I got the overnight sleeper train from Hanoi to Da Nang, the nearest city to my final destination, the beautiful coastal town of Hoi An. I should be used to these sleeper trains by now but as I was getting ready for bed I found I wasn’t sharing it alone! A lovely cockroach had decided to make my bed it’s home so needless to say I couldn’t sleep much for the first few hours for fear it would come back! The train left Hanoi at 10pm and got in to Da Nang at 1.15pm so a lovely 15 hours. When I woke up, it was overcast, chucking with rain and as we were travelling down the coast, the sea was getting rougher and rougher. It was a shame as the landscape was really picturesque!
I got my transfer to Hoi An and whilst the rain had stopped briefly, we headed in to the town to make the most of it as we had been told that the weather wouldn’t improve. I had looked online and the tail end of a typhoon from the South China sea was on it’s way! The town is 30km south of Da Nang and a real mix of quirky streets, market stalls, galleries and crooked houses. Originally a harbour for the Cham city, the town became a trading port for Chinese, Japanese and European traders reaching it’s peak in the 17th Century. These different influences can be seen throughout the town with an eclectic mix of architectural styles ranging from Chinese temples, French colonial villas to various grand merchant houses. Each day there is a ban on motorcycles between certain times so there is a very pedestrian feel about the town.
My hotel was located on Cam Nam island which is connected to the main town by a small bridge, an easy 10 minute walk. For me, one of the most impressive parts of Hoi An is at night. The place comes alive with beautiful lanterns and lights which light up the beautiful French style buildings and make it a great place to shop and eat in the many restaurants. We were taken to a place that was recommended in the backstreets of a local guy who cooked us a fresh BBQ meal of various meets and seafood. It was amazing, particularly the ribs! By this time, the rain had started again so I headed back for an early night to catch up the lack of sleep from the sleeper train.
The next day, it rain, torrentially non stop and the winds picked up. By the evening, it was like Armageddon! i haven’t seen such torrential weather continuously for a long time! So I gave up the idea of cycling around and opted for a massage and foot spa instead for a bargain price of £10 for nearly 3 hours! The hotel corridors were open plan which is great for when it’s sunny but with the rain lashing down, it made the walkways pretty slippery. i eventually got off to sleep at about midnight when I heard “Andy!, Andy!” several times. I was that sleepy at this point I didn’t know whether I was dreaming or not but it was my next door neighbour trying to get my attention as he’d been locked out of his room and was stranded on the balcony in the terrible weather! Well, that was fun trying to explain to security that I needed help to get in to someone else room when they didn’t speak any English! Thankfully he managed to bust the door open and he was able to get inside. Drama over!
It was the only bad weather I’ve had on the trip so far which is a real shame as the contrast of this versus the beauty of the town is quite different. I will have to come back and see Hoi An when it’s sunnier! Parts of the road were flooded the day I left from the Mekong River but the rain had stopped so off I went back to Da Nang to get another sleeper train, this time a mammoth 17 hours to Ho Chi Minh City. I’m currently writing this on the train so fingers crossed I will be sleeping alone tonight! Ha!
