Hoi An and Da Lat
The draw of the beach at An Bang was so strong. Before we knew it we had stayed eight days instead of the originally planned five. It was a great place to celebrate the New Year and wait for things to return to ‘normal’.
We didn’t want to leave the beach, but we had to move on. We had plans to continue travelling south down the country. But we still hadn’t seen Hoi An. So we picked a hotel in town and ordered a Grab and headed into the town for one night.
Hoi An is essentially a Tourist Trap, but it is a beautiful one. Particularly at night. All manner of shops offer their wares, but if you have been on the road for nearly a month you will have seen most of them before. I did buy some Leather sandals. Whilst Carl eyed up Cowboy boots. I am pretty sure he does it just to annoy me. He knows I hate them. But there were plenty to choose from in the shops which purport to make them to order.
The lights on the river from the lantered boats and the candles are enchanting and a ‘must see’ if you are in the area. The street food looked ‘interesting’ but there was no way I was trying a frog on a stick.
Hoi An is also the town to have bespoke tailoring for both Men and Women. We didn’t. I had given up a pair of jeans and the brand-new Sweatshirt I had purchased for the Ha Giang loop in order to lighten my 40-litre rucksack, in Hue. My Leather sandals were replacements for my Birkenstocks. I had to retire these. They didn’t have any tread and with all the pavements here having sloping kerbs, I was aware that they were trying to kill me! We found the post office. Putting stamps on some postcards we been given (with our tickets) at the Marble Mountains.
We also swerved a fully rigged model galleon – but I did have my hair cut. Last time was Gokarna in India. Three months had passed, it was needed. It was a surprise. Here they make washing your hair as much of an event as the haircut itself. It costs as much as the actual haircut and seems to take forever. You have your hair washed lying down, that was the first surprise. They proceed to wash you from the top of your crown to the bottom of your shoulder blades (whilst you are still wearing your t-shirt). The scalp removed. Pressure applied to all my pressure points. Tiny tufts tugged. Shoulders neck and head massage. Two deep washes and a conditioning treatment later, all sand from An Bang Beach was gone, It was time to move on.
We took a night bus. One with an extra row of beds down the middle of the coach. I can understand that configuring the bus in this manner gets more beds in but it also makes them considerably narrower, so if you have shoulders I wouldn’t recommend it.
It was also the longest of nights. We had shunned Luxury because of the cost saving and this was a mistake. Advertised as a six-hour journey, we were aware this was wrong because even Google Maps says it takes a minimum of 9 hours. It took 12 hours and was perhaps the worst bus journey we have ever taken. The rest stops alone and their facilities were worth a stomach-churning article alone. We were also being passed by every other bus on the road. We found out later that friends we had made at An Bang Beach got in before use despite leaving three hours after us.
By the time we arrived at Nah Trang, we were exhausted. After checking in and grabbing a couple of hours of sleep we headed for the beachfront for lots of hot comforting coffee.
We instantly loved Nah Trang, we were based at the south end of the beach and with the weather being a bit mixed, it was packed with Kite surfers. We were also pleasantly surprised by our choice of hotel. Walking the beachfront after getting off the bus early morning, watching the sun come up and the locals doing yoga moves on the lawns on the Promanade – such a lovely vibe.
But we were moving on. The following morning we were taking a Day bus for a change—this time up into the mountains of Da Lat. Lured from our favourite place, the beach, by a narrative of a ‘Vietnamese Alter Ego’. The fields filled with flowers, and Strawberries (under plastic Polytunnels) rather than rice paddies. This area was the French retreat from the heat. It has colonial Villas and has the vibe of a European village. Adrenaline junkies adore it, but we were looking for more time touring on motorbikes, this time looking for waterfalls. We had left Nah Trang so promptly because the Weather coming in told us we had two perfect biking days before the weather changed again. For once the Weather App was right.
Da Lat was also the place where I had to rethink my opinion on travel guides. Previously of the opinion that a guidebook which was ten or fifteen years old was fine. You can’t move a waterfall or remove a mountain. A bit of research online will ensure that your book is up to date or what you need to do to manage your expectations.
