Hoi An and all its charms

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, Hoi An is a beautiful place. Alas these past few days have not been all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, everything that's wonderful.. I must admit, Hoi An has attracted a lot more visitors since four years ago - something I've dubbed the 'Top Gear Effect'. When I saw that episode, I thought "Oh wonderful! Now everyone will see what a magnificent place this country is!" Shortly afterwards I realised "Bugger, now everyone will see what a magnificent place this country is.."
Obviously it's great news for local traders and everything like that, but all of a sudden I feel like I'm such a tourist, such an intrusion upon their everyday lives. Four years ago I felt like I was really appreciated here and that I was really seeing how life went on in Vietnam. Now it all seems a little false.
This hasn't been helped by the behaviour of my family. A few members are just really making me feel absolutely tiny, completely deflating any self-esteem that I had before and making me thoroughly miserable. Every single thing that I do or say is openly criticised and the worst is always assumed of me. I just cannot bear it, I cannot bear it anymore. Today I feigned illness just to go back to the hotel to get away from them I just couldn't bear it anymore. Thankfully I still have a couple of wonderful family members who are supportive, reliable and sweet-natured, it's just a shame that I find myself so excited at the thought of shedding my relatives and travelling by myself. But still, this blog would be remarkably boring if it was monotonously positive throughout.. And these things happen, it could well be that things pick up in the next couple of days.
And afterall, it hasn't all been awful, I'm just in a bad mood. Hoi An, despite the aforementioned critique, is still a beautiful town. The locals are still charming, the streets bustling and the beer flowing. Each morning so far I have woken early and gotten a table for breakfast right on the riverbank, and listen to the duggaduggaduggadugga of the passing fishing boats powered by a basic two-stroke and it is just so peaceful.
The peace is occasionally broken, however, by a vast tour group that have filled the hotel. We are one of 4 families that are here independently, but the rest are on some sort of yoga/healing retreat. They've taken over the place, making everything gluten-free, caffeine-free, alcohol-free, red meat-free and fun-free. I accept that gluten allergies are extremely serious but so often it's treated as a healthy living fad, and what's more is that these people don't even look happy, nor do they look healthy!! I'm actually all for things like homeopathy and what some people would call "new-age" with a scornful tone, but these people look thoroughly miserable! And every day they form a long line in groups of three and walk in a big circle around the grounds of the hotel, mostly the pool. There I was, sunbathing, listening to music when I was pounced upon and encircled by a plethora of mid-life crises all talking about how to achieve true whatever they might be trying to attain..
Brrrr, anyway.. Went to the tailor thisafternoon, my trousers are perfect and my jacket is now being made, which I shall try tomorrow. Also started taking the meds in preparation for my operation on Tuesday morning.

Apologies for such a long post - they took away the computer with a decent keyboard and USB socket for a couple of days.. I was thinking this would be easier to digest with more frequent but smaller posts rather than the occasional essay. Still, enjoy these photos I've taken lately :) Might have to add some to the post below, they may not allow me to upload as many as I like!! Also, the spirally thing is incence, you light the bottom and it goes all the way around and around and up, smelling lovely all the way :)

Peace out xxxxxx