Na Trang and up the South central coast

28 June I rented a motorbike today and went off to see the sights. Saw big boulders with all kind of mythololgy attached, towers, museums and couldn't find other things. As i was checking out today and taking the night bus to Hoi An , I had to leave the hotel at midday and hang around until 7pm. So half day sightseeing on the bike and back to hotel for a final shower and another half day on the road again. The place is swelteringly hot (about 35C) and im sweating like a pig. I decided that what better way to while away 6 hours but to go to the local Hot Springs. Thap Ba Hot Springs centre caters for wealthy visitors and arriving on my Honda 50 amongst the luxury air conditioned buses and fancy cars must have been a sight. So, my money being as good as anybodys I went in and ordered the full monty. Mud bath, mineral bath, monsoon power shower, fluffy towel and pool access ($20). First off was the mud bath, probably full of beneficial stuff and from some amazing place, but I didnt bother reading the spoof on it. Your man directed me to my tub, which was a big timber yolk and turned on the mud flow. The stuff looked like hot concrete and I wondered if i get in will i ever get out. Hopped in for 20 minutes and covered myself in the stuff. It was in my eyes and everything and couldnt find any water to wash it off. Eventually, after my best Stevie Wonder search, i poured my drinking water on my eyes and was Ok. Then i was told to sit on a lounger under the sun for another 15 mins, I fell asleep and when I woke up I thought I was paralysed. The mud was baked hard on my skin and was mad keen to get it off. Shuffelling over to the showers i spent 30 mins scrubbing. Good for the skin, as all the mud grains exfoliate you. Down to the mineral baths where I was put in a big love heart bath on my own. All around me were couples and looking at me and feeling sorry for me. Even the staff started talking to me so I would not be on my own. Had they not passed any heed, I wouldnt have known any better. Not phased by that I went to the pool and relaxed for a couple of hours. As Im not one for relaxing that much, i decided to conduct an experiment with the local ant population. A empty can of red bull was on my table and I poured a few drops onto the table surface. The Ants gobbelled it up and started running around in circles like lunatics and about 20 of them died, heart attack or brain failure i expect..... moral of the story: avoid red bull!!
Got the night bus, which are special buses with large reclined seats. Its a bus of 31 beds and made in China. The South East Asians are smaller than us and they were a little cramped but OK. They were air conditioned and had a toilet so all in alll very comfortable. Fell asleep and woke up outside my hotel.
29 June So I had arrived in Hoi An. It is a very beautiful and scenic town which was spared Bombing by the americans so its old and full of character. I checked into a nice hotel a couple of Klms from the centre. It was a lovely hotel with pool and all the comforts for $10 per night. I didnt mind as I rented a motorbike and flew in and out of town to my hearts content. Saw all the sights and went for a great lunch in a Vietnamese/french restaurant. I went to a nearby town called Danang where there is a beach called 'China Beach'. It was the setting for an 80's American TV show about a Vietnam war medical centre. It was an American Gi resting spot and was beautiful. I drove the bike up to the top of Monkey mountain up roads that were rarely used and the jungle had practically grown over them. Only enough for a bike. Got to the top to this old US army lookout thing and lo and behold there were a couple of lads living there. They were as surprised to see me as I them. I made my excuses (Sing Jow! Sing Jow! Kaam urn! / hello hello, thank you) and left. I got back to town and spotted an American girl i met in kampot, cambodia and we went for a great dinner and a few beers.
30 June I went on a trip to 'My son' a Cham ruin (dont ask) and although I d like to think Im sensitive to ancient architecture and all that, it was little more than an auld bunch of red bricks. The yanks had bombed it however as they believed the Vietcong were hiding there. There was one site I had just looked at and this lad from the tour asked me if it was worth looking at. I replied 'Nah, the yanks flattened that one'... it turned out he was American, ouch.
The bus tour became a cruise went to a remote carpentry village so we could meet the villagers that made wooden crafts. It would have been more accurate to say 'we will bring you to a village with 3 shops' but thats tours for you. Got back to Hoi an and had dinner with a french girl from the trip who educated me in some fine french cuisine. Hoi an is beaitiful by night as all the riverside shops sell chinese lanterns and are really colourful at night. going to Hue tomorrow by train if possible.