However, Vietnam has changed just so much since the fall of communism in Russia, that in the past 20 years, everything had changed so much that the guide book was useless. Where my guidebook tells me there is a waterfall – we can’t find it. Not because it’s not there. You can’t move a waterfall, but you can build a spa resort around it and make it part of the services available for residents only.
Datanla Falls on the other hand now has a toboggan ride both down to the falls and the return ticket gets you back to the start without worrying about any steps – it is dreamy but it doesn’t quite feel like visiting a waterfall (the large Plastic dinosaur doesn’t help)
By day two we had ventured South rather than West and found Pongour Falls (Lam Ho – Nam Ban). More like you expect a visit to a waterfall to be. Also known as the seven-falls. Goodness it is broad! It’s spectacular, and one assumes extremely powerful during monsoon. When we visited in early February the river bed was low and you hopped over the rocks to get close enough for a time-lapse photo. There was a golf buggy option back up to the carpark and for 50p per person and to save our knees? It seemed silly not to. It was a two hour bike ride back to Da Lat that evening and the weather was on the change. Frozen by the time we got back. Hiding under the duvet to thaw out.
We also visited the large lady buddah at Elephant Falls. I hadn’t realised up until that point that these huge buddhas are hollow and inside there are layers of shrines and temples. Perhaps not all – but certainly this one! Venturing towards the stunning falls. We were told by a security guard that the falls were closed. Honestly, how can that even be possible? We could see them from the car park and they looked fabulous!! However, it turned out that this wasn’t a joke and there were no plans to reopen them for perhaps two years. The area was overgrown and the ironwork vantage points going rusty.
Noticing a Coffee location on the opposite bank we drove around bought a coffee and paid a £1 to visit the falls. Stupid but true!
Xuan Hong Lake in the middle of town is beautiful, as are the flower gardens. Make sure you visit the cathedral and if you are travelling with Children there is the Crazy House. We took the cable car to the top of Robin Hill. As we travelled around we saw numerous family-oriented theme and play parks. We tried Weasel coffee and saw the Weasels. Visited the silk spinning factory. Witnessing how the cacoons are boiled off of the bugs and the silk spun into skeins. Visited Dalat Rail Station, experienced their grand plans for the future of this heritage line.
All in all, it was a very educational trip. It had its ups and downs and at one point we had to leave our hotel. Moving to a new location due to the continuous ‘pile driving’ going on outside our window.
Just before we finished with our motorbike we passed the aftermath of a road traffic accident. Claret all over the road and the area was taped off by the police. A sobering site reminding you how difficult the traffic can be, how vulnerable you are on a scooter and how ineffective the helmets are. Possibly, it is also possible that a small child, so often seen perched on the lap of a rider or pillion, was involved. Let’s not dwell on that. It’s too sad.
After four nights in Da Lat, we found ourselves on another bus. Again travelling during the day, heading for Ho Chi Minh City. We had never intended to visit. But we needed the transportation links available from the Capital city in order to leave Vietnam. We were travelling on a 45 day free visa available to UK nationals, and we had been here over a month. We needed to find a way out. Ho Chi Minh City gave this to us, so we checked into a hotel in the centre. On the edge of districts one and three we went looking for the Tourist sites.
Our visit to the Hoa Lo Prison and B52 museum in Hanoi remained fresh in our minds. Nevertheless we headed for the War Remnants Museum. We started on the upper floors and worked our way down. Luckily, we visited the room dedicated to ‘Agent Orange’ last. I was an emotional wreck by the time we left. This Museum packs a punch. It takes no prisoners and will leave a mark on your soul. What was done to the Vietnamese people was an atrocity. There’s no denying that. The evidence is here and this museum lies it bare. Raw. Unfiltered. No propaganda. Everything here is backed up with facts. It is most definitely worth a visit.
We finished our last day in the Reunification Palace. Approached by a University student, reading International studies, who needed to practice her English, suddenly we had a private tour. It also gave us the chance to ask questions. A trip like this always leaves unanswered questions as it draws to a conclusion and it was fabulous to be able to ask these of a young lady educated in the history of the country.
