We arrived in Hoi An in late afternoon, and it was pouring. I had never walked in a city in such heavy rain. The umbrella and water repellent windbreaker did not help much. Even my passport which I kept in the zipper compartment of the handbag got damp.

The next day, most of the people in my group went on an optional tour to an organic village. I took a walk in the Old Town at leisure, of course still in the rain that came down by the bucket from time to time. Hoi An, with its name in Chinese that means "A peaceful meeting place" in English, was indeed famous for its assembling halls here and there for different Chinese communities. It's a charming city, with a river running through it. My photos could have been much sharper had it been a sunny day. In the photos #36-39 you can see how dangerous it could have been. I almost walked into the river which was right by a street, with no barrier between them, and the river was flooding to the same level of the road.

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