Blogs from Da Nang , South Central Coast, Vietnam, Asia - page 21

Well the morning started out great, we hired a motorbike I drove and Jayde on the back.... Only a couple of near death experiences... haha But we do think it is the best way to see the sights and get amongst it all! I think I lengthened my concentration span, had to keep on my toes.... We went to see the Citadel, a lake, markets and the back streets of Hue (Oi you). Was all very interesting and eye opening once again. took the bike back at 1pm and then got on our bus to Danang arriving at 5pm.... When we got off the bus we decided we would stay at China Beach but that decision soon changed when we got there and all it is, is one really long beach and a couple of resorts ... read more

Woke up after a restless night for Michelle (leaks through the ceiling onto her side of the bed and nightmares), thankfully I slept like a baby. We were back on the bike early and headed up the road to Marble Mountain - five huge limestone outcrops of rock that rose sharply from the surrounding plain and entitled after the five Vietnamese elements, earth, wood, steel, fire and water- dunno what happened to air (only remembered this from seeing Mont's new tat). The climb was steep and hot to say the least but rewards were soon found - beating off the insistent tour guides we escorted ourselves to a huge white marble buddha, followed by some pretty impressive caves where there were more shrines carved out of the mountain's marble and a smaller pagoda with a white ... read more

So, jetzt bin ich allein unterwegs. On the road. Der Flug von Hanoi nach Da Nang war auesserst angenehm. Der Flieger nur halb voll. Alles lief problemlos, gleich im Bus zum Flughafen habe ich mit einem Franzosen gelabert, der war aber recht snobbish. Vom Flughafen habe ich mich ein bisschen ueberteuert direkt an den China Beach zu Hoas Place fahren lassen. Hoas Place. Ein Bekannter aus Erlangen hat mir dringend ans Herz gelegt, dort ein paar Tage zum chillen zu verbringen. Nun weiss ich auch wieso. Ich komme an, und Hoa spielt Karten. Ich frage ihn, wieviel ein Single-Room kostet, fuenf Dollar, ich versuche auf vier zu handeln, was ich spaeter sehr bereue. Ich nehme ihn fuer fuenf. Hoa vermietet einige Doppel- und Einzelzimmer, und der Treffpunkt fuer alle ist die nach zwei Seiten offene Terasse. ... read more

Pre-Op (Part I) I suppose the Da Nang Hospital is not the worst in the world, but I sure the hell would not want to be treated there. Yet I guess like anything else, it’s all relative. Tam got his hospital bed and I thought, what a piece of crap, but he happily jumped on it and said WOW, this is a GREAT bed! Having a room in Da Nang Hospital means a room shared with 5-10 other patients in varying conditions from brain trauma, cancer, to broken limbs. There is one shared bathroom consisting of a squat toilet, small sink, bucket and spicket. The only 2 things supplied for your stay is one sheet and a pair of prison-like pajamas (how appropriate). And it was no joke when they said you need to bring everything ... read more

Arrived in Da Nang this morning. Pretty amazing to see how they dock such a huge ship. Took a tour to Marble Mountain (aka Tourist trap), then went on to China Beach and on to the city center. The only story I will share are the motor bikes....thousands of scooters with up to four people riding. The dad drives, the mom sits behind dad with one child wedged in between them, and the older kid stands on the floor board behind the handle bars. There are proper roads and most people follow the traffic rules but not all the time. There were plenty of scooters on the wrong side of the road. Plus to make it even hairier there are no stop signs or traffic lights. Look out when you get to an intersection and good ... read more