Hoi An
I didn't really do anything on Sunday (4 February). I just spent the whole day watching TV in my room, walking around the town, eating, and on the internet. It felt good to do nothing. I thought about doing stuff all day, but didn't end up doing anything. What a strange, uncharacteristic day for me. That evening after dinner, I went to the bar I had been to the first night I was here. They had a nice pool table so I spent a while playing pool there where I met some Aussies. Then later we went out to another bar until about 2 AM.
On Monday (5 February) I had to do something, so after a late breakfast I rented a bike ($.65) and road out to Cua Dai beach about 5 km down the road from Hoi An. I was really surprised by what I found - palm trees, clean, white sand, almost blue water, and not many people. A really great beach setting. It made me wish I would have gone out there the day before instead of doing nothing in town. I could have done nothing on the beach! I met a group of travelers on the beach and hung out with them that afternoon there - 3 guys from Sweden, 2 girls from Sweden (seperate groups of Swedes), and an Australian girl. I had met one of the Swedish guys the night before at the bar. That evening we all went out to dinner, less the Aussie girl who left Hoi An. Then one of the Swedes and I went to play pool for several hours at the bar. It was a fun day especially compared to the previous one.
On Tuesday (6 February) the Swedish guys invited me to join them on some motorbikes. So we all rented motorbikes and went cruising around. First stop was China Beach - of American War (as the Vietnamese War is known in Vietnam) fame and the same as the old TV show - a really large, long, empty, pretty stretch of beach. There was no one else there besides a few local fishermen. The whole beach runs for a continuous 30 km between Danang and Hoi An. The place we stopped at was about half way between the two. Then we went to some hills close by know as the Marble Mountains. From a distance the mountains (hills actually) look like limestone Karsts, but once you are hiking around on them you discover that the rock is actually marble, hence the name. But some of it had to be limestone as there were several caves. We had some nice views from the top and checked out some really cool caves up there. Then we went back to China Beach, a different stretch. After lazing in the sun for a while we rode the motorbikes down the beach (i.e. on the sand) for several kilometers. It as a lot of fun but not so easy, as you can imagine. Then we headed back into Hoi An for a late lunch.
Tomorrow (Wednesday, 7 February) I'm taking the train from Danang to Nha Trang. Although a bus would be cheaper and more convenient - I have to catch a bus from Hoi An to Danang first as Hoi An is not on the rail line - after the last bus ride I'm swearing off buses in Vietnam. Its a day train as there are no night trains on this stretch so unfortunately I get into Nha Trang at 10 PM. It'll be sad to leave Hoi An as I really like it hear, but my Vietnamese visa expires on 20 February and I need to keep moving as I have several more places I want to see.
On Monday (5 February) I had to do something, so after a late breakfast I rented a bike ($.65) and road out to Cua Dai beach about 5 km down the road from Hoi An. I was really surprised by what I found - palm trees, clean, white sand, almost blue water, and not many people. A really great beach setting. It made me wish I would have gone out there the day before instead of doing nothing in town. I could have done nothing on the beach! I met a group of travelers on the beach and hung out with them that afternoon there - 3 guys from Sweden, 2 girls from Sweden (seperate groups of Swedes), and an Australian girl. I had met one of the Swedish guys the night before at the bar. That evening we all went out to dinner, less the Aussie girl who left Hoi An. Then one of the Swedes and I went to play pool for several hours at the bar. It was a fun day especially compared to the previous one.
On Tuesday (6 February) the Swedish guys invited me to join them on some motorbikes. So we all rented motorbikes and went cruising around. First stop was China Beach - of American War (as the Vietnamese War is known in Vietnam) fame and the same as the old TV show - a really large, long, empty, pretty stretch of beach. There was no one else there besides a few local fishermen. The whole beach runs for a continuous 30 km between Danang and Hoi An. The place we stopped at was about half way between the two. Then we went to some hills close by know as the Marble Mountains. From a distance the mountains (hills actually) look like limestone Karsts, but once you are hiking around on them you discover that the rock is actually marble, hence the name. But some of it had to be limestone as there were several caves. We had some nice views from the top and checked out some really cool caves up there. Then we went back to China Beach, a different stretch. After lazing in the sun for a while we rode the motorbikes down the beach (i.e. on the sand) for several kilometers. It as a lot of fun but not so easy, as you can imagine. Then we headed back into Hoi An for a late lunch.
Tomorrow (Wednesday, 7 February) I'm taking the train from Danang to Nha Trang. Although a bus would be cheaper and more convenient - I have to catch a bus from Hoi An to Danang first as Hoi An is not on the rail line - after the last bus ride I'm swearing off buses in Vietnam. Its a day train as there are no night trains on this stretch so unfortunately I get into Nha Trang at 10 PM. It'll be sad to leave Hoi An as I really like it hear, but my Vietnamese visa expires on 20 February and I need to keep moving as I have several more places I want to see.
posted by Dustin at 2:06 AM
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