Homestays and Heinz in Hoi An

We got up at 6:30am this morning to get the bus at 8am from Hue to Hoi An. The bus turned up late and when it arrived we were a bit disappointed to discover it wasn't a sleeping bus and we had to sit up like normal people. It was quite cramped. We headed straight through to Hoi An and arrived around 12pm. We walked for about ten minutes to the place we are staying, which is actually a home stay rather than a hostel. Homestays were traditionally when you stay in a local person's house rather than a hostel, although more modern ones are almost like mini hostels. The one we are in has 4 rooms. We are in a 3 bed ensuite. All the bed are side by side with only a wooden cabinet thing separating you from the person next to you. They are high enough though to keep you out of sight. It's a very nice room.

We got the low down about Hoi An from the host, had a drink and some crisps and went for a wander. It was very hot again today.  Hoi An has a lot of tailors but we didn't get any clothes. We wandered down the main streets and past the Japanese Bridge. We dipped into the central market, which is a covered market. It was very quiet and half the stall owners were lying asleep on the floor. Hoi An is quite different from all the other places we have been. It's very cute and the buildings are in a different style. It's right on the river front. There are lanterns hung all over the place.

After wandering around for a while we stopped for a drink in a cafe and then headed back to the accommodation. I showered and we did some research for the next few days and then we headed out around 6:15pm for dinner. Having had a lot of rice in the last few days, we opted fr a place called the kebab shack, run by a British man named Tim.  We both had sausage, chips and beans, with real Heinz ketchup,  followed a chocolate brownie for afters. Lauren had strawberry ice cream and whipped cream with hers. It was a nice taste of home and only cost £4.97, including drinks.

After dinner we wandered back to the homestay, Lauren showered and then we just relaxed.