santa is blowing his horn!