Good Food For GI's

No one goes to Da Nang. I'm not sure why. Even the travel books speak of it historically first, and with little regard to the present day. Andreanne, Jon, and I took a packed bus from Hue. Da Nang was its first stop, and we were the only three passengers to get off. Everyone else was bound for Hoi An. I suspect that the city of Hoi An is partially responsible for the lack of interest in Da Nang. Hoi An is known for its tailors. It is possible to get an entire custom tailored wardrobe within a few days for very little money in Hoi An, so everybody rushes there to fill up their bags.

Delicious Lunch

But I wanted to go to Da Nang, and Andreanne and Jon were kind enough to follow me on my whim despite raised eyebrows from other backpackers. Da Nang is home to China Beach, which is where a lot of GIs arrived when shipped to Vietnam during the war. The beach was also used for several years as a place for the soldiers to relax when not on active duty. I really wanted to see the China Beach, but the odds weren't looking good.

Light Shade

The rain we experienced in Hue had continued throughout the busride. On one mountain road, we came around a remarkably tight turn and found an overturned truck that had obviously slid out of control on the wet pavement. The rest of the ride was tense, but we arrived safely. The rain continued. From a map I'd procured, I knew the general direction of the beach. I was told it was far. We decided to spend one night, and if the weather didn't clear, we'd move on to Hoi An with everyone else.

That night we found an amazing restaurant where you make your own fresh spring rolls. They bring out rice paper, all kinds of leaves, sauces, and skewers of meat. Being that we were the only travellers in the entire city, the restaurant's remaining clientele were all locals. I thoroughly stuffed myself for under a dollar. The great thing about a city without other foreigners is that the locals give you local prices.

The rain had still not relented by the end of dinner. If anything, it had gone from downpour to deluge. I held little hope for seeing China Beach. We spent the evening in our hotel room watching Shrek 2. In many ways, that's a low point in the trip (even though Donkey has some great lines). It made me a little stir crazy, and I decided to get up early for a run in the morning, rain or no rain.

Andreanne and Jon joined me for the run. We woke at 7:30. I peeked out the window at the rain, but found blue instead. Unseasonable warmth and sunshine. We ran for the beach. Over the river, down the beach flats, until our shoes hit sand. The surf greeted us with sets stretching a quarter mile out. The beach ran north and south of us for as long as we could see, and we were the only people on it. Unfortunately there are no pictures because I didn't bring the camera on the run, but it was magnificent. Definitely one of my favorite places I've been, and certainly worth the gritty feel of sand in my shoe on the run home.