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76 measurements, 13 types of material, 21 visits to tailors, 7 forms filled out at the post office and 26 hours later, and I'm now the proud owner of some cool new clothing. Well, not that I have any right to use or even know the meaning of the word 'cool', but it's pretty smart stuff to my eyes. This is Hoi An, home to arguably the world's largest collection of tailors, or at the least, the cheapest. One can have a new suit made up for $25! Personally, I prefer clothing with a bit more class (don't laugh), or rather, better quality that I know will last, so I spent a little more. I felt like a king on a Fordian factory line, getting measured up at various places, along with 100s of others, who all have one thing on their mind: the smell of cheap, well-made fitted clothing.

Hello Tailors!

Simon Wadsworth
2006-09-04 15:39:34

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stopped in boring Savannakhet for a few hours to freshen up at a hotel,
U-G-L-Y, you ugly dog, you ugly dog
Guarding the Japanese Bridgebefore catching a local bus overnight to Vientiana that was actually very comfy. Shockingly too, we arrived on time at 6am, despite breaking down with a burst tyre at midnight (though Leah was told by her lying agency, we'd arrive at 4pm, so for her we were 14hours 'late'). Personally, I'm not usually bothered by such a venture - I've been on worse, everyone has. But when you pay $20 for a ticket, and are told little fibbies, it's the principle that makes it annoying. Ok, moan finished, sorry.

It's a shame it put a downer on the end of Vietnam, and pretty much everyone on the trip was relieved to leave the country and enter the gloriousness that is Laos. One guy even kissed the ground! Vietnam was good fun, and I can't wait to go back and explore the North, but the constantness of having to question everything got to me after a while, and sadly, for the majority of the travellers, finding honesty and warmth from many of the locals was difficult. I'm sure this is a case of a few giving a bad impression for the many, and I don't feel I was there long
enough to form a strong opinion, but I will say that I left the country with some resentment.

Last but not least, I actually continued onto Vang Vieng (I'll explore Vientiane last), where I am now - home to tubing and mp3 player repairs (I hope). It was yet another 4 hour trip, which I crazily took on the back of an oversized tuktuk, which looked like a cousin of the Filipino jeepneys. After travelling nearly 24 hours, you sort of become a little high and zoned out, so I figure that another 4 hours wouldn't make much difference. I seemed to amuse the locals all the way there too, by my art of peanut butter sandwich making while on a bumpy road, and my lack of any ability to dance to Laos music from the radio in a confined space. I'm looking forward to these 2 weeks in Laos, as it seems to be every traveller's favourite country. I'll keep you posted.

I'd just like to mention, since my last blog, I'm now shockingly over 1/2 way through my trip! It's gone by so quickly I can't believe it, but hopefully plenty more stories and funny annecdotes still to come. The number of times my blogs have been read has also surpassed the 5000 mark, and over 160 from my last blog alone, which is incredible, seeing as I expected everyone to become bored of my wafflings after the second blog. It makes me really happy to know that in some way my adventures are being shared by each of you, so thank you so much for reading, emailing me, writing comments. It all means a lot to me, even if I haven't replied to each of you individually yet. Take care, speak to you soon. Simon x