Funny Heads and Hats in Hoi An

Up very early this morning as Jackie insisted the family visit yet another World Heritage Site- the Champa Ruins at 'My Son' or "my boy" as Matt kept calling them. They are basically a collection of tumble down ruins from the 4th century. Matthew said they were boring and Emma reckoned they were a waste of time. The children all had more fun making funny statue heads, watching the marching ants and trying to catch one of the beautiful and huge butterflys. My Son (not Matthew; My Son, the place, silly - Ed.) is up in the sub tropical jungle with great noises all around and very steamy.

We spent the afternoon trying on funny hats in the market - and finally succumbing to the ultimate tourist cliche of buying a conical hat.

Once again the highlight of the day was the interaction with the Vietnamese themselves. We had a lovely lunch overlooking the river and one by one each of the waitresses came upstairs, collected a bundle of cushions and lay down in the middle of the restaurant and fell aleep!! David and I would have liked to have done the same but no chance!

They were all admiring the childrens pale skin and told me that when they are pregnant, they drink lots of coconut milk to try and have a pale skin baby.

We are now trying to work out what the Vietnamese tooth fairy would consider a fair exchange rate as Matts tooth has just fallen out. The lady over the road tried to tell me something about putting the tooth on the roof- but I am not sure I qute understood her! David's up there now and I am a bit worried about him as it is dark and we are in a 4-storey building