Travelling in true Vietnamese style

Today was our last day in Hoi An before we caught the sleeper train in the evening. Luckily the manager at the home stay we were staying at is lovely and let us store our luggage there all day and also arranged a moped for us to use for the day, Nick's license coming in handy once again. Mopeds and bikes are the way to get around in Vietnam for sure so it had to be done really. We made the most of the 12pm check out by getting up early and spending the morning planning and booking some of our Cambodia trip. We were given a local noodle delicacy for breakfast which wasn't fantastic but it was nice to try the local food of Hoi An. We left our luggage at the hotel and hit the road and travelled about 20 minutes to a cat cafe. Unlike the one we visited in Japan this is a cat sanctuary set up to rescue cats and kittens from the cat meat trade or from vehicle accidents. The owners took in there own stray cat called Jack who later turned out to be girl when she gave birth to kittens. The sadest part of the story is that when the kittens were 2 weeks old Jack went missing and after many weeks searching they came to realise she had probably been stolen to be killed for meat. This is when the couple decided to set up the sanctuary to not only raise and rehabilitate injured and unwanted cats and kittens but also to educate the community on the thefts of cats and how to keep their pets safe. It was a beautiful place where the cats had full roam of a large garden and indoor area. They even managed to help a cat who couldn't walk due to being hit by a motorbike accident where his spine had fused together to learn to walk again, with round the clock care. They devote their lives to these cats and it felt like we were helping just by visiting and paying the entry fee alone but we decided to also have quite a few drinks there and lunch as well, where all the profits go into the caring of the animals. Sadly it came the time to leave and we got on the bike once more and tried to find a beach that is meant to be the most popular one near where are staying. We got lost of course but just riding around in the breeze was quite liberating so we didn't mind at all. It did get a little windy on a bridge we crossed however! We eventually found a beach, not the one planned but a beach none the less and stayed for a couple of juices and a chill out on the loungers. After some dinner we headed on the bike once more for one last ride before heading back to the home stay. At this point the sun was setting so the ride was amazing as we chased a beautiful pink sunset. The owner of the home stay had also offered us to use a room to shower in before our train so we looped back and went to take him up on his kind gesture. I couldn't imagine having to sleep the train without having a shower! After relaxing for a bit we headed off to board our train. We booked a 4 bed cabin and hoped to have one set of bunk beds but unfortunately we are both on the top bunk and also have a baby in with us so hopefully we get some sleep, fingers crossed!Read more