Or fairyland…. Either way this city I have been itching to get to. After what was the most uncomfortable and longest overnight bus if my life, a sleepless group arrived at Hoi An. The girls and I separated to find some cheaper accommodation. This city has already exceeded my expectations in 24 hours. There is 2 beaches here, bikes for hire for $1 a day, AMAZING food and local delicacies, you can get just about anything you dream of tailor made here (even shoes!!! My tiny feet are loving it!), lanterns on every shop and restaurant and markets filled to the brim with amazing treasures. I found the lantern stall yesterday and I’ve already decided as I couldn’t get the dress I wanted to get made for the wedding (boning issues with the top part of it…) I will spend a days budget at this stall cause these lanterns are too incredible for words. I wish I could better describe and show this town, but you’ll all just have to come here yourselves and discover its true beauty!

After our meal, we decided to walk it off and wander through the old town. All the tailors here close down at 8pm, which is literally half the city so you wander through deserted streets and then BAM! You get to the waterfront and these photos can not do this fairytale city justice. There is live music, lanterns and diners everywhere. Ladies selling floating lanterns for the river (and once a month this entire river fills with good luck lanterns floating their way down the stream). Walking around I half felt like I was in Venice again and half felt like I was in Heaven.

Reason #101 why I’m going to be fat by the time Jay arrives…4 course meals for 4.5 here and pineapple pancakes with heavenly coconut ice cream to finish them off!

Sunset rides in amongst the chaotic Vietnamese traffics (though of all the places I’ve been this is the quietest…but helmets are definitely not provided even after we asked when hiring bikes).

For the price of a coconut you can lounge on the beaches here all day surrounded by palm trees. I am missing going to the beach for free and not being pestered, but the sunshine and saltwater is too good and sporadic whilst travelling Vietnam not to fully appreciated it for what it’s worth!

The ride to the beach is absolutely fantastic! Alongside the river front and past rice fields filled with workers, making the 4km ride absolutely blissful.

After a depressing budget realisation last night, the girls and I have taken full advantage of all free food and the two meals a day rule. We had our last absolute feast of left over fruits, free eggs and bread and bananas a lay like mini Buddhas on the beach all day while the boys and Valery (another new comment the group from Canada) we’re m.i.a recovering somewhere after our last night out in Nha Trang (sprained muscles from dancing was just the beginning). Tonight I am taking my first over night bus to Hoi An, which is lucky as apparently their is a typhoon on its way!

So we were meant to leave Nha Trang last night but we’ve found ourselves here for another day. The boy sat at the bar swings chugging back recovery beers and the girls rented beach chairs for the day. We spent the entire day basking in the sun, drinking coconuts and swimming in the ocean. This is the life! I got really comfortable and read 100 pages of my book and as a result my chest is so burnt I look like Im still wearing a bikini without one on. Last night we headed out for one more night of buckets, beats and throwing shapes left right and center on the dance floor at Oasis bar, and I met two girls from Newcastle who live on Kilgour Avenue, small, small world!

(Not my photo as it’s not safe to take cameras out at night here) Keeping in theme with a bit of a pamper day, we treated ourselves to something other than street food and free bananas that the hotel provides. A very raved about restaurant here in Nha Trang and boy was it worth the hype and extra cash. I am now in a slight food coma with the best beef papaya salad in my stomach and you won’t find a more content girl in the world.

Our budgets didn’t allow for us to take on the water/ theme park with the rest of the group (pulling our pennies to get clothes tailored at our next stop) so we spent the day relaxing at an outdoor spa, smothering our skin in mud, lounging in a hot tub and reading pool side. Just the thing 3 recently healthy girls needed. Though white was a poor choice in retrospect…