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Published: August 24th 2009
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Before DaNang - Coastal Scenery
The scenery on the coast of Vietnam is breathtaking. The villages along the way seem serene and happy..and very user friendly. The few things that I managed to do in Hué made me very sorry that I had not planned a longer stay than the few hours I had. I think it is easliy worth a stay of four or five days including the surrounding area. The people seemed very friendly and easy going..more than willing to help you, if you needed it. I was moving on though..and Hoi An was a reasonable destination. After boarding a very comfortable, air-conditioned bus we left by almost the same route as in and then hit the highway. Again, the scenery conspired to keep me from napping. I managed about an hour with my eyes closed and then didn't want to miss anything as the bus went through quaint villages and beautiful coastal scenery. Stopping once for a bite and drinks...and bathroom...we went through DaNang with only one pause long enough to drop someone off and get their baggage from the hold. I saw DaNang as a very crowded city but not without merit...another time, I might have spent two nights but I just wanted to move on. The beach area past DaNang proper was, to me, disgusting. They were cramming obviously high priced resorts
Before DaNang - Fishing Boats Behind Our Rest Stop
The villages down the coast of Vietnam, north of Danang, seem safe from development...but...if big money casts it's roving eye in that direction, it may just depend on who wants what and where. along pristine beachfront so closely together that a pigeon would have to turn sideways to fly between them. The destruction of valuable beach wildlife habitat was moving along at a frightening pace. Someone got greased big time at a ministerial level to allow this kind of wholesale mangling of incredibly beautiful waterfront growth along the dunes..an area obviously important to the beneficial welfare of the beachfront itself. The UN should be chastising this kind of environmental devastation...but who knows. The way people look at wildlife in Asia is considerably different than almost anywhere else on the planet. All I know is that it shocked the Hell out of me and almost made me forget the beautiful seaside villages along the way...but it did make me think that with this kind of money power behind these projects, those quaint little villages themselves, will one day disappear to this kind of wanton destruction. Hoi An is one of those types of places. Right now, it is a wonderful little resort city with an ' Old Town ' and busy vegetable and food markets and a beautiful, uncrowded beach with little family run restaurants on the shores of near empty stretches of sand
Hoi An - Vietnam - Old City Shops
A nice peaceful ride through the Old City of Hoi An is mostly free of aggressive peddlers. A great way to spend an afternoon. and water almost at bathtub temperature with a manageable surf for almost any level of swimmer. Once someone at a level of importance ' looks the other way ', big business resorts will waltz in and as is their way, seal the fate of Hoi An as an affordable family holiday within an atmosphere of small-time quaintness where you can peacefully mingle with the locals at their level. Indeed, I rented a motorbike and went past the city a little ways along the beach highway back towards DaNang and the encroachment is very evident. The days of the little villages where the local fishermen bring in their catches and repair their nets in the yards of neatly organized homes are numbered. So..go now...go to Hoi An now...because in ten years, it will be unrecognizable. The city itself is organized in an easy to get around way. I rented a bicycle on my first full day there and rode through the Old Town along a beautiful riverfront. I was fortunate to run into Miss Vietnam on a walking tour and she kindly allowed me to photograph her and when I ran into her in a different part of the town, be
Hoi An - Vietnam - Old City Building
The Old City is full of a colourful past. Buildiings like this are common in the area along the riverfront. photographed with her. You can safely bargain for anything you want to buy..just don't toy with the locals, if you start to bargain, be prepared to buy what you bargain for. I rode the bicycle to the main beachfront that day and had a wonderful seafood meal and two beers for under $6US...the whole family took turns serving me my food and drinks. I peddled down further and found a stretch of beach a little more remote with a cool beach bar run by an ex-pat Aussie and a young Canadian guy from Saskatoon, of all places...names are not so important...and had a couple of very inexpensive local beers for under a buck each. A couple of drops of rain started to come down so I said my good byes and started peddling. In typical monsoon fashion, I had gotten about 100 metres when the deluge was at it's fullest...the best part was that it was as warm as a hotel room shower. The ride back was only a bit of a drag because of it's length...the rain did not matter to any degree. I dined at my hotel that night...the NhiNhi..after a dip in their little swimming pool to
Hoi An - Vietnam - Prepping Miss Vietnam
Miss Vietnam is getting readied by her handlers for a brief photo shoot in a small, colourful lane in the Old City. I was fortunate to be invited in to take some photos. just stretch my ' bones ' a little. The food is very good at this hotel and if you go..try the green mango salad. The next day is when I rented the motorbike and just as the guy showed up to drop it off for me, that day's monsoon took over. I cancelled the bike and went upstairs, this time however, the rain stopped quickly and as my luck would have it, the fellow was just finishing his smoke so I took the motorbike for a half day. I rode through the quaint fishing villages I mentioned earlier and lamented their fate...they have no say in their own future well-being. It will be Vietnam's loss to let the places go under the hammer and shovel...but someone is throwing a lot of money around...it is as inevitable as the dawn. Hoi An..is fantastic...my favourite place in Vietnam. I hope to get back there one day and if I am wrong about the big resorts coming in and destroying the uniqueness that makes it special, I will eat my hat. BUT...from what I have seen...if I don't make it back for ten years for one reason or another, I won't be afraid
Hoi An - Vietnam - Miss Vietnam and Handlers
Miss Vietnam is being set-up for different photos during a shoot in the Old City. to bring my hat.
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