First morning in Hoi An

Have just had a lovely weekend in Hue. On Saturday, used Haivenu company for a tour of a few of the tombs (see some pictures in last post). Our guide, Mr Tung was very knowledgeable and friendly and the weather was cooler and rainy, which actually made it a fantastic day. We ended up having lunch at the Mandarin cafe, which is the place I took Benita to find the day before. I remember it from last year. The food is fantastic, but the owner, Mr Cu takes the most astonishing photos, and you can browse his folders as you eat and purchase the photos in many sizes. It's a long story, but I love water buffalos, so Mr Cu promised to look on his computer and show me some more the next day.
After such a big lunch, we hadn't wanted dinner, but went up to the 16th floor of the Imperial Hotel (right behind the Morin Hotel, and very large so you can't miss it) and sat in their outdoor bar for a few hours. The view from here is unbelievable, and you should try the Imperial Special. We went back to the hotel thinking to have an early night, but realised 8pm is too early even for us party animals, so went out on the street and had a light dinner at the Crazy Buffalo.
Sunday we spent wandering the markets and the streets in the morning. Mr Cu at the Mandarin had come through with tons of photos for me to choose from. He's such a character and I'm sure I'll be back there. We had a quick swim then we were driven down to Hoi An to begin actually working. Another excruciatingly slow drive!
We are staying at the Cua Dai hotel. The staff seem so friendly and our rooms (upstairs with a balcony) are very roomy and will be home for the next few weeks. We had dinner with Robyn Morely, the director of Childrens Hope in Action and got a small sense of the scale of what she is trying to achieve in her disability services for children and families in the region (more later).
We start work this morning and after being woken at 5am by my phone (someone from home I forget to tell I was in Vietnam!) I need my two cups of Vietnamese coffee more than ever. The stuff gives Benita a headache, but I live on it. Its a gorgous day here with a slight breeze, I can hear the motorbike horns, music and chickens and the smell is that slightly smoky scent you often smell in parts of Asia. I regret not going out for a run now, but maybe tomorrow.

I love my coffee

The wonderful Mr Cu outside the Mandarin Cafe. Go there to see  and buy the beautiful photos of true Vietnamese life.

Sandie