Intense sudden-onset stomach cramping accompanied me on my flight from Hanoi to Da Nang, which continued on my 45 mins car transport to Hoi An. I was pretty focussed on the pain, so it was only later that I remembered I had ‘gastro stop’ in my first aid kit in my suitcase (doh!). Asked hotel to call doctor who promptly arrived and diagnosed….’gastro’, and supplied me with the necessary meds from his bag. Told me his daughter was studying in Melbourne and living in Docklands, and he was visiting her next week. Quite a chatty chap, with whom I didn’t want to chat…just crawl into bed.

Following day….felt much better and I ventured out shopping, with a number of silk tops on ‘requisition’ from family and friends. And to have coffee and sit watching the passing ‘parade’….as were the doggies 🙂

It’s not often I think to myself, ‘must check out what theme parks I can visit’, when visiting a new location in the world. I wanted to visit Ba Na Hills and the “Golden Bridge”. So I organised a driver and after an hour’s drive….arrived at a HUGE theme park with 5 zigzagging cable car routes across various hill levels, the ‘golden bridge’ being a significant, but one attraction aspect. Built @ 1400 feet and 150m long. Capacity of 7,000 passengers per hour (ugh!).

I purposely arranged to get there early in the morning to avoid the crowds, hoping the fog would lift within 2 hrs of me getting there as per the weather forecast….but was definitely not rewarded for my planning. I especially love the image of the tour guide, who’s lost his flock in the fog, but is still valiantly carrying the blue pole….

Back in Hoi An, one of the iconic symbols of the ancient town is the 18m, 17thC ‘Japanese’ covered-bridge, the Cau Pagoda. The architecture is actually an ingenious combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese culture – in design, colour and materials.

Caught up with friend from Melbourne, Lenora and we had a lovely lunch at Baby Mustard, a family-run restaurant situated in a market garden area on the outskirts of town. Very tranquil setting!
Last evening in the village, and I went for a stroll along the Thu Bon River, with its origins in the 2,600m high Ngoc Linh mountain, flowing into the South China Sea. Lots of boats with paper lanterns were floating tonight, and candles inside a lotus-shaped cups, set afloat the river to carry peoples wishes along. The streets adjacent to the river were buzzing…vendors plying their wares and food; lanterns aplenty; spas; massages; street theatre….

Every night, when ‘turning down the sheets’, my hotel leaves a surprise package on the bed…a small story about a food, some history, cultural practice or folktale accompanied by a totally unrelated, but nevertheless delicious, sweet morsel to have with bedtime refreshment, tonight a sesame jelly. Nice touch.