Da Nang

Enjoying our flight.

For the sake of time, Danielle and I took a plane to Da Nang.  The night trains were booked three days out and the bus was going to be 21 hours. Pass. Vietnam Airlines was good.  Other than a slow moving check in line, it was a breeze.  We got water on the flight (take THAT AirAsia) and the bags were off in record time.

Detritus from our meal.

The first hostel was full.  Thanks to a diligent taxi driver, we got another one.  Private room on the riverfront.  We went out to see what was around about 10:30pm. It wasn't long before we ended up at a food stall.  I use the term for lack of another.  There were wide sidewalks bordering the river and a family had set up with lots of plastic chairs and tiny tables, a cook top and a pushcart. The clams were the best I've had-not salty, fresh, fat, and yummy.  The beers were plentiful but warm, so we were given ice in the glasses.

   

Can you guess which one is Mr. Le?

Mr. Le lives in Sydney but was visiting.  He wanted to talk.  He was in his late 60's at least and dressed in all white pajamas.  It wasn't long before Mr. Lam and Mr. Ha, his nephews in their forties, joined us.  It was hysterical.  We drank about 38 beers between us, all with ice in little glasses. We left about midnight having paid for the meal and them some but with smiles on our faces.



There's not a lot IN Da Nang.  I do want to go back to see the US military installations and VC tunnels nearby though. We walked around and found a Padang-esque breakfast of rice, veggies, pork chops and fish. After that the majority of our day was spent looking for a bus stop. The city bus to Hoi An was forty minutes and cost about $1.50. The scenery was nice along the way but the horn was deafening.  I sat right behind the driver as it was the only seat available.  I quickly figured out why.

View of the river from the hotel balcony.