I sit on the balcony of our hotel in Hoi An. It is old, lovely little cabins around a pool that is perfect temperature. An area set aside for foot rubs! A bar you swim up to. We went for a swim last night, coloured lanterns lighting the pool, washed in soft colours. It really was magical.

Tim has gone for a dive, all day. I am so glad he is taking the chance for diving. I am left behind to mope around, going to a jeweller who does knock off Cartier, Tiffany, and I am going to do Christmas shopping! Then I will go to a tailor and design an outfit for a wedding back in Collingwood in September. It is tough, but I will try to stay strong, and persevere through.

Hoi An is a city in about the middle of Vietnam. Vietnam is a coastal country stretching from north of Hanoi, to south of Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Hoi An is about midway. Vietnam has been plundered by everybody, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, American. The Vietnamease are a people so forgiving, resigned but with dignity and patience.

Hoi Yan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is charming, compact, old, a wonderful mix of local residents, local business, small hotels, (I have not seen any chain hotels) and retail and food vendors galore.

The VN live to eat. The food is amazingly delicious, delicate, complex, contrasting yin/yang flavours. We did a tour of Food of Hoi An. The guy, Neville, is quite a person. Came here for a holiday, fell in love with the food, moved here, and runs this 5 hour tour, to the market, to street stands, to restaurants for tastings. 7:30 to 12:30. Basically nonstop eating. Or I should say nibbling. The BEST ice cream I have ever had, coconut, and coffee, from a street hawker, homemade fruit pop tubes in ice in his rolling shop. I had a wee slug of VN coffee. Don't think coffee, think dessert substitute. They make it with sweetened condensed milk, and it is delicious. I sure wish I could drink caffeine. They have not heard of decaf. They look at you like "why bother then?

Aside from all the wonderful food treats, with addresses of best restaurants, Neville gave us a list of tailors for the perfunctory Hoi An purchases of tailored clothes in 3 days. We each brought an extra suitcase to take home our treasures. We each bought linen suits, two tops each, two cashmere suits, two tops each, and I think we are about to $500. Of course it's all in the fitting, which we have today.

Tomorrow we are going on a bicycle tour around the surrounds, visiting fishing village, have lunch with a local family, more about that after we have done it.

The country is very poor. To think of surviving on what they earn is mind boggling. I know we have so much and they so little. But last night I had an occurrence  that has wrankled me. We had had a meal in this restaurant near they hotel. Coming back last night, we stopped in for some food. The same server remembered us. She asked what we had done all day. I started by saying we had ordered suits to be made. "Why you not come to me? I have my sister make you beautiful clothes" I lied and said  we had made previous plans with this other place. But she was so miffed. Immediately she changed tack. "Jane, darling, you have children. I have daughter. I try to pay her expensive school. Can you help me with her education? " Post cards, note card come out. We thought we would help her a little. The postcards really are amazing photographs. we don't buy postcards, but thought oh well. We picked some cards and note cards. Forty dollars! No, thanks. It turned then. I felt we were being pushed, taken advantage of, and I just wanted to leave with no cards. We settled and left (with cards) but for less that $40, and a very sour taste in my mouth.

My iPad has a mind of its own and I just hope this gets posted as I have intended. Photos will follow when I am back to my computer, and am more familiar with how to do it. Can' t ask too much of this old broad. Now off to work, buy buy buy spend spend spend.