What have we been up to lately?

Hey all, we are currently ROASTING in Hoi An, Vietnam. We are only a few kms from the coast. The climate is changing as we come south from Hanoi, getting hotter and dryer. At 9:30am this morning, it was already 90 degrees and the temperature was rapidly climbing. The sun is very direct too (we are not far from the equator) so sunscreen and hats are a must. I am just getting used to sweating all the time.

Here in Hoi An, the thing to do is get clothing tailored. Why, in a tiny town on the coast, people all started a bazillion tailor shops, I have no idea. But here we are. And we are each taking advantage of the relatively cheap price to have a few things made, custom. I probably spent too much money, but I figure, it would cost SO much more to have something tailored at home, all the things I ordered for the price of one thing at home. I can rationalize spending money as well as anyone.

SO what have we been up to? In Hanoi, we took our trip out to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island, and then upon our return to Hanoi, we joined forces with four australians and bought overnight bus tickets to Hue. The seats were actually small beds, so we were able to actually sleep on the bus. Upon arrival in Hue, we found a place to stay, and spent a few days checking out the city, and trying to find ways to avoid the heat. We rented bikes, took a motorbike tour of the nearby tombs and pagodas, and stalked the streets for good food. (found an AWESOME indian place--i am becoming an indian food devotee) We then hopped a bus to Hoi An, and did some investigating of tailorshops that night when we arrived. Here, they do the work in about 24-36 hours, depending on when you are leaving. In a few hours, we arrived at a shop, picked out designs, were measured, argued over the price, and chatted with the family of the shop owners. This morning we got out of bed and went over to the shop to have the clothes fitted. It is pretty strange to see the thing i ordered yesterday, already made! There are some adjustments, but overall the fit and quality are pretty decent, for the price.

We plan to ride our bikes to the beach this afternoon, and then go back for another fitting tonight. The plan is to leave Hoi An tomorrow night on the night bus for Nha Trang.