garyandlinda – Page 16 – saskatoonie.com

January 20, 2019January 20, 2019

Sunday January 20, 2019

Hoi An to Nha Trang

Today we checked out of our hotel at 10:30 am and headed for the airport in Da Nang. The trip is about 45 minutes and the cost was about $20 USD. Our vehicle was at tToyota 4 Runner which was powered by a diesel engine. It was the nicest vehicle we have been in on this trip. I don’t think we travelled over 70 km/h.

We checked in to VietJet and proceeded through security. Gary had an unopened battle of water and the security guy placed it under the laptop in the plastic bin. We passed through security fine. Todays theme was no shoes, so we had to remove our shoes.

We ate a light lunch at the Heineken Bar on the air-side departure lounge. Basket of chips, 45.000 VND, 3 chicken skewers 45,000 VND and 2 Larue beer also 45,000 VND each. Total $10.25 CAD which for an airport is pretty low cost. The trick was only one food item per beer purchase.

Our flight was late departing Da Nang, but it eventually did get us to Nha Trang about 30 minutes late.

Our pick up car was also late so by the time we got to the An Vista Hotel in Nha Trang it was almost 5pm, our whole day was shot travelling on a one hour plane flight. The good news, the weather seems to be perfect in Nha Trang, food is cheaper than anywhere we have been and the beer is even cheaper than water.

We ate supper at a Vietnamese restaurant across the street, then walked to the beach one block. Crossing the street to get to the beach is not easy. No street light, just a crosswalk marked on the pavement. You must wait for a lull in traffic to get across! 2 lanes of traffic in each direction with a median in the middle to wait.

We came back to the hotel and left our valuables in the safe and went for a massage. We paid 180,000 VND for 1 hour body massage. $10.25 CAD each. We left a 50,000 VND tip and the girls were very happy. We feel good too, their massages are a bit wacky, but they literally hit the spot.

January 20, 2019January 20, 2019

Saturday January 19, 2019

Hoi An - last full day

We ate breakfast around 7:30 am. The usual tropical fruit and cornflakes, coffee, cinnamon croissants etc. Gary lived on the wild side and had one small croissant with the usual 4 plates of fruit and a bowl corn flakes. The milk is never cold here and it really matters on dry cereal. The coffee is never piping hot either! We figured out why our coffee wasn’t hot, the coffee pot is sitting on a warmer that is turned off.

We snagged a couple of small umbrellas for insurance today. As it happened, there was no rain of any consequence.

We wandered around Old Town Hoi An, now that we know the lay of the land. It’s fun just looking at the shops and not buying anything. There are fruit, vegetable and fish markets along the river and the produce is beautiful and plentiful. The mangos here are HUGE!

At 11 am we went back for a tailor fitting. The shirts for Gary are all done, collars fit his neck. It will remain to be seen if he is happy with the cut of the shirt after the altering of the collar. The pants and suit are perfect. Silk lined suit jackets, that’s a first! The silk lining was an extra $10 or $12 USD, can’t recall the exact amount.

Linda had her shoe fitting at 1 pm and the shoes fit like a glove! The handbag was also perfect. We got everything back to the tailor and paid the final bill as well as the cost for shipping everything home. If it goes well our stuff will be waiting at home when we arrive. It’s getting shipped to our neighbour who was kind enough to accept the challenge of receiving the 13.5 Kg package. 2 suits, 6 shirts for Gary. Linda gets 1 sexy black dress, one coat, one pair of shoes and one handbag. All custom made to order!

We finished off the evening at a cool little riverfront restaurant named the Thành restaurant. The food was excellent. Because of the full moon celebration all of the restaurant lights and street lights were turned off and we ate by candle light. The boats on the river are all lit with Japanese style paper or fabric lanterns. It was quite beautiful. We were pretty much done supper and ready to leave when a lady came along and asked us if we were english speaking. So the conversation started with her, she was from Montreal. Eventually she sat down and we visited for 45 minutes. She was travelling alone, 64 years old, she also had a few stories to tell. It was quite interesting. We left her to finish her meal, which by the way was the same dish Gary ordered, chicken fire roasted on a banana leaf. It was excellent and served with rice. She also taught us the official and correct way to use chop sticks. She took a cooking class in China. It was a good night!

Back at the hotel it was bedtime, our feet were tired. We wore our running shoes today to help preserve our feet on the uneven streets. Running shoes are not as cool as flip flops but the chance to break your neck or elbow are considerably less.

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019

Friday January 18, 2019

Hoi An

We had breakfast this morning at our hotel the Riverside White House Villa in Hot An. There was lots of fresh fruit, you could order eggs and other items including cornflakes. There was fresh pastries coffee juice etc.

After breakfast we came back to the room and went through some sorting of pictures on the computer and updated our blog. We also did to hotels.com and trip advisor reviews for the places we have stayed recently. Linda scoured the internet for flight information to get us to the Philippines in March.

We packed the umbrellas, jackets and water, then headed to the old town Hoi An. It was quite nice to walk on dry streets, like a different world from yesterday. We got to old town and saw the old covered Japanese Bridge but did not cross it yet we walked around farther into old town and bought tickets to get into all the historical buildings. Old town is funded by charging tourists a fee to keep things looked after. When you go into the historic building they clip a piece off he ticket. The cost was 120,000 VND or $6.75 CAD each. Everyone want to sell you something.

We walked back to old town with the aid our iPhone. Actually we photographed the menu items we liked and the pictures showed up on the map. It was easy to trace our steps back to the same spot we had seen before lunch.

Supper was good, Linda had sweet and sour chicken and pineapple with steamed rice, Gary has sweet and sour fish (white filet) and steamed rice and we shared an order of vegetarian spring rolls that were as good as the ones from he street cafe this morning. All the food with 3 beer total and it set us back $17.50. The Restaurant was called the Bear Garden Restaurant. It was so obscure to find, if we had not wandered by it this morning we would have never seen it. We also did a Trip Advisor review on it. Full points for food and even clean a washroom. They even had full sized chairs, some places have kid sized lawn chairs. Some Vietnamese people are so tiny! We’re afraid to sit in the kid sized chairs!

We headed back to the hotel after supper enjoying the shops along the way. There was only foot traffic with a few bicycles along the narrow streets of old town Hoi An tonight. A pleasant treat after dodging scooter all day long. Pedestrians don’t have any right of way here, its really unfortunate! Narrow streets over run with scooters and no sidewalks for pedestrians. Many of the sidewalks are lines with parked motor scooters or cars and sometimes tour buses.

Tomorrow we pick up our tailored items and find a way to ship them home.

January 17, 2019January 17, 2019

Thursday January 17, 2019

Wednesday January 16 we had a rain day. We walked around Hue, found the Post Office of Vietnam, mailed a letter and wandered the streets stopping for coffee and snacks along the way. We finished of the afternoon with a 90 minute massage for about $25 CAD each. We felt pampered and ready for supper at the Elegant Restaurant which we visited on the city tour the day before. We had a great meal. We both had Chicken skewers with vegetables done on a grill.

Travel from Hue to Hoi An

Today we headed to Hoi An from Hue. We had a car booked, we thought for 8:00. When we arrived in lobby to check out they said they’d call the driver to come early as he was supposed to be there at 8:30. They said it was a pleasant change for guests to be ready to go as usually the drivers have to wait. They hadn’t even finished phoning the driver and one walked in the door. They proceeded to load all our stuff and I waited in the car while Gary ran to the washroom. Next thing I know there is a big panic that it’s the wrong car and driver so they proceeded to unload everything! No worries our driver showed up only minutes later and by 8:05 we were on the road. On the way we went through the Hai Van Tunnel , the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia at 6.28 km (3.90 mi) that lies on Highway 1 between the cities of Hue and Da Nang. We arrived at our hotel just after 11:00. It rained the entire way!

The Van Hai pass tunnel is 11.9 m wide and the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia at 6.28 km . A second tunnel running alongside the main tunnel is currently used for maintenance and emergencies but it is planned to expand this at a later date as traffic increases. It is connected to the main tunnel by 15 cross-tunnels. The tunnels have lighting, fire alarms, communication, water supply and treatment, ventilation fans, and radio broadcast systems. We texted Gary’s Mom in Saskatoon, Canada while we were in the tunnel!

We were too early to check in so stashed our bags with the front desk. They provided us with a map, some recommendations and an umbrella! We headed out. Trying to navigate with an umbrella is enough to make you crazy, if not wet. The streets are narrow and vehicles and motorbikes park on the sidewalks as there is no where else to park. In many spots you can’t get down the sidewalk because of parked vehicles, awnings, posts, hanging wires or any number of hazards! The alternative is to try and walk on the street and not get taken out by a cyclist, motorbike, car, bus or truck which are all jockeying for space and trying to zoom by as quickly as possible. We safely, although wet, did arrive at one of the recommended tailors. Gary got measured for a suit and some dress shirts. I got measured for a jacket and dress. After looking at tons of material and options we finally settled on our selections and negotiated a price. The tailor then walked us down the street to her sister’s shop where she makes custom leather goods. Linda ordered a pair of sandals and a hand bag. We go back later tomorrow afternoon for fittings on everything.

From there we found our way back to our hotel to exchange our soggy running shoes for flip flops. The entire umbrella experience didn’t improve as we ended up in the market area where the streets are even skinnier. We finally found a coffee shop where we could get out of the rain! We ordered mocha coffees, chicken Pho and some good old French fries. After killing as much time as we could we headed back to the hotel. And yes, it continued to rain! We got checked in. Our room is on the 4th floor and is a bit of a hike up all the stairs. The room reminds me of the bedrooms at our farm house with sloping ceiling/walls and a beam I’m sure at some point one of us will crack our head on.

We scouted out a Thai restaurant fairly close to our hotel and had supper there. It’s still raining!! Not too sure what we’ll do tomorrow as it makes it very difficult to sight see in this weather. Looking at the weather forecast we will likely have rain for all of our stay in Hoi An which is too bad as everyone has been telling us how great it is.

We managed to make it through today but it hit the pocket book hard. Suits, shirts, coat, shoes and purse.

January 17, 2019January 17, 2019

Tuesday January 15, 2019

Hue Vietnam

Khai Dinh tomb was our first stop on our city tour with our English speaking guide Ngoc Phuong (aka Show). I hope we got that right!

The main entrance is served by a massive set of steps. Inside there are lots of intricately designed porcelain and glass decorations on the walls. The ceiling of the palace was decorated with 9 dragons.

Our second stop was Minh Mang tomb. Minh Mang was the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam. He reigned from Feb 14, 1820 until his death Jan 20, 1841. He was well known for his opposition to French involvement in Vietnam. In 1825 he banned missionaries from entering Vietnam. Between 1833 and 1838 he sentenced seven missionaries to death to stifle the spread of christianity. Over 70% of Vietnamese are Buddhist today.

Our Third stop was Tu Duc Tomb. This was built for the Emperor Tu Duc taking 3 years to build from 1864 – 1867. Emperor Tu Duc was the longest reigning monarch the Nguyen Dynasty, ruling from 1848 – 1883.

The son of Emperor Thieu Tri, Prince Nguyen Phuoc Hoang Nham was chosen over his older brother to succeed his father. He ascended the throne in 1847, taking the reigning name Tu Duc. He continued his father’s persecution of missionaries and opposition to trading and diplomatic relations with European powers. Executions reached such proportions that the French in 1856 sent a formal letter of protest to the court of Hue.

He had over 100 wives and concubines and failed to produce any heir to his throne. It is believe he was sterile from having contracted small pox.

Our Fourth stop was the incense store / incense manufacturing. Here we saw how incense sticks are handmade at a small table. Linda tried her hand at the art of making incense sticks. We looked around the shops and ended up buying a small hand held decorative fold out fan.

Our Fifth stop was the Elegant Restaurant. Here we were served a pre-set menu as part of our tour package (drinks extra charge).

Chicken and Mushroom Soup
Fried Duck Spring Roll
Egg Plant with Ginger Sauce
Braised Chicken with Lemongrass
Red Snapper Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Steamed Rice
Fruit Salads

We also ordered a Tiger beer for good luck. Lunch was very tasty, in fact it was so good we went back to the restaurant the next night for our final night in Hue

Our Sixth stop was the Imperial City of Hue. The Imperial city is a walled enclosure within the Citadel of the city of Hue, the former Imperial capital of Vietnam. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Citadel (Imperial City) was damaged in a war with the French in 1947 that destroyed many of the major structures. The American / Vietnam war in 1968 battle of Hue initially US troops were ordered not to bomb the city because of the historic structure. As casualties mounted, the allied forces had to begin bombing due to the anti aircraft guns on the Citidel’s outer towers. Out of 160 buildings only 10 major sites remained because of the battle. The buildings that remained are being restored and preserved.

Our Seventh stop was the Thien Mu Pagoda. This historic and iconic temple is the unofficial symbol of the city of Hue. It sits on the Northern bank of the perfume river. It was built in 1601. The original temple was simply constructed and later expanded and refurbished.

There is a Buddhist congregation that looks after the pagoda and surrounding grounds and buildings.

A building near the rear of the complex houses a national relic: the old Austin car in which the monk Thich Quang Duc rode from his temple to Saigon on June 11, 1963. He stepped out of the car in an intersection, sat down in the lotus position, and burned himself to death in protest against the regime’s violations of religious freedom.

Our Eighth stop on the tour, our final stop was on the bank of the Perfume river in front of the Thien Mu Pagoda. We boarded a Dragon boat with a roof structure and headed along the river. The boat was actually the home of the Lady and Gentleman that operated it. We were solicited to buy things from their stash souvenirs. In the end we purchased a couple of fold out greeting cards. The hardest part of this trip is not buying things from the hawkers along the way. We are simply strapped for room. Two small carry on size suitcases and 2 backpacks for 2 full sized adults that need to have 72 days worth of clothing and medications etc. We are travelling light and cant be weighed down. The greeting cards worked because we’ll mail them tomorrow!

The couple that own the boat have 5 children, 25 grand children and 6 great grandchildren. The Lady entertained us as her husband navigated the river. There are many dragon boats on the river but nothing in comparison to the number of scooters on the streets of Hue or anywhere else in Vietnam. Scooters could be a complete story in itself, they are everywhere and the honk when approaching anything, including the lowly pedestrian.

January 16, 2019January 17, 2019

Monday January 14, 2019

Our guide, Mr. Trung picked us up at the hotel at 7:30 with a car and driver. Mr. Trung is 67 years old and served as an officer with the South Vietnamese forces. From Hue we drove to a number of historical sites. To be honest it was a bit of information overload and our high school history was put to the test.

Thousands of people were trying to escape at the same time as the soldiers. Two bridges they would have needed to escape had both been destroyed and people had no where to go. Both SV soldiers and civilians were killed by artillery and infantry weapons. Our guide said there was fighting for 81 days, with approximately 10,000 civilians, 10,000 SV soldiers and 16,000 NVA killed. The highway that runs directly past this church is call the Highway of Horror because of all the deaths of civilians and military. While there isn’t much left of the church itself, the walls are peppered with bullet holes.

Our next stop was at a North Vietnamese military cemetery seen in pictures above. There are remains of approximately 3000 soldiers there, many are un-identified. Our guide told us that the South had no military cemeteries because the soldiers were either sent home or the South Vietnamese military cemeteries were removed by the North.

The Rockpile is located in South Vietnam approximately 10 miles (16 km) from the southernmost boundary of the DMZ and 16 miles (26 km) west of Dong Ha. A Marine reconnaissance team described the cone shaped as a “toothpick-type mountain stuck out in the middle of an open area with a sheer cliff straight up and down”.^[1] The mountain rises almost 790 feet (240 meters) from the Cam Lo River bottom and sits astride several major infiltration routes from North Vietnam and Laos. The visually dominating figure, which would come to be a familiar landmark for soldiers fighting the war for the DMZ, sits just one kilometer from the vital Route 9. Impressive as it was within the immediate vicinity, the Rockpile is overshadowed by other, much higher hills in nearly every direction. To the Rockpile’s northwest is Dong Ke Soc mountain that stands at over 2,200 feet (685 meters), to the direct north is Nui Cay Tri (later known as Mutter’s Ridge after the radio call sign of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines who would defend it), and to the northeast is Dong Ha Mountain.^[2] Atop the Rockpile’s is a plateau-like summit that is 40 feet long by 17 feet (12 by 5 m) across at its widest point.^[3]

Next stop was Khe Sanh Military Base. The current communist government of Vietnam pulls no punches in their version of history. The museum is one sided making the American military look weak. They portray them in a negative way. Considering the US was here fighting with the South Vietnamese army, the winner obviously gets to portray the history their way.

The Khe Sanh base was built in 1962 and in use until 1975. There are various US military artifacts displayed alongside North Vietnamese equipment, mostly small arms.

We stopped at the bridge along the Ho Chi Minh trail at the Dakrong Bridge. This trail was a walking trail through the dense jungle. The trail goes from Hanoi to Saigon and cuts through Laos and Cambodia.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail (now highway QL14) intersects Highway 9 on the other side of the Dakrong Bridge. The bridge was the main access point to the trails during the war, and was bombed and rebuilt repeatedly throughout the conflict. The current bridge was built in 1974.

We also spent some time on the border between N Vietnam and S Vietnam at the Hien Luong bridge that crosses the Ben Hai river. The is at 17 degrees parallel. There is a line on the middle of the old bridge marking the border at the centre of the river. This bridge was originally built by the French and is now only a walking bridge. The North side of the bridge is Blue (wikipaedia incorrectly says its Red) and the Southern half is Yellow.

There were speakers on both sides of the river blasting audio propaganda to the other side. One can only imagine the noise in the middle or any where nearby.

Our last stop was the Vinh Moc tunnel complex built by the North Vietnamese villagers in Quang Tri, Vietnam to escape the bombing. They were built in 3 levels to a depth of 30 metres. They were constructed in several stages beginning in 1966 and used until early 1972. The complex grew to include wells, kitchens, rooms for each family, a maternity / health care spot and armament storage spaces. The tunnels ran down hill to the ocean, this allowed them to drain naturally into the sea. Total length of the original tunnels were nearly 2,000 metres long with 6 entrances to the tops of the hills and 7 entrances to the South China Sea. The surface of the area has been largely cleared which makes the bomb craters visible. During the war it was dense foliage. There were 17 babies born in the tunnels and apparently 16 of those born still are living and reside in the small adjoining fishing village. The USA release over 9,000 tons of bombs on the area with a ratio of 7 tons of bomber on average per person (wikipedia).

The tunnels have been made larger and safer for non Vietnamese tourists. Even the larger tunnels were not large enough for us to stand up. We would have been on our knees in the family rooms. We used flashlights to make our way on the tour with a private guide. The start of the tunnel took 25 steps to get to the first level. Coming up the stairs bent over caused burning in the glutes as we exited the tunnels. The temperature stays at approximately 25 degrees year round. It was very humid and a bit muddy with uneven stepping stones to try to keep your feet dry.

If you have made it here to the end, thank you for reading ( cảm ơn in Vietnamese ). Please consider clicking on “Subscribe” above on the menu and receive regular updates when we make new posts on our blog. Thanks for reading.

January 13, 2019January 13, 2019

Sunday January 13, 2019

Today we checked out of the Fivitel Hotel in Da Nang

We had a car take us to Hue which was approximately 3 1/2 hours with all of the stops along the way. We took the long route which included the Hai Van Pass which is the longest pass in SE Asia. The Hai Van pass was also a fortification during the war. There are cement bunkers riddled with bullet holes, with the odd embedded bullet slug still remaining. The vegetation on the way through the pass is absolutely lush. We were quite fortunate to have a sunny day for the trip with only a few clouds. We have lots of great pictures from the lookout at the top of the pass.

We also stopped at Lang Co beach and Lap An lagoon fishing village. We took a few pictures there, it was very scenic. The weather was not as humid as yesterday but definitely warm.

When we arrived at the Serene Shining Hotel we were greeted with fresh fruit and a welcome drink. The fruit was passion fruit, Gary’s new favourite! Also mango, dragon fruit which went well with the water melon juice.

Tomorrow we have a day long tour of the DMZ which includes Frame of Church, Highway of Horror, Military Cemetery, Hien Luong Bridge, Ben Hai River, Vinh Moc Tunnels, The Rock Pile, Ho Chi Minh Trail and Khe Sanh Combat Base. We are leaving at 7:30 am and according to the schedule return at 6:30 pm. It will be a long day and there will not likely be a blog update on that for a couple of days. As well, the day after we have a full day of touring booked and plan to see the Hue Imperial City Citadel, then Mu Pagoda, Tu Duc, Minh Mang and Khai Dinh Tombs. By then we should be toured out!

We are still a bit stiff and sore from our hike up Marble Mountain yesterday. We both have sore knees and legs. We definitely are getting our exercise. Todays trekking around Hai Van Pass was all over rocks and broken stone steps. We had lots of company with more than 10 tour busses stopped on the side of the road.

We got settled into our hotel. It’s a pleasant surprise – the front entrance is down a small alley or side street and the lobby isn’t that big but the rooms are great, lots of room and clean. We have a nice seating area and bedroom with king sized bed and a good sized bathroom, plus breakfast is included for $31 per night. Will be interesting what is served for breakfast.

We walked around the “tourist area” by the hotel. Lots of restaurants and pubs. We had supper at the sister hotel Serene Palace. It was really good and there must be lots of competition as they quizzed the daylight out of us and chatted us up so knew we were staying a few nights. As we paid our bill they gave us a voucher for 10% off and said they hoped we be back tomorrow!

The waitress did tell us that weekends (Fri, Sat. & Sun nights) they close off some of the streets and they are night walking streets meaning no cars or motorbikes permitted. It was a nice relaxing way to end the evening wandering down the streets and not worried about getting run over by one of the million scooters zipping around. We haven’t seen an accident yet but lots of indications they are common judging by the scraped up cars or scooters. It’s just after 8 pm and we’ll try and get this loaded and then off to bed!

January 12, 2019January 12, 2019

Saturday January 12, 2019

Today we woke up to rain. We had a tour booked through the hotel to view the Linh Ung Pagoda and visit Marble Mountain. We looked at the weather forecast and decided to delay our pickup time from 10 am to 11 am. To kill the extra hour we walked about 10 minutes to a mini-mart to buy some snack food. We came back with a bag of cashews. Once again they were cashews with the skin or hull on them like Spanish peanuts.

At 11 am it was getting sunny and very warm and humid. We found it quite warm at the pagoda but even worse climbing up the steps of Marble Mountain. The stone block steps were uneven and wet and at times very steep. We definitely got our exercise today in the humid heat.

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019

Friday, January 11, 2019

Today we spent far too much time looking for an ATM that would work with our card. We also had to phone Tangirine and CIBC to get authorization to use our banking cards in Vietnam. We did also call BMO and ensure that our card was authorized for Vietnam, which it was. Rather ironic that other years when we notified the various card companies they told us we didn’t need to do so any longer. Did you know that you can also link your bank card to your master card? We also did that when we were talking to BMO. We got lucky on the eighth ATM and between the two of us got out 8 million Vietnamese dong. That sounds like a lot, less than $500. Apparently it is quite common here for ATMs to run out to cash. There are some ATMs that only accept Vietnamese cards. No help to us. We now know that the BIDV Bank ATM works best with our BMO card.

We eventually toured the museum of Cham sculptures. It was quite interesting and ties in with the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The temples in Vietnam have not survived well due to time and war. Some of the sacred temples in Vietnam are apparently even older than Angkor Was in Cambodia. We saw pottery that was 2000 to 3000 years old. Some of the large pottery was used to bury their dead. They wouldn’t quite fit one of us though.

We walked from the museum to a restaurant / bar and purchased a beer each and an order of bbq beef to share. The beef came in strips with leaves similar to lettuce and sticks of Daikon radish. Wrap a strip of beef and radish in a leaf after dipping the beef in some lemongrass garlic dipping sauce. It was enough to get us back to the hotel. The food so far in Vietnam is definitely not as good at Thailand. We were the only patrons in the restaurant at the time and were swarmed with waitresses. Thank goodness for google translate as we can’t communicate without it. Thank you is “hơn bạn” in Vietnamese. We’re still a bit messed up with our circadian clock, that’s likely why we dined alone

After returning to the hotel we went next door for another beer and cashews. The waitress came to our table for our order and set down 2 glasses of water. Gary said, “Linda want to make tea?” It was very warm. Linda said, ” I guess we look old.” We have an old but ongoing joke between us that only old people drink hot water. Aka grandma &/or grandpa. Haha

Our first beer in Vietnam was served with glasses of ice. It’s quite common and exceptionally refreshing. It’s not even that hot here, 27C and 69% humidity.

Tomorrow we are taking a tour to the marble mountains and Ling Ung Pagoda. We can see the pagoda across the bay from our hotel room and the rooftop terrace. It looks like a tall white statue. We read it is the height of a 30 story building.

We leave our hotel key at the front desk when we go out. They already know us! When we returned this afternoon everyone knows we have a tour booked tomorrow. I guess we stick out from the locals, Koreans and Chinese that make up the majority of their clientele. We were the only Caucasians for breakfast among 60 to 80 people that went through for breakfast today.

When we got back to the hotel we crashed, only to be woken in time for the turn down service. Time for bed! We’re sticking with the plan to do very little the first few days, Da Nang is a good place for that! We walked 9 km yesterday looking around and only 5 km today as we finally decided we couldn’t walk to every ATM! We’ve been using GRAB, the Asian version of Uber, and it’s been great. Quick, economical and the cars are nicer than majority of the cabs. So far we’d highly recommend it. When you use the app you can select what mode of transportation you need, car, motorbike, delivery or food. We won’t be using the motorbike option as the traffic here is crazy and everyone weaves in and out and through all the roundabouts – it’s actually amazing to see and sometimes stressful. The amount of stuff they haul on their motorbikes defies gravity! We even saw one guy hauling a 20+ foot long piece of metal roof sheeting somewhat rolled up and tied on a little trailer attached by a pole to his bike. The one end of the sheeting actually lay on the seat of his bike, basically against his back. If someone ran into the back of him, they’d have cut him in half.

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019

January 10, 2019 Da Nang, Vietnam

Today we travelled from Hong Kong to Da Nang Vietnam. We got up about 5:00 am without the need for an alarm. The body clock said time for supper. We checked out of the hotel and tried to find the check in counter at the airport. We were departing from Terminal 2 which is a bit of a trek. Once we dropped of the bags we were desperate for something to eat. There is nothing good to eat in the Hong Kong airport! Ham, eggs and brown toast. Something went missing in the translation. Everyone knows ham is a processed food.

We foolishly arrived in Vietnam with no Dong. One million Vietnamese Dong equals $57 CAD, so we’ll say 60 bucks. The zeros can be confusing, but the taxi knocks off the thousands (first 3 zeros left of the decimal). US dollars also works most places. Spent $5 on a cab and walked back to the hotel in 45 minutes at a very leisurely pace taking in the Dragon bridge and scenery along the way.

We are staying at the Fivetel hotel in Da Nang http://www.fivitel.com.vn/en , on the 17th floor. It is a beautiful room and very quiet, strangely though we can hear a rooster crowing from up here at 3 pm.

We’re still feeling slightly jet lagged so are taking a few minutes to put our feet up before we go to eat supper. After scoping out the hotel we decided to check out the menu on the rooftop restaurant which is located on the 26 floor. Technically there is another level above that which is the roof top terrace. Its beautiful up there with a cool breeze. We are headed back up there shortly for supper. The prices are a bit more expensive, it will cost us about $20 to $30 CAD for tonights meal and drinks. The view and atmosphere is top notch! The menu is identical at the stuffy 4th floor restaurant. We’ll appreciate the open air considering what we left at home a few days ago.

A few more pictures below.