Tuesday 19 April

Woke us this morning feeling like we'd been run over by a steam roller! The bed is ROCK hard and we all agree we are happy to pay whatever it costs to upgrade to a room with a softer bed. Apparently they are full and can't accommodate us. They offer to put some extra doonas under the bottom sheet and we agree it's better than nothing. As we are leaving for the day we see a couple of matresses being dragged down the hallway. Yep,they're for us! We feel them before leaving and they as least move when you touch them so tonight will tell. We discuss that the hotel missed an opportunity to fleece us. We were willing to pay for an "üpgrade" and had they merely moved us to the rooms where the matresses came from we would have thought that is what we had got!

We are met in the Lobby by our guide, Thinh, at 9.00am and we walk to the dock where all the dragon boats are. We are taking a ride on one down the Purfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda (there's a Google opportunity for those playing at home). Stunning architecture, as is everything we have seen so far. From the Pagoda we go to the Imperial Citadel which is a moated compound of the residence of the Emporer. We walk around this area (over 400 metres front to back, and over 600 metres left to right) and are staggered that this was still lived in up until 1945 when the last Emporer abdicated. Mind blowing that this type of existence was going on not that long ago. From there we went to the Dong Ba market for a bit of a look around. Similar to Vic Markets or Paddys in Sydney but so much more conpacted. We really had to squeeze through the stalls. It was a fascinating place although the girls thought it smelt bad. Oh course it did, but that perhaps added to the charm? We then headed out of the city to visit the Mausoleums of two past Emporers, but these ones have actually been buried!

Dinner tonight was at a restaurant recommended by Thinh, and again the food did not dissapoint. We hooked in to a few cocktails before we went to dinner, and then had another one when we returned. (Note please: Robyn is keeping up and at this point Tequila Sunrise is the new favourite drink!)

Tomorrow we are going to Hoi An, the silk capital of the world, so the credit cards might finally get a run!