After breakfast we packed up and got a taxi to the train station to catch the train to Danang. The journey is only 2.5 hours so we'd opted for soft seats rather than a berth. It was very busy getting on the train, lots of pushing and shoving but we managed and found our seats despite the rather illogical seat ordering (to Diane anyway). Despite having consecutive numbers we weren't actually sat together but a very nice young man offered to swop seats in order that we could. Getting our bags onto the overhead luggage rack was a bit of a struggle but one of the train staff and another very nice young man (that's Diane saying their "nice not Simon!) both helped and finally we could settled down for the journey. The stretch of country between Hue and Danang is supposed to be one of the most beautiful and despite the overcast weather and dirty train windows (but not the dirtiest we've had!) it certainly was. We passed paddy fields and water buffalo, rolling hills, steep cliffs, white sandy beaches and huge breakers. It was a shame to get off when we arrived. We booked our tickets for our onward journey to Ho Chi Minh City which we've decided to push back by a day to give us a bit more time in Hoi An. We both feel like we need a bit of a break as all this travelling is surprisingly tiring! We took the 'low cost option' for the onward journey to Hoi An on the local bus which stopped just round the corner from the train station, along with a guy we'd met on Cat Ba Island and a Spanish girl that he'd met somewhere. Both had been on the same train from Hue but had opted to save 7,000 dong (about 20p) travelling on hard seats. Every little counts but what a cost for a numb backside on the hard seats? The bus should have been 19,000 dong but it's renowned for ripping foreigners off and we were charged 50,000 each, (however as its less then £1 then it's not something to get stressed over!) Anyway there was not much you can do other than pay or get off and choosing the latter would have been a false economy as the taxis were charging at 300,000 dong for the same journey! The attendant and ticket collector (yes along with the driver there were three staff on the bus - there's communism at work for you - were very helpful lifting our bags on and off so at least that was some consolation. Our hotel in Hoi An (which is a villa really) is a little bit out of town so we jumped in a taxi as soon as we found one (there weren't any at the bus station, only motorbike taxis who seem comfortable to take you and your bag but we weren't happy to climb on board). We dumped our bags and headed back towards town to get a bite to eat and then had a walk around the old town which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Despite being very touristy the town is very picturesque with Japanese merchant houses, Chinese temples and ancient tea warehouses, most of which have been converted into bars, restaurants and shops but a number are preserved. The market stalls set up along the banks of the River Thu Bon are a wash with colour from the fruit and vegetables on display. After a quick drink to pass the time we had what has to be one of the best meals we've had so far since we've been away at the Morning Glory Street Food Restaurant. It was jam packed with westerners, no doubt because it's in Lonely Planet, and very deserving of it's top choice status. We walked the 2.5km back to our villa and delighted we have been upgraded to one of the bungalows which is beautiful - there is a lot to be said for travelling in the off season.
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| The train arriving at Hue Station |
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| Inside the second class seat carriage |
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| Our bags just fit in the overhead storage - after a bit of pushing and shoving! |
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| The coastline is stunning - despite the weather and the dirty windows |
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| The fruit market in Hoi An Old Town |
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| Busy ferry to somewhere - full of cycles and mopeds |
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| River front |
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| Japanese Covered Bridge |
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| Dinner at the Morning Glory Street Food Restaurant |
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