Heading north to Quy Nhon and Hoi An

Hi again to all our avid readers.
Day 7 - 09/10
The day dawned fine and clear with a temperature reminiscent of Auckland in summer - but without the humidity. This would be a great place to live were it not for the lack of language and MSG!!
We tried the "breakfast" at the Pink House but all it consisted of was bread and jam. So we walked down the road to the backpacker where we were able to indulge in fried eggs and proper toast. Had a great conversation with the manager (Cong) whose father had had a senior role in the Vietcong. Told him all about the fact that Vietnam was a signatory to this pesky TPPA so-called "deal" and that as a result citizens from all the other signatory countries (incl. the USA) will soon be flocking to Vietnam to buy property courtesy of the property provisions of the agreement that we haven't been allowed to be privy to yet. In that respect, good luck NZ as well. Of course we are already well down the road of being sold - Lochinver was just a blip in the system as Gerry Brownlee no doubt told the Chinese Vice Premier.
Cong was not impressed and complained about the non democratic Vietnamese government which just did what it liked and to hell with whatever the people wanted. This is what a Communist dictatorship does and we said NZ is no different. Welcome to the modern world of globalisation.
We were being picked up at 1300 so after packing and vacating our room we left our bags there and walked to the same restaurant where we ordered 2 lots of their spring rolls to take away which we intended to eat on the bus as the bus stops are infested with MSG. Jim had some squid and another nostalgic glass of strawberry wine and then we returned on foot to await the van to pick us up.
This duly occurred and off we went to the bus station. We paid for our tickets (430,000 Dong) and soon after boarded the bus for the 1400 departure. We knew we were down the back but at the back they have 5 reclining seats under a close overhead ceiling. No-one as usual had explained this. Jean refused point blank to get in there as she suffers from claustrophobia and the environment was cramped and generally unpleasant. So we told the driver we wanted to get off but he ignored us and started backing the bus out. His assistant who looks after seating arrangements initially indicated that there were no other seats but we pointed to 2 empty seats and said we were going there. He just shrugged his shoulders and washed his hands of the whole thing so that's where we stayed for the duration. We certainly were NOT moving.
The road from Dalat down to the coast was steep in parts and quite slow and about halfway down we ran into very thick pea soup fog. Apparently that phenomenon is almost always there, but you couldn't see more than the length of the bus. Anyway, after a time we came out of it and started north up the coast. Through Nga Trang where the bus stopped for food but we didn't have any except for some peeled guava which was good. It poured with rain while we were there and it was dark by then. We had given the driver's assistant written directions for where we wished to be dropped off at the Life's a Beach Resort about 10 kms south of Quy Nhon. We were following the bus's progress on Jean's I-Pad courtesy of GPS but the village of Bai Xep (pronounced bicep) wasn't shown so we were guessing somewhat as to where we needed to get off. However, when we were getting close, we were summoned to the front prior to getting off. The bus crept along looking for the drop off point and actually stopped at another resort but we said that wasn't it and so we carried on a bit further. Then we saw who we presumed was Steve, one of 2 English gay guys who own the resort. We had been ringing and texting him before we arrived and keeping him up to date as to our progress. It proved to be him and so we exited the bus. He carried our small suitcase down a concrete track on his motorbike and we walked alongside until we came to the most delightful, small and totally informal resort right on the beach. Only 4 or 5 units. There is sand outside our front door. By then it was about 2230 and we had a snack dinner which they had prepared for us and then collapsed into bed where we slept like logs.
Day 8 - 10/10
We woke about 5 to see the dawn coming up over the South China Sea - a beautiful sight and although we have seen many dawns at sea, it always impresses. Went back to sleep again and didn't get up until close to 8 when we dressed and went to the restaurant for breakfast - scrambled eggs. Met 2 young couples from NZ - one from Dunedin and the other from Christchurch. Had a series of great conversations with them and then made the big decision to have a swim. First time in the South China Sea. Lovely and refreshing and the beach here is clean with golden sand which you can't walk on in bare feet because it gets too hot.
The resort is great. Very laid back and Gavin and Steve do a fantastic job. So informal and everyone so friendly. Gavin also teaches English to the children of the local village for no charge. We would like to stay longer but we have to stick to our schedule. However, this is one place we would like to come back to. And they don't use MSG! It is about 10 metres from the front door of our cabin to the beach and it is a very picturesque view with a small island just offshore. Started wondering whether we could come in here with Tiare but of course so far there is the very expensive Vietnamese bureaucracy to contend with. Had a nap this afternoon (much needed) and then dinner where we were all at one table with a German couple the NZer's and a pleasant Vietnamese lady. Lots of good conversation and now to bed. It's now almost 2200 (NZDST 0400 the next day)and yours truly is feeling it. We have to be away from here by 1000 tomorrow or our trip to Hoi An which is another 6-8 hour trip. This time we are going in a minibus which should be more comfortable than the so-called sleeper bus. More about that tomorrow. Night night.
Day 9 - 11/10
The day dawned fine and bright over the South China Sea - in spite of a lightening and thunderstorm last night. Once more enjoying the dawn over the South China Sea and a great breakfast, courtesy of Steve and his team in the kitchen. Then sadly it was time to pack and say our goodbyes. The taxi arrived for us promptly at 1000 and there was a 15 minute ride into Quy Nhon where we were to catch our next mode of transport. 200,000 Dong (NZD13.40). There is a tendency for us to compare other taxi fares such as HCMC where a fare covering the best part of an hour was 150-180,000 Dong but of course NZD13 is really quite reasonable for a 15 minute ride - especially as he had to come and get us and helped carry our luggage back up the hill in fairly warm conditions!
The minibus was a long wheelbase Ford Transit - reminded Jim of his stint as a Super Shuttle owner/driver to and from Auckland Airport for those crooks - Super Shuttle. But the bus was good - an older Transit!!
The trip was a bit monotonous - all flat and some fairly indifferent urban ribbon development. And lots of rice paddies. But the bus was a lot faster than the bigger sleeper bus. However, some passing manoeuvers were fairly hairy and we weren't sorry to get to Hoi An. We weren't sure whether we were actually in Hoi An because the I-Pad had been packed in luggage which was jammed in the back and we couldn't see any meaningful signs. So, of course we asked and they looked astonished that we didn't know!! Then because "no Sunday" meant no taxis on Sunday apparently, we had to get on the backs of 2 bikes plus our luggage for the 5 km. (approx.) ride to the Travelodge! Not what we were expecting at all and we weren't happy as bikes are far less safe than cars. However, all was well and we paid the 150,000 Dong fare for the 2 bikes. The Travelodge is wonderful and has an indoor pool. Tariff of less than NZD50 per night and the hotel is near new. Very comfortable and friendly. On the recommendation of Steve at Life's a Beach we went out to dinner at a restaurant called The Chef and had a great MSG free meal. Perhaps we are now getting into Vietnamese life at last! We've certainly had some much better experiences of late in Dalat, at Life's a Beach and now in Hoi An at the Travelodge. The Old Quarter of Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage site (like Georgetown on Penang in Malaysia) which probably means prices are higher but there are lovely unspoilt buildings and traffic is banned at certain times of the day which is refreshing after the frenetic pace in HCMC!
More to come and love from us.......

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