Thursday, 11 January 2006 - Hoi An (Mỹ Sơn)

 up early today and off with Mr Miss Lee from Ancient Houses her boyfriend as guide in a min to my left the hotel at 6:30 grab some bread from the dining room The keeper of the breakfast was on a mattress still near We didn't wake The early start was to get to my son before the tour bus A bus tour would have cost us about $8 The door with a minibus and guide only cost around $11 each although that was a bit more than quoted when turned up he had the story that he would not get a vehicle and a minibus would cost another $5 It's a bit hard to know whether they are having a go at you in Vietnam But we figured it was genuine enough My son was amazing If Mr Locke turned out to be an excellent guide very knowledgeable my son is a hindu built between in 13th centuries it's incredible to be able to touch buildings so old while most are in mainly because was a Vietcong base during the American War and was b you are still able to get a picture of how amazing the area must have been in its heyday Most were to the Hind Hindu God shiva Although Ganesh also gets some recognition on the way back we swapped the van for to travel back along to to Hanoi including visits to pottery in a woodworking village While both were they did you do get sick of the badgering to buy particularly at the Pottery Village at the woodworking village We did purchase some chopsticks in a few boxes Cheaper than had been offered in town A little more shopping after we got from my after lunch at the cargo cub I had spicy seafood soup Yum Jenny had Alex a club sandwich and Richard A a short visit to the I think we've got the bargaining ju toy one of our taught us this can't find it in the phrase book It meant to mean too Said with great emphasis shaking one's head And beginning to walk the fries 2 XNTV is that but it seems to at least on the street And in the markets not in the shop so much Someone told us that when bargaining to start at 1/3 of what they but be prepared to pay one half dinner was not all that satisfactory the first time really we ventured across the river and found a restaurant there It had a very extensive Menu Foolishly I think as someone who went searching for the to said the kitchen was and every little someone went off on a motorbike and came back with food from elsewhere Anyway it took about an hour for our for our food And then it was only mediocre