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Published: February 13th 2016
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Waiting for the last flight from Hanoi to Da Nang we found out that the times of both flights had been changed days ago. We booked through budgetair.com, as it was the cheapest, but unlike other websites they didn't bother letting us know. Very annoying, as had we known we could have set off later and there would have been no need to get stressed and yomp through the airport in a frenzy. Note to self:check departure times on the net the day before.
Our driver was waiting with his sign with my name on it, very grateful I'd emailed so he wasn't hanging around. Mr Vu. Very young, very keen to practise his English. This required a lot of very careful listening on our part. No final consonant sounds, no consonant clusters. He has been working very hard to be able to speak good English so he can get a job in a 4 star hotel. He flunked one interview as he didn't understand the questions.. He only has a high school certificate. He likes driving as it gives him the chance to talk to foreign people. He was really sweet.
The hotel (Botanic Garden Villas, £18 a
night for 2 with breakfast, free airport transfer, free dinner one night, free bikes, free cookery lesson – loads of free stuff!)) is really bright and clean. Angel, the receptionist, gave us the free drink of dayglo orange and took us up to our room, 2 double beds, balcony overlooking the tiny pool, great bathroom but absolutely nowhere to put our stuff. 7 coat hangers and no surfaces or drawers. A shame, as we’re here for 5 nights and would like to unpack!
Desperate for a drink we went down to the restaurant and ordered (expensive – 25,000 for a small can – sad face – of beer and a Long Island ice tea which tasted of soap. Sorry, no white wine, only red. They hate to have to say no – loss of face, maybe, that they have run out of something on the menu. Another sad face. Angel had said the restaurant was open for food but the guy screwed his little face up when we asked, he was working on his own. We settled on something easy, spring rolls (a bit burnt) and wonton with what looked like frozen mixed veg on top, it was seriously
not good. Sam ordered a mojito but the mint was going a bit brown and clogged up her straw. Sad face number 4! She did her best with it but had to give up in the end.The other guests were all from the UK, not the normal backpacker vibe we like. We gave in more laundry – more expensive here.
In the morning the buffet breakfast made up for it. Great choice, an egg station, lovely sitting in the garden and the clientele was more mixed with a cute Asian family with 3 nice little children. We got a map and bikes and set off for the beach- not too much traffic, the brakes worked, but had to tell Sam not to stop. It isn't a one way bridge, the locals have just spread out across it and will move over for us. Stopping is not a good idea – they don't expect it and it causes confusion!. Another guest told us not to go to the first bit of beach, but turn left at the end of the road and go a bit further. We checked out a couple of spots but they didn't look good – nothing
happening – so went further towards An Bang beach, past some swanky resorts and there was a sign saying beach 100m. Locked up the bikes together, really hoping they'd still be there when we got back. A very eager lady was in charge of the sun beds, nice and helpful. There was a restaurant sign but no restaurant – it was hidden back in the trees and you order and they bring it out to you. We found this arrangement most pleasing. As soon as we were settled another girl came up with a basket of souvenirs, we bought a few, nothing we really wanted but she was so polite and trying to make a living, bless. There are quite a few working the beach, conical hats, hair totally covered, dust masks, long sleeves and jeans, gloves, zero flesh showing, these people do seriously not want a tan. We must look as ridiculous to them!
Yet again, we had forgotten to take any snacks. Luckily, I'd taken 2 biscuits from breakfast. Sam could choose, the custard cream-looking one or the tiny bun thing. She chose the first one, looked at the packet and saw a spiky green fruit on
it. Uh oh! Sure enough, she opened and sniffed it and it was DURIAN, the stinkiest, worst food item in the world. She was not happy. We isolated it on my flipflops and left it. She was indignant, outraged and it was my fault she chose the wrong one……. It was very funny.
Lunch was really tasty spring rolls and stirfried veg. 2 diet cokes, £6 in total for us both. We had been first on the beach but by lunchtime loads of the beds were taken, definitely chose a good spot. A young German couple had gone to lunch, leaving their towels on their beds, and in a reverse of the usual situation, the Vietnamese organiser lady swiped them off to make room for 3 English people. Ooooh!, we thought, this is going to be interesting! Disappointingly, it wasn't. They collected their towels and went to some other ones. No fuss at all.
By about 4 it was breezy and the heat had gone out of the sun, just as well as when we got home we were both red as raspberries. Technical failure on the suncream front. Not thorough enough, areas missed. Relieved the bikes were
still there, got honked at the whole way home even though we weren't doing anything wrong. Walk into town, night market and first shopping tonight.
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