Danang, Vietnam

After saying goodbye to mom at the Siem Reap, Cambodia airport, I took a 62-seater propellor plane to DaNang, Vietnam on the central coast. Recommended by a coworker of mine, he had recently returned to live and work in DaNang, and raved about it soooo much, that he quickly convinced me to extend my vacation and spend some time there. I loved it! I used the city as a home base for a week- accommodations ranged from dirt cheap to extravagant and I had the opportunity to spend time with Luke, by myself and visit several different cities and world heritage sites, as well as travel by foot, public bus and best of all- motorbike!!!

First night I arrived, Luke met me at the airport, and after purchasing me a pink helmet, we went zipping around town on his motorbike. We had dinner outside, drinking the local brew and enjoying the best seafood I have ever eaten! 

The next morning I asked my hostel owners about a public bus to Marble Mountains- a short 1/2 day hike about 10 km outside of Danang. He said it would be no problem- "walk 5 minutes to the main road and stand on the right side of the street. When you see a bright yellow bus with the sign: Danang-Hoi An, flag it down and it will stop and pick you up. Then tell the driver you want to go to Marble Mountain. The buses come by every 20 min or so." 

I looked incredulous, really? There's no bus stop? Its really going to stop for me??

Sure enough, 2 minutes after standing on the main road, I flagged the bus down and got on. After some feeble pantomiming, the driver and I understood where I wanted to go, and how much I should pay. Supposedly they charge foreigners double the price- there is definitely no price written anywhere, and its not clear whether you pay a flat fare or a fare based on distance traveled. Regardless, it was about $1.50 each way (no reason to grumble) and I was charged the same fare in both directions- so at least it was consistent! 

 Marble Mountains- I enjoyed hiking around the complex. Marble used to be 'harvested' from the 5 surrounding 'mounds' There were several temples on the hillside as well as caves with carvings and shrines.

The view from above, with two more marble mountains behind me. The heat overtook me, and I was only able to summit one mountain, and cut this to a half day trip- and when I got back to Danang, I rewarded myself with an ice coffee! 

Saturday, 5:30am. Luke recommended I spend the early hours of the morning at the beach, to experience the 'beach-goer' culture of Vietnam. I wasn't disappointed, and it turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. One of the previous days, I had walked along the beach at around 2:30pm, and although it was ungodly hot and the sun was blazing down, it surprised me that the postcard perfect beach was desolate. Well, just like the Japanese, the Vietnamese hide away from the direct rays of the sun. Consequently the busiest times at the beach are before 7:30 am, and after 4:00pm. I have to agree with their methods. No need to apply sunscreen at this time, the temperatures are much more bearable and the water still feels wonderful.

So, sure enough, early mornings were crowded with beach-goers as you can see in the photos below). There was morning yoga, people had buried themselves in the sand, and were napping. Fishermen were hauling in their nets from the night before, which drew quite the crowd and as soon as the little fish had been separated from the sea detritus, they were bagged up and sold- right there on the sand.
Vietnamese are not much for bathing suit culture- instead they go into the water in their clothes- jeans included, or underwear.
Back on the promenade, temporary showers and changing rooms are set up and people bring shampoo and soap to clean up afterwards.

Views of Danang below... (population 1 million. 3rd largest city in Vietnam). With both a gorgeous coastline- white sand beaches and crystal clear water, and a river running through it, with 4-5 bridges of different styles, Danang was a really 'liveable' city. It was easy to walk around for me- and felt like a got a good sense of the city and its vibe. Luke took me around by motorbike to plenty of great tiny eateries and to meet up with some of the local business owners that he knows.

Hoi-An: 20 minutes south of Danang is the cultural heritage site and adorable town of Hoi An. It boasts a quaint and picturesque old town with novelty shops and guide books recommend it for: culinary delights and made-to-order and personally tailored clothing. Luke and I spent the evening- lantern lit with plenty of bar action, and the next half day. Each region of Vietnam has their cuisine specialties and Hoi An was no different. The food was amazing.
Mouth-watering foods of the region

The beach scene at around 4:30-5pm, just outside Hoi An.

Intercontinental, Danang Sun Peninsula Resort Hotel- The last night of my stay in Vietnam, I splurged. I booked a room at a 5-star resort hotel with its own private beach and 3-star Michelin restaurant. It was grand and luxurious and over- the-top!! better photos :)
Luke and I tried out all the bars! (We ordered non-alcoholic milkshakes!)

I had the most extravagant buffet breakfast sitting on a comfy couch that was hanging above the hillside!

Views from my private balcony.