Out of the deluges

As we expected - Saigon was a lot more lively on a Monday morning than our previous weekend based exposure had shown us. Nevertheless we made it the airport with only a couple of frights and two engine stalls (always a heart-stopping moment when you have a plane to catch). We bode adieu to Ho Chi Min amid another torrential downpour in which our cramped but powerful jet cut though with ease. The trip was so short it felt like an animated flight path link they did in the Kill Bill movies and later plagiarized in the Gap Year series. The landscape around Da Nang seems to be mostly defined by new suburbs, lots of roads but strangely devoid of any thing else (sans houses, bitumen, people etc etc). After the chaos of the southern city it was surreal to be driving along the wide roads with barely any traffic. This continued as we headed south to Hoi An. The main highway runs conveniently one standard resort width from the beach and it's obvious that someone has plans to have an continuous chain of huge luxury resorts running the entire length of the coast. Interestingly the un developed landscape appears very barren. We suspect agent orange but are unsure of the facts here.

Our home for the next week is in a huge luxurious complex strategically placed in the afore mentioned allotments. Luckily we are in the off season and as such the few guests we saw today seemed very happy lolling around on their sun lounges, splashing around in the pools or enjoying their cocktails whilst the sea breeze counteracted the humidity. The weather here seems much more pleasant and we have been informed that rain will desist for the next for days (yay). Heading into Hoi An itself (the resort is a 10min drive away) we saw typically Asian landscapes re-emerge. Chaotic roads, squalor and general good will. The town itself deserves it's own post and as we are here for a week that will be forthcoming. We spent a couple of tiring hours reconnoitering various shops in preparation for future purchases.

Dinner was great (traditional Vietnamese of course) and we struck it lucky with the full moon bringing out the locals and thier monthly lantern festival. After sending a candle floating off down the river pushed by our wishes of long life and grandchildren (well that's what she said!) we hit the night markets for more haggling and general related hilarity. Exhausted we caught the bus back to our palace and we are looking forward to a day of doing nothing tomorrow.