Hoi An Beach

Back on line - the wifi in Hoi An has been naff.

Three days of relaxation at the Sunrise Beach Hotel at Cua Dai beach about six kms outside of Hoi An.  A resort hotel, it could be anywhere, but I thought it would be great to be away from heavy traffic, fumes and noise for a few days. The first night we chilled in the afternoon, dinner in one of the restaurants in the hotel and had few glasses of wine in the bar.

Rod hasn't stopped chuntering about the cost of food and drink in the hotel since. We have spent too many nights sitting on plastic stools on the pavement somewhere drinking beer at 35p a bottle. But he will get used to it.

And we get afternoon tea every day oooeer until now we have had a good breakfast in the hotel and apart from the occasional snack, have waited until dinner to eat again. Unfortunately four days of tea might be our undoing.  Little sandwiches, dim sum, scones and cakes. On dear! I am trying hard to only have a nibble!

Sunday - we've got into the relaxation mode, but there is no sun.  The hotel is on a spit of land and we are at the end.  We walked out of the hotel and came across a lagoon with fishing rings and small boats.  On one of the wooden poles was a lovely kingfisher, and when it flew off its wings were sapphire blue... Beautiful.

Speckled sun came out for an hour so we headed for the pool and a lounger.  Had to cover self in a towel to keep warm, but we were outside at least. Got chatting to Bruce and Rebecca from Forest Hill. The are doing the same itinerary as us, but in three weeks, aren't we lucky to have so much time.

We sat around, read, watched  films, we managed to sit outside for an hour till the weather set in.

Tonight we ventured out of the resort for dinner and found one full of locals. Always a good sign and as it was chilly had a seafood hotpot, which was warming and delicious. Our young waiter (male) had pink hair, loved it.

Monday

Unfortunately we  woke up to grey and drizzle, bit depressing really.

We went back down to the lagoon to look out for the kingfisher, but had decided to stay at home. It's a strange place. We think town planning (or their equivalent) had been in, laid out road, electricity and water, the then abandoned it. So probably in a short period everything has become overgrown.  We presume it in preparation for growth in the town, and especially the resorts along the beach. But now it looks like a wasteland.

I am fascinated with the contrast over here. Where an old lady can live in a shack next to a new contemporary house, set in shrubland.

Give a little boy a cardboard box and he will keep himself amused for hours.

Tonight we ventured over the road to another little shack for dinner. Rod was happy when he got a G & T. Well I think he waved the gin over the top of the glass and I had a glass of Vietnamese red wine. Umm quite an acquired taste, okay when you masked it with spicey food.

Tuesday

We walked to the lagoon to see if my kingfisher was around, but he has flown off to a better fishing site. And then we headed off for a long walk the other way towards Hoi An. Give it five years and the whole road along the beach will be lined with resort hotels.

Families out for the day

But they do have one major problem here with coastal erosion. At our hotel there ongoing works putting in huge concrete breakers to keep the sea at bay. This morning the waves were crashing over the wall and some of the villas are only about ten feet from the breakers.

The hotel had a raffle for New Year and I won a massage. How brilliant!.  It was made even more enjoyable when I had finished and was walking through the spa, to have a 6ft 5  Adonis come out of the steam room with a very small towel. He gave me a huge smile, I rolled my tongue back in walked out with a smile. Phew!

We saw a sunset pink sky tonight, so things getting better.

The hotel is very pretty at night.

Wednesday and we are moving on into Hoi An town. And guess what? We opened the curtains to sunshine, our first in four weeks. Rod went on to do Mutley impersonations all morning, he was grumpy.

But we manage an hour on the sun lounger before checking out and getting a twenty minute taxi ride into town.

I will talk about Hoi An separately as it is so different.