Quick Update: I’m Alive

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Brief update this morning.  I’m alive.  I ended up driving for about 7 hours instead of the 2 that were originally planned.  I got to the city I planned to stop at and decided it was a ‘blink or you’ll miss it’ type of place…and that the only sensible thing was to go 4 hours further to the place I was going to be driving to today.  …and that place is awesome.  My hotel however, sucks.  I’m at a random cafe right now trying to find a new hotel to move to for at least another day.  I got in around 6:30 last night, so I may stay for just today, or maybe stay for two days.  Other than the beach, I’m not sure if there is anything to do or see here, and I’m okay with that.

Lastly, there are no words to describe how your ass feels after 7 hours on the back of a scooter/motorbike.

The following two things were terrorizing the streets of Vietnam yesterday.  Also – it turns out that those surgical masks are great for keeping the silly amount of smog and diesel fumes out of your system.

Bike Mirror

Da Nang to Hoi An

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The following is a chronological account of my trip from Da Nang to Hoi An, as it was recorded it in my notes.

7:08 AM: Found bus stop.  How long will I have to wait?  There is another bus stop for the same bus on the other side of the road.  Shit.  Which is the right one?

7:34 AM: On Bus.  Assuming it goes to Hoi An.  Said Hoi An.  People said Hoi An.  Haven’t been asked to pay yet.  If I’m not there in an hour I’ll get off and find a taxi I suppose.  Currently going west – Hoi An is south and east.  Still in city though.

7:44 AM: Guy on bus grabs me.  Points for me to get off.  Points at other bus that’s yellow across the street.  Going in opposite direction.  Now east.  Going up same street I just came down.  Confused.  None of the busses stop; just slow down enough for you to grab the bar and swing in or out.

7:53 AM: Back at the exact same intersection I got on the first bus.  Going east now.  Appears the road goes east and connects with a southbound one.

8:05 AM: Finally crossing bridge.  Smells like garlic.  Still criss crossing east and south.

8:10 AM: Watched someone pay.  Clearly you pay when you leave.  Not exactly a great place if the guy tries to rip you off and over charge.  Know that anything over 50k is supposedly a ripoff job.  These guys did wait for me to cross the street though as I ran across traffic from bus 1 to bus 2.

8:20 AM: Still going south.  Girl next to me on bus gave me a piece of candy.  Mellon Milk.  Tastes like…Mellon I guess.  Warning on package is in English and says “warning allergies.  Contains Milk.”  Soft and chewy.  First thing I’ve ate in probably 17 hours.

8:27 AM: No wifi signals around to get GPS location.  Assuming we sta on this road we go right into Hoi An.  Current road is newly paved but bumpy; enough room for a bus going one way and a car.  Not the motorbikes that also litter the road.  As a result I’m hearing he bus horn a lot.

8:40 AM: A lot.  No room for two busses to pass with the various bikes and mottos on the right side of roads.

9 AM: On back of motorbike.  Bus stops 80% of the way there and you are on your own for the rest.  50k for bus.  Pointed to spot on map where my hotel was and motorbike driver said ‘5 us dollar’.

9:05 AM: Bike driver says that my bag is an extra $2.  We’re already on the bike for 5 minutes so I’m not sure if I can say no.  He has two kids; one is one years old…says the other is 14 but he also said he was 25.  Something is lost in translation.

9:08 AM: At hotel.  Paid 180k for bike.  Checked in early.  Room 209.

Random Musings II

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When I initially started planning this trip, one of the things that I was most interested and concerned about was the cost.  Anything I found online gave me the impression that S.E. Asia was “cheap”, but what exactly did that mean, and did that mean you were eating rice every day or eating like a king?  Based on what I could find online, my goal had been to spend no more than $30 a day while traveling.  I’ve been keeping track of my expenses for the last seven days, and so far, even with the $130 tour to Ha Long Bay which averages $43 a day, I can say that I am right at $30 a day so far.  It’s worth noting though that that has been WITHOUT having to pay for hotels/hostels, as I’ve been sleeping on the couch of a friend in Hanoi.  Starting tonight, that changes and I’m fully responsible for everything I need along this trip.  I’m not too worried about funds yet though, as the next few cities I’ll be in are much smaller and very walkable – no need to spend $6-$10 on taxi rides throughout the day.

I learned that I need to be careful when planning out when I take showers on days that I plan on packing everything into my bag and traveling.  The day I left for Ha Long Bay I took a shower in the morning.  My towel didn’t have enough time to completely dry, and as a result I brought a damp and rather moldy smelling towel along for the trip.  Fortunately my hotels (the boat and the actual hotel) had towels that were fresh.  Speaking of those places, the pictures below are the sort of food we got during the trip.

Dinner Prawns and Fruit Flowers

Google can be a little b**** some times.

Google!

 

The hotel/boat was actually pretty nice, although the bathroom in the boat was a little snuggly.

Boat Hotel Bath Room Boat Hotel Cabin Room Cat Ba Hotel Bath Room Cat Ba Hotel Room

I leave on a night train to Hue tonight.  It’s roughly a 12 hour train ride; I leave Hanoi around 11pm and get into Hue around 11am.  Given that I don’t expect the train conductor to speak English, my goal is to be attentively looking out the window for anything that resembles a sign of “Hue” around 10:30am and until I get off.  From there, I’ve got a hotel at $18 a night booked for two nights.  It’s a little more than I planned on spending for accommodation, but I met a nice couple in Ha Long that will be staying there, and it’s only a few dollars a night more than a hostel I’d have to share with 2-3 other people.  No brainer for me and my money.  From there, I think I’ll continue further south along the coast stopping at various cities on my way to Ho Chi Minh City, and hopefully the island of Phu Quoc.  Phu Quoc looks like this…so basically I’m pretty sure I’m going.