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“'Walking down the preserved streets, its easy to imagine being in this Ancient town 150 years back...'” |
Well, most of today was spent on a train...
so its only 4.30am, and im up, dressed and checked out already. After a speedy taxi gets me to the station in still miserable weather, a barely comprehendable announcer tells us the train is delayed 45 minutes. Too scared to fall asleep with all my belongings with me, i twiddle my thumbs and watch this tv with no sound till 6.30am when we are allowed onto the platform to wait a bit longer :)
The 9hr trip however was made much the more pleasant by sharing a cabin with two cool Aussies from Adelaide, Jane and Cathy, who end up sharing the same bed, as some arsey Vietnamese guy took possession of one of their beds and wouldnt let go! Amazingly, they had both been on the train 7hrs already by the time i joined them as they were came from Saigon and were heading to Hoi An also. Tough journey dudes.
The 9hrs consisted of mainly sleeping, reading and some tired chatting, though one of the girls spilt their foul-smelling free lunch on their only mattress :S This train was an upgrade on the train i took the day before, as unlike that trip, i got free water(hot and cold), pot noodle, lunch and Western Style toilets as well as flash Golden upholstery in the cabin...
After arriving 2hrs later than expected, we shared a taxi with a dutch couple also heading for Hoi An, costing about 50000d per person in the end. The taxi takes us to some expensive hotels, but one of the girls makes a good excuse about having a reservation somewhere else, and we get off to look for more budget option. The first was good in price, though im reliably informed that its a dangerous area at night so i didn't want to be there. They find a good hotel 'Phu Tinh' in a great central location with rooms from 7 dollars, which i take, even though the bed seems to be as soft as Jelly. Knackered as they are, we have dinner at 5 and they go bed at 7pm. I kinda slept alright the night before, i wasnt ready for bed, so went out in search of a potential tailor to make me a jacket; one of the main attractions of this place are the cheap tailor-made clothes. Most people can get a whole new wardrobe in a few days at low cost.
Whilst doing my 'research', i hear my name being called out, and unaware that id given my name out to any tout, i turn round to see to my surprise Alasdair, one of the group from my Cambodia tour. Looks like ive caught up with him with the speed ive been ascending the coast even though he entered Vietnam around 10 days before me! Its cool to bump into someone you know, but thats not all, he tells me Elaine, also in that group, was also here! She was doing the opposite journey, meeting a friend in Hanoi in the north and travelling down. In truth i was expecting to bump into some of the group somewhere down the line, but not all on the same evening! So we agreed a meeting point for some reunion drinks later.
A very pleasant evening of meeting Elaine's friend Kate and some of her other Hoi An travelling campanions including this hilarious guy from Cork and a super-energetic guy from London, Tim, who really digged the dashing Kate...Anyways, had a loud night of it, being forced to leave 2-3 closing establishments before stumbling to a mid-road drawn out au revoir half way towards the hotels we were staying at. Nice to see them again.
24th Nov
Today was all about mad-spending. After penny-pinching and bartering everything from hotels to drinking water, i more than overspent my budget for the day by ten-fold! As the attraction of the sites, which we had to pay for, were lost on me being very like the chinesy buildings id stayed in before or seen in China last year, i was content on seeing them from the outside for free. Had breakfast at the Lonely Planet special: cafe des amis with a particurlarly friendly and well known owner Mr Kim...will be back for din dins here. They served up some very strong Vietnamese coffee (2nd biggest export behind rice) brewed the traditional way...ive read the beans go through the digestive system of some small mammal, before its excrement is dried and brewed with a strainer into a small cup. Like a double expresso, it took many sips to ingest, my hand shaking forthe next half hour.
At the first tailor, i wanted made a collar-less jacket which ive been coveting for sometime, and here was a chance to draw a design and have whatever i want fitted to it, i chose suede and two chest pockets and some random lines. And for a cheap price: 20 quid. Also got a pair of jeans designed while i was there. Went to a different tailor specialising in Chinese clothing, and got some traditional shirts and trousers done.
With time to kill before the evening fitting and readjustments, i hollered a driver to take me to Marble Mountains in Danang, some 30 mins away. We arrived in 20 as he drove like lightning though i got to see some traditional vietnamese settlements and people as well as some serene rice paddies. On the way, in true mad fashion, 2 ladies also on bikes suddenly decided to have a conservation with me as they straddled the wrong side of the road, which in this country is left. This madness went on for some ten minutes, pulling behind if there was traffic approaching on the other side...Later i find out the girl worked at a souvenir shop near where i was going and that she also fancied me, which, when i was informed of this, made her really bashful :) All the staff teased her really loudly and people from other shops and kids came to add to the commotion and kept calling her my girlfriend until she was so embarrased she got on her bike and drove away!
The mountains and the temples inbeded within them were simply stunning. After climbing a steep staircase to the first level of temples and caves, the subtle smell of incense soothed my polluted aspirators. After a while, you become desensitised and only after my descent did the pollution once again arrest me. The caves really impressed me, and unlike the Batu caves in KL, the presence of actively practicing monks gave the place a reala tmosphere of worship, which was interesting to witness. The place was littered with photogenic pagodas and look out points and the caves provided serene spots for contemplation in front of large idolic sitting/reclining /meditating/happy buddhas. With the absense of sunlight seeping through cracks in the caves, as seen in the brochure + postcards on sale, i felt that the weather was yet again the missing piece of the complete experience.
After another tasty bowl of Pho, i went for my first fitting as more rains starting appearing. Luckily, the aussies were patient enough to wait for me before going to Cafe Des Amis for supper, as i demanded some major changes to my jacket! An overwhelmingly filling authentic Vietnamese dinner followed where the only choice the patron makes is between vegetable, meat or seafood. The USP of this place, is that Mr Kim serves different food everynight! All is delicious and we say so in his bulging comments book; i fully recommend this place if you can spare the 80000d!
After dinner, i