Raining in Hoi An

Well we're in Hoi An, the shopper's paradise. In this townm you can get a suit whipped up in a few hours for US$20, or anything you can find in a fashion magazine or photo. I've spent US$115 so far on a couple of suits and a bunch of shirts.

However we're pretty much trapped here. It's been raining since we left Dalat on Saturday because of a tropical low off the coast. That meant missing out vbaluable beach time in the coastal town of Nha Trangh. The stormy, 14 hour overnight bus was pretty uncomfortable on the single lane, potholed goat track they call Highway 1.

When we got to Hoi An, it was still raining and continued overnight. Our cheap hotel, interestingly called the Trade Union Hotel, was nearly flooded the following morning. A stormwater drain next to the hotel broke its banks and flooded the roadway out the front. With it rising so fast overnight we figured it would only take a bit more rain to get it to rise the foot or so needed to make our beds float. So we moved to a nicer, more expensive hotel on the third floor. There's a conveneient balcony we can moor boats on if it comes to that 8)

In the flooding yesterday we took a boat ride and shot nearly a whole roll of film in half an hour, looking at the restaurant we had tried to find and eat in the night before with water flowing through it.

The rain eased last night and the floodwaters are going down. The low system seems to be blowing itself out. Hopefully we'll get some sun and can go to the beach soon!

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