Hoi An

i'm finally getting shoes that fit. in Hoi An, it is the tailoring & cobbling capital of Vietnam. i'm getting a couple of shoes custom-fit overnight.

i didn't realize that Vietnam was still heavy into communist propaganda. there are billboards everywhere with the propaganda. they are depictions of happy workers and families, mostly speaking of Vietnamese pride and goodness. quite remarkable...

i finally saw sun today. northern Vietnam was overcast the whole time, but now i'm in central Vietnam. it is warmer and sunnier here. i actually got a bit of a burn on my shoulder. but this evening is very cool and breezy. i'm enjoying it!

i met up with Esther from Germany on the bus ride down from Hanoi. the two of us got stuck on a 5-hour stopover in Hue, which turned out to be a nice surprise. we took an hour-long boat ride on the Perfume River. it cost us next to nothing, and it was quite the treat.

i met more people on my trip down - another German, Spaniard and a Swiss guy. five days into my trip and i still haven't met another American. it kinda surprises me. most of the travellers i'm meeting are in their mid- to late-twenties and travelling for several weeks up to a year. i like how folks from other parts of the world go on holidays. none of this one-week stuff. when they go, they go and go and go.

i'm hoping to bump into Shiela from the UK who was also heading to Hoi An from Hanoi. she was on the excursion with me to Halong Bay. she's older (maybe mid- to late-40s?) and on her second trip in Vietnam. first time was a few weeks in southern Vietnam. now it's four weeks in northern Vietnam. quite a lady.