Vietnam day 26 – Hoi An

Today it’s raining…again.  We decided yesterday that whatever the weather we would hire bikes today and go to the beach.  So after picking up our flight tickets we cycle the 4km to Cua Dai beach.  This palm-fringed beach is probably idyllic in the summer, but on this wet and blustery day the waves are up and it looks rather forlorn and desolate.  Apart from school children coming home for lunch, we are the only people about;  the few restaurants and shops are all deserted.  We park up and stop for some refreshment before heading back towards Hoi An. We spotted a picturesque restaurant on the way out – not much more than a palm-covered verandah  built out over the river,  and decide to give it a try.  The setting is perfect – palm trees swaying in the wind and several storks along the river bank.  After lunch we brave the rain again and visit the Quan Cong Temple and Museum of History and Culture both in Hoi An old town and both are options on our historic sites ticket.  These are not quite as interesting as the sites we visited yesterday.  The building housing the latter is more interesting than the content which is rather sparse and consists of a few artifacts and old, rather faded photographs.  We wander through the central market dodging the spouts of rain water than fall off the makeshift plastic canopies.  The market runs down to the river which has burst its banks and the area along the length of waterfront is flooded, cutting off many of the bars and restaurants including the one we lunched at yesterday.  The market stalls on the rivers edge are ankle-deep in water.  The stallholders seemingly unphased by this turn of events continue to trade as though nothing is amiss.  The flooding is an annual occurrence at this time of year and in late 2006, according to our trusty guide book, reached the roof beams of the houses.