From Hue back to Hoi An

Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Hoi An, Vietnam
OK I admit it Baguette is pronounced Bagette. In my mind I've been saying Bagwette for nigh on 40 years and I have to come to Vietnam to be embarrassed into admitting I got it wrong. I asked a waitress for one using my flawed pronounciation and she had no clue what I was saying and my son and Sally had to correct me. I resisted but now I see the error of my ways. I'm a bit sad to see the end of Bagwette, its been a friend in many books for a long time. And just by the way Ive been told that Dalat wine is actually very good. Jessie and Tim went there and had some recently so I am assuming the glass I had last night ame from a corked bottle.
Left Hue this morning in a tropical downpocur in a Toyota Crown 95 model . Crowns were always the top Toyota model and this was one I have never seen before, all leather interior, good seats, good AC, but to Sally and Marleys horror no seatbelts in the back seats! It was still raining and the road was thronged with trucks and the driver felt obliged to pass every single one of them. I had pushed for travelling by the scenic train route to Danang and then by taxi but Marley had resisted. Now it was payback time. Passing 2 or 3 trucks in line with trucks bearing down from the opposite direction is quite nerve wracking even when you have got a belt on. Sally admitted she just gave up and was accepting sudden death but the driver was actually quite good. He knew the route well and got us through unscathed in record time.
Arrived in Hoi An and were booked into the An Hoi hotel which we couldn't find at first, but it turned out it was a new street according to the driver and it was across the river from Old Town. Very neat well appointed rooms with good AC and also a swimming pool. Three nights for $75. Walked across to Y Thuan restaurant where a friend had recommended one of the owners to us and Plum was certainly welcoming and our first meal was shared with my daughter and her partner who just happened to walk along as we sat down.
Another factoid about Vietnam--there are no secondhand shops.

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