Hue to Hoi An

I must admit that since the 'event' in Lao Cai I haven't felt quite right. Maybe a little depressed and homesick actually. Nihn Bihn was such a beautiful place that I was distracted from how the incident effected me, and now that I'm in a quieter setting(Hoi An) it is effecting me all at once. I made a few friends at my guesthouse in Nihn Bihn: Dan(Melbourne) and Gareth(Perth). They are from Australia and were giving me the low-down on what to expect when I move to OZ(Australia) in Sept. On the day of my sleeper night bus departure to Hue I walked the city and befriended a 78 yr old Vietnamese man. He served me free green tea from his booth and we laughed together. We could not communicate beyond pointing at things and people and laughing, but it was fun. He had a great laugh! Everywhere I walked people smiled and waved at me, stopped me to talk, or invited me over for beer. I must say I LOVE the people in Nihn Bihn. It was the first time in Vietnam where I felt people were genuinely nice to me without wanting my money.
I went back to the guesthouse and met up with 3 people who were waiting for the same sleeper bus. We had dinner together and got along great. Christina(a hot-tamale from Spain living in London), Kelly and Rhys(Brisbane, Australia). Kelly and Rhys recently had an underwater wedding in Koh Tao, Thailand. We decided to travel together, and I have been rooming with Christina who is teaching me how to salsa dance, and Kelly and Rhys are master scuba instructors who I'm traveling to Nha Tran with in a couple days for scuba diving.
When we arrived in Hue(Hwey) there was a huge 10 day festival of music and dance that none of us were aware of, and luckily my new friends were responsible enough to plan ahead with reservations for our accommodations, or we would have been horribly inconvenienced! Christina and I explored the city by motorbike until it rained, but saw the citadel. It was beautiful and children filled the surrounding park to fly their kites. There are the most beautiful handmade kites in Asia. Unbelievable! When we returned our guesthouse owner told us Kelly went to the hospital for stomach pains, which we later learned it was a stomach infection from dirty food and/or utensils. She's ok now, but a little paranoid and obnoxious. That night we walked along the pier and saw all the local art and took a boat ride around the city. It was a beautiful scenic trip that lasted an hour, but once we were on the boat we were harassed to buy a bunch of useless things.., which none of us did.
We weren't really that interested in Hue, even after the next morning when we explored more of the city by motorbike to see the ancient tombs. It's a pretty city, but I feel as though since I've arrived in Vietnam I have not relaxed. Not like I could in Laos. I constantly feel stressed, so I'm not going to stay in this country until June 23rd. I'm quickly working my way down the coast, but trying to stay open-minded.
That afternoon we all took a 4 hr. bus to Hoi An. This city is known for its tailors! We arrived yesterday night, had a delicious meal(amazing!), and Christina and I found a salsa bar where I practiced my new moves. It was fun and weird drinking Cuban Rum in Hoi An. We're going back tonight!
This morning after breakfast I wandered into a tailor, and I'm having a pair of shorts made as well as a dress and a flowing cotton top. I go back at 7 p.m. for the adjustments! Yay! :)
Tomorrow the big plan is to go to the beach and read.
I need to increase how much I've been meditating, because I feel stressed and my mind is fluctuating constantly. I'm just really homesick right now.