My journey to Hoi An (24/2/14)

My journey to Hoi An was due to take two and a half hours (130 km) according to google so I planned to visit a pagoda just outside town before I left this morning. My alarm went off at half 6 as planned but the snooze button was way too inviting to ignore. So I ended up getting up around half 7 and was on my way to the pagoda by 8. It was only about 15 minutes away and I found it with no problems. I expected it to be very similar to the other temples and pagodas I'd already visited but it was actually quite different. Once inside the walls it was incredibly peaceful and nothing could be heard but the singing and tweeting of the birds. And the sound of an electric planer from a local building site but that didn't disturb the peace that much. The grounds were really well kept and there weren't many visitors which helped. It was a beautiful sunny day and this helped the garden look stunning. I spent about half an hour there and then got back on the bike and headed back to the hostel. I stopped off on the way to fill up with fuel as it would be easier now without the rucksack on. I pulled up at the fuel station, which was ridiculously busy with bikes, opened my fuel tank and had a look in. I could see fuel so it would probably only cost about 30,000 dong (£1) but after the guy filled me up the display said 70,000 dong. Confused, I payed and left. Thinking about it after I think the cheeky prick neglected to reset the display and so charged me for the last person as well. Another inexpensive lesson I'd learnt! I'd packed last night so once back at the hostel all I needed to do was grab my bags, hand in my key and go. With the rucksack strapped on I checked my route and left. I stuck to the main roads as they seemed to be the most scenic route anyway and gradually approached the highly revered 'Hue Van Pass', the coastal route travelled by the Top Gear team. The start of my route through was the end of theirs. So I first got the view over the bay with the bridge in and the little boat chugging along. A few vehicles stopped as well but not as many as I expected, but there were a couple of locals who were asking those that did stop for some souvenir money from the countries they'd come from. They asked me where I was from and then did I have any English money to add to their collection. It was at the bottom of my rucksack and I wasn't about to start unpacking it so said no. They left soon enough. I enjoyed the view a bit longer and then jumped back on the bike. I had my action camera stuck to my helmet and I pressed record. Off I went. The route on google maps showed some serious hairpin bends. It wasn't wrong. The road climbed at a steady rate and the corners were just as expected. They were even angled slightly so you could really stick the bike into the corners. I stopped a couple of times to enjoy the view, but not for long because the road beckoned. Still climbing up, with my head down, I was rounding a steady right hander and the road conditions changed. Lots of patches of the top layer of tarmac had disappeared and so the road became very rough and bumpy. This is when I was reminded I wasn't on a race bike. The bike lost all grip on the road, because of the bumps and it's really skinny tyres, and started to fishtail and drift so I let off the throttle and righted the bike to get some grip but this meant I was now heading onto the other side of the road. Thankfully because of the incline I slowed down pretty quickly and there was only a scooter coming the other way at a relatively slow pace so I managed to get back onto my side of the road without any major issues. I'd been very lucky and got off lightly so I thanked god and then wound the throttle open to full and started again. I'm joking mum. I took it steady from then on and enjoyed the road for what it was. The views became great and the hairpins on the way down were awesome. But all too soon the Hue Van Pass finished and I headed down the coast into Danang. Danang looked like quite an underwhelming place so I didn't stop, and carried on through, checking my phone every now and then to make sure I was on the right route. I gradually got closer to Hoi An but didn't see a sign once telling me how far and so before I knew it I was there. I arrived about half 1 and went to check into my hostel. Once there though they couldn't find my booking, despite showing them the email I'd sent, which was definitely sent to the right address. I hadn't received a reply but was told on the phone if I'd emailed it would be fine. Fortunately they still had room so it was irrelevant anyway. I got my bags up to my room and said hello to the other room mates. This hostel had a distinctly different atmosphere to it. The others I'd stayed in were pretty relaxed but this one seemed to have a feeling of Brit's abroad. Most people I spoke to were there to get hammered. So I wasn't sure how this one would go. I saw Stephanie on the stairs up and she'd arrived with a couple of women she'd met in Hue, Sylvia from Germany and Barbara from Italy. I arranged to meet them all later. My priority for today was to get measured for a suit. The lady at reception recommended a tailor at the other end of town and directed me to them. I'd been recommended two others, one by the Aussie lads and the other by the lads in easy tiger, and felt these were perhaps better as the lads weren't getting any benefits from their recommendations. As it turns out the Aussie lads and the hostels suggestions both started out more expensive so I opted for the suggestion from the easy tiger boys. We sat down and went through the next catalogue to find a suit that matched the style I was after and I showed her a couple of other pics to make sure she was clear. I then chose a material that was a reasonably close match to what I wanted and a colour for the lining. I also chose the materials for two shirts and a tie colour. The lady measured me up and wrote down all the details for what we'd discussed. I then gave her a deposit. I wanted shoes too so her friend took me down the road to her sister, a shoe maker, and I then went through another catalogue to pick a style of shoe I liked. I finally made my mind up and this woman then measured both my feet and I paid her in full. With my times for a fitting check sorted with both shops for the next day I went back to the hostel. It was now about 6 o'clock. After a shower I met up with Stephanie and her mates and we went into town for dinner at about half 7. I hadn't ventured into the old town so far but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. It was now dark but all the shops were still open selling their hand made goods which included amazingly good quality leather bags, clothes, silk scarves, ceramics and gifts and  every street was lit up with colorful lanterns. I tried to take photos to capture the effect but just couldn't. Some shops were selling the lanterns and these displays were even more stunning. The bridge across the river was also lit up and we wandered across to find somewhere to eat. We found a cheap little place right by a market and there were 3 shops in a row selling the lanterns which made for yet an even greater display of light while we ate. The food was delicious but for a change wasn't enough so we sought a street vendor selling something sweet to fill us up. We found one selling donuts which did the job but they weren't as good as donuts at home. After this we wandered the streets a bit longer and then headed back to the hostel. It was only about 11 but we were all knackered and so said goodnight and went our separate ways. I was in bed in no time and looked forward to trying on my suit tomorrow. Saville Row eat your heart out.