Wednesday 14 October to Hoi An

Early start this morning to be on the tenders to a Floating fishing village at 7am. We then boarded rowing boats to view the floating village. There were initially about 600 people living here but now about 80 to 100. All the children and elderly are in the cities. The government supports them now as they used to be closed to outsiders but this became a problem with inter marriage of bloodlines so now the children are given an education in towns and the elderly housed in towns. Tourism is supported to put money into the community. It is certainly a hard life.

Back on board for breakfast and to settle the bill. It is still scary when paying in millions of Dong! Time to leave the boat as we head for the airport to fly to Hoi An.

the bay was full of boats and apparently there are some 500 boats in the bay on any given day.

Here's some info on burials in Vietnam, in that you are buried twice! First time is for about 3 years and then you are dug up, bones cleaned and reburied in another plot that now has a headstone, hence the photo of a cemetery. We get to the airport at about 2pm and it takes a while for the group to check in, and then go through security but we manage it. One lady has had to be dropped at the international terminal to go to Bangkok for an overnight stay and then fly back into Da Nang tomorrow to rejoin our tour (all at extra cost) because her visa wasn't completed correctly and was 2 days short of the actual tour period! She didn't realise until she got here as her travel agent completed it for her. The Viet authorities wouldn't let her just get an extension or even apply for a new one to cover the 2 days as they call it 'visa hopping'. No wonder I was worried about whether I had filled out the visa application correctly! Anyway, our flight is at 4.10 and I'm in economy near the back of the plane so will just have to suffer in silence for the 70 minute flight...

We arrive into Da Nang, safe and sound, having been given a bottle of water during the flight and then a little gift bag with a small shampoo sachet and a very small tube of shower gel. What an unusal.offering to passengers on an hour long flight. I'd have preferred nuts! Anyway I kept it, so am not really complaining. We all collect our bags and are put on coaches that take us for the hour long dive to our Hoi An hotel which is really nice and our home for the next 3 nights.

As it is already after 7, we go straight to dinner in the restaurant. It is nice, but not up to the standard of the boat.

Up to.pur room which is good slthough the taised beds are a worry as I'm sure one of us at least, will fall down the steep during the middle of the night on the way to the bathroom. But now it's lights out as we have a full day ahead of us tomorrow.