From Nha Trang to Hoi An

• I know I have been lagging on the writing. It's been a chore to get my lazy ass off the beach and to a computer where I can spend some actual quality time writing about my experiences instead of drinking them away at the Red Apple Backpacker's bar in Nha Trang. I spent the last 5 days there consuming sugary alcoholic beverages like I'm in Cancun on Spring Break circa 2002--sleeping in till the afternoon, and lazying away a few hours on the beach only to do it all over again the next night. My twenty-six year old body was not havin' it. I can't drink like I'm twenty-one anymore and I can't keep up with the twenty-three year olds I've been hanging out with. I'm old. I can't party like I used to, I can't drink "buckets" of vodka red bull and follow it up with a beer bong at 5 a.m. Ok, maybe I can (and god, did I, minus the beer bong part) but my body definitely hates me the next day.
  
  My friend Jenna met me from China and is now traveling with Denny and I for a month. Nha Trang was miles away from the hectic streets of Saigon, and a welcome respite from boring, rainy Dalat. It was beautiful. The weather was perfect, I got tan on the beach, got to spend some time in the ocean, got two massages, met a number of lovely travelers, made some new friends, spent all week at one bar--The Red Apple, which became our oasis where the owners knew us by name and the familiar faces of wayward backpackers were there nightly. Kind of like Cheers, but tropical and more "Spring breakie." It was like a home away from home for a few nights. I'm sure my vision was deluded with alcohol, cute boys with accents (sigh), and hot weather--regardless, I enjoyed myself and it was hard to leave.
  
  Denny got bored and had to book it a day early to Hoi An, where we are now. Jenna and I took the overnight bus the next day. It was harsh. Eleven hours on a night bus, ridiculously bumpy roads, with a cramped "bed" space, no bathroom, and the sporadic noise of people coughing and sneezing in the background was no way to get a good nights sleep. Luckily, I scored an ambien from Denny and it was out for a good eight hours until we reached our destination.
  
  We got to Hoi An yesterday morning and spent all day walking around this small, charming town famous for it's clothing shops where you can get anything you're heart desires made. After hours of walking around and checking out the different seamstresses, I found one that made me the most perfect red, flowery hippie dress, a la Mischa Barton, that I found in a cut out of Vogue.
  
  We went to a cooking class later in the day, where we learned how to make a variety of different Vietnamese dishes--spring rolls, tamarind prawns, pork braised in coconut water ... it was all delicious. We ordered two bottles of wine, the chefs insatiably flirted with Denny, and we got drunk at the tiny restaurant lit up with red and yellow lanterns, overlooking the water. It was one of those nights I'll never forget--a perfect travel moment that will always be ingrained in my memory. After we were a little tipsy off wine, we went back to our seamstress to try on our dresses and got conned into buying more. I'm getting another brown hippie dress made that I semi designed myself, semi got off a magazine. I don't know how it's going to turn out. Drunk designing/shopping may not be the best idea, or the best idea for my wallet. Oh well, carpe diem. Right? Today I'm off to the beach in Hoi An then to go see my dress. I love this town--it's charming like no other town I've ever been to. The streets are filled with glowing lantern shops, and the river is overflowing with tiny boats. There's so much to write and not enough time. All I can say is I love Vietnam and I truly am having the time of my life.