Our next day in Hoi An was a trip to one of the two beaches. Nice place - but 'disaster' struck as a big wave caught me and took away my wedding ring - obviously never to be found in the ocean. It has now been replaced with a new one though!  Teddy enjoyed his sunbathing as always.
 

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An afternoon stroll allowed us to try more street food - including the Banh Mi - Vietnamese Bread Rolls. They soon became a strong favourite. We also enjoyed seeing lots of young couples taking their wedding pics around town.

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The next major trip was to the Marble Mountains, a cluster of five marble and limestone hills names after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa(fire) and Tho (earth). All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and several Buddhist sanctuaries can also be found within the mountains. During the Vietnam war, the Marble Mountains contained a hospital for the Vietcong. A stairway of 156 steps leads to the summit of Thuy Son, allowing a wide panoramic view of the surrounding area and the other mountains.  More recent bombs have opened up skylights to some of the inner caverns and the lighting effects are truly amazing. We enjoyed our trip here, even if the guide, a "Mr Turtle" was a little over the top - even for us!

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As always, the evening was spent walking in the old town of Hoi An, amongst the night markets and the restaurants, enjoying a good look and a small spend!

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So, there you have our second Vietnam report - I really do recommend Hoi An as a place to visit. I loved in the first time I passed through for just one night, and loved this trip too - would happily go back. I think Shanhong still prefers Thailand to Vietnam though! Just the cooking course to go and the trip will be over.

Take Care and keep in touch,
Trevor, Shanhong, and Teddy xxx