Yesterday morning I joined a tour to the My Son ruins just outside of Hoi An. The $1 charge covered the hour bus ride there and back but naturally not the 50,000 dong admission fee.

Erected from the 3rd to the 7th Century A.D. by the Cham civilization, the brick temples look to have seen better days. Between the slow decay provided by the passage of over a thousand years, and the quick destruction provided by American bomber jets, the condition of the buildings isn't too surprising. A lot of fairly impressive brick work and sculpture, overgrown in many places by thick, tropical foliage. It was a good way to spend a few hours but I don't think it will be much match for Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I'll let you know in about two weeks.

Like most tours, this one left early at 8:00am so today it was quite a relief to be able to sleep in until 10. Today's schedule was pretty relaxed: breakfast at 11, second fitting with the tailor at 12, and rent a motorbike at 1. To be honest what I rented would more properly be classified as a scooter but there's no need to get technical; they can pack quite a lot of power into 125cc's these days. I got a quick tutorial from the old woman renting them out, bought a dollar's worth of gas, and steered my wheels in the direction of the closest beach (about 4km away). Jochen, my temporary roommate in Hoi An, joined the excursion. We haggled a bit with the parking attendants and got them down to 2000 dong.

Although a little touristy, the beach was not too busy and actually quite scenic. We took a dip and then dried off on a couple of the reclining beach chairs rented out by the local resorts. They wanted to charge us 10,000 dong each just for using the chairs but we managed to get that fee waived by buying beers and food from their restaurant. The golden rule of Vietnam: (almost) everything is negotiable. Dry, full, and feeling the buzz from a couple bottles of Tiger (a popular brew from Singapore) we hopped back on our bikes for a cruise through the countryside.

With a motorbike, a full tank of gas, and a few hours to kill, you can get a good glimpse into the more rural life of Vietnam. We went through small villages and neighborhoods where everyone from the youngest children to the oldest grandparents seemed to know the word "Hello"; and they shouted it enthusiastically as we rolled by. Most of these people were genuinely interested to see a couple of westerners on bikes driving by their remote houses, but more than a few had something to sell. In these cases it's nice to have your right hand resting on the throttle of a motorbike. Before they can finish speaking, their sales pitch is drowned out by the roar (or maybe growl) of a Honda engine. It's not that I mean to be rude or insensitive, but there really is no better way to convince people that you're not interested in buying anything. In the end it saves both parties a lot of wasted time.

I spent a few more hours on the bike just driving around and occasionally pulling over to snap some pictures. After that Jochen and I grabbed some dinner and booked our tickets out of town for 6:00pm tomorrow. Despite the relaxed pace, beautiful scenery, and excellent dining, it will be relief to leave Hoi An. The fact is I will be leaving here significantly heavier in the clothing and textiles department, and significantly lighter in the currency department. My purchases include: two pairs of trousers, three shirts, one blazer, two jackets, one pair of leather boots, two silk ties, two paintings and also a few more minor items. By western standards, what I paid for all of this was an incredible value considering all the clothes and shoes were hand tailored specifically for me. I think being in the mind set where you haggle down the price of a 50 cent beer or a five dollar hotel room makes it seem more painful when you drop over $100 on clothes. I'm really happy with my purchases but I'll also be glad to hit the road before this place bankrupts me.

The next stop is Nha Trang, a larger city down the coast spread along a six kilometer stretch of beach. The main attractions are the beach, the scuba diving, and the 'booze cruises' which run to some of the islands not far off the coast. You'll soon be hearing which of these activities I've decided to indulge in. The only painful part will be the 12 hour bus trip. It leaves at 6pm and arrives at 6am. Supposedly there are comfortable, reclining chairs and full air-conditioning. I'll believe it when I see it.

Traditional Vietnamese dancers put on an incredible show near the My Son ruins: