Yesterday we took the train back to Da Nang from Hue. When we arrived at the Hue train station, we experienced similar confusion, not knowing if we were waiting in the right area or not. The waiting room was poorly ventilated (stinky) and very crowded. I tried smiling at a little girl, only to have her respond with a cry.
Finally, we moved our waiting to outside. Again, we weren't sure we were waiting at the right point. Some people were on one side of the track; some on another. Dan asked a local woman who said we were at the right place. Just to be sure, we asked another Western couple if they were also traveling to Da Nang. I heard them speaking and thought they were Swiss German. They confirmed that they were, and that yes, we were waiting at the right point.
When we got on the train, I was afraid we wouldn't have enough room for all our luggage and regretted having so much. My suitcase is too heavy for me to lift very high. No more shopping! We got settled and enjoyed the scenic ride back. In our car, there were many families traveling with children and even a little puppy! This train was a little quicker than the one up.
When we arrived in Da Nang, we weren't sure we were at the right destination (see a trend?) Already disoriented, outside the train station were several taxis. I asked one driver how much it would be to our hotel and he said 200,000 Dong (about $10). While this doesn't seem like a lot, it is a lot by Vietnamese standards, and I told him I thought it was too high for going 3 km, so we turned him down. We asked another taxi driver (regrettably from the same company) and he also said 200,000 Dong. We thought the price was still high, but he offered "meter" and given our limited options, we took him up on it. While the driver did run the meter, which went up to 91,000 Dong, he still wanted to charge us 200,000 Dong. It must be a foreigner rate. I begrudgingly gave him a 200,000 Dong bill. He conceded a bit and gave us 50,000 in change. Since then, we've avoided that company, Mailinh, and have been much happier with the other major taxi service here, Vinasun.
We're staying the the Mango Hotel, which kind of feels like it's in the ghetto, but also not. It's only about two blocks from the beach, which is very beautiful here. I'm not sure where China Beach begins and ends, but it's close if it's not right here. This hotel also welcomed us with a honeymoon gift of rose petals made into a heart and a rose. They are very sweet here, but all the other places we've stayed in have been quieter and nicer. We're experiencing our first all-in-one bathroom/shower stall (remember to remove the TP before showering). It works surprisingly well, even though the bathroom floor does get all wet.
After walking to the beach for a beautiful sunset after a thunderstorm, we walked to the closest bridge to catch the fireworks. April 30, 1975 is Vietnam's reunification day, which coincided with the international fireworks competition here in Da Nang. Five countries participated, including the U.S., Italy, China, Japan and Vietnam. Apparently the U.S. won. Did that make the news there at all?
We were early and not sure exactly when the fireworks would start, so we walked to get a drink to kill some time. We went to an area at one end right before the bridge, which Dan says was night-marketesque and I think was like food stalls/carts. We were the only non-Vietnamese there. And other than the people working at these stalls, we were probably the oldest people there. We got a couple of drinks and sat down at their outdoor furniture, which was very small and not intended for people of our size. I was laughing to see Dan crouch down on a small stool and sit at the "kid table". The proprietors also noticed and brought over a slightly larger, still child-sized chair. It was funny.
We walked up the bridge, which now had several people finding their spots for best viewing. We didn't have to wait long for the fireworks, displayed behind and above the next bridge over on the Han River. What was even more fun was all the attention we got from the locals around us. Dan had quite a following as he tried to set up his tripod and camera. Several kids said hello and one girl asked us our names.
Unfortunately, Dan wasn't feeling well again, so we cut our fireworks viewing short. He ended up having a fitful night with a pretty high fever. I was quite worried. Given the risks of the area that we're in, we didn't know if he had food poisoning, the flu (bird flu?), malaria or dengue fever. All kinds of fears ran through my mind and I wondered if we'd have to cut our travels short.
Today, we opted to go to a doctor instead of sight seeing. Both of us were glad for it, and to find out that Dan has gastroenteritis. He got some antibiotics and is already on the mend. We went to a clinic that has multinational doctors. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was actually a pleasant experience. The doctor came out and informed me what was going on as I was waiting. I thought we got better treatment than we often do in the U.S.
Dan took a nap and I went walking on the beach. I met a man from Sudan who works at the UAE embassy in Hanoi. He was very interesting, especially recounting his experiences as being someone who stands out all the time up there.
For dinner, we tried out a Czech brewery called Tulip. We expected something different than what we got: a Vietnamese restaurant with Czech beer. The food was good, the beer was a little disappointing, and we were surprised by the lack of English skills of the staff. That hasn't been our experience here, by and large. Most everybody at least speaks some English.
Tomorrow we fly back to HCMC (Saigon), where we'll spend our last night in Vietnam before heading off to India!
Finally, we moved our waiting to outside. Again, we weren't sure we were waiting at the right point. Some people were on one side of the track; some on another. Dan asked a local woman who said we were at the right place. Just to be sure, we asked another Western couple if they were also traveling to Da Nang. I heard them speaking and thought they were Swiss German. They confirmed that they were, and that yes, we were waiting at the right point.
When we got on the train, I was afraid we wouldn't have enough room for all our luggage and regretted having so much. My suitcase is too heavy for me to lift very high. No more shopping! We got settled and enjoyed the scenic ride back. In our car, there were many families traveling with children and even a little puppy! This train was a little quicker than the one up.
When we arrived in Da Nang, we weren't sure we were at the right destination (see a trend?) Already disoriented, outside the train station were several taxis. I asked one driver how much it would be to our hotel and he said 200,000 Dong (about $10). While this doesn't seem like a lot, it is a lot by Vietnamese standards, and I told him I thought it was too high for going 3 km, so we turned him down. We asked another taxi driver (regrettably from the same company) and he also said 200,000 Dong. We thought the price was still high, but he offered "meter" and given our limited options, we took him up on it. While the driver did run the meter, which went up to 91,000 Dong, he still wanted to charge us 200,000 Dong. It must be a foreigner rate. I begrudgingly gave him a 200,000 Dong bill. He conceded a bit and gave us 50,000 in change. Since then, we've avoided that company, Mailinh, and have been much happier with the other major taxi service here, Vinasun.
We're staying the the Mango Hotel, which kind of feels like it's in the ghetto, but also not. It's only about two blocks from the beach, which is very beautiful here. I'm not sure where China Beach begins and ends, but it's close if it's not right here. This hotel also welcomed us with a honeymoon gift of rose petals made into a heart and a rose. They are very sweet here, but all the other places we've stayed in have been quieter and nicer. We're experiencing our first all-in-one bathroom/shower stall (remember to remove the TP before showering). It works surprisingly well, even though the bathroom floor does get all wet.
After walking to the beach for a beautiful sunset after a thunderstorm, we walked to the closest bridge to catch the fireworks. April 30, 1975 is Vietnam's reunification day, which coincided with the international fireworks competition here in Da Nang. Five countries participated, including the U.S., Italy, China, Japan and Vietnam. Apparently the U.S. won. Did that make the news there at all?
We were early and not sure exactly when the fireworks would start, so we walked to get a drink to kill some time. We went to an area at one end right before the bridge, which Dan says was night-marketesque and I think was like food stalls/carts. We were the only non-Vietnamese there. And other than the people working at these stalls, we were probably the oldest people there. We got a couple of drinks and sat down at their outdoor furniture, which was very small and not intended for people of our size. I was laughing to see Dan crouch down on a small stool and sit at the "kid table". The proprietors also noticed and brought over a slightly larger, still child-sized chair. It was funny.
We walked up the bridge, which now had several people finding their spots for best viewing. We didn't have to wait long for the fireworks, displayed behind and above the next bridge over on the Han River. What was even more fun was all the attention we got from the locals around us. Dan had quite a following as he tried to set up his tripod and camera. Several kids said hello and one girl asked us our names.
Unfortunately, Dan wasn't feeling well again, so we cut our fireworks viewing short. He ended up having a fitful night with a pretty high fever. I was quite worried. Given the risks of the area that we're in, we didn't know if he had food poisoning, the flu (bird flu?), malaria or dengue fever. All kinds of fears ran through my mind and I wondered if we'd have to cut our travels short.
Today, we opted to go to a doctor instead of sight seeing. Both of us were glad for it, and to find out that Dan has gastroenteritis. He got some antibiotics and is already on the mend. We went to a clinic that has multinational doctors. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was actually a pleasant experience. The doctor came out and informed me what was going on as I was waiting. I thought we got better treatment than we often do in the U.S.
Dan took a nap and I went walking on the beach. I met a man from Sudan who works at the UAE embassy in Hanoi. He was very interesting, especially recounting his experiences as being someone who stands out all the time up there.
For dinner, we tried out a Czech brewery called Tulip. We expected something different than what we got: a Vietnamese restaurant with Czech beer. The food was good, the beer was a little disappointing, and we were surprised by the lack of English skills of the staff. That hasn't been our experience here, by and large. Most everybody at least speaks some English.
Tomorrow we fly back to HCMC (Saigon), where we'll spend our last night in Vietnam before heading off to India!
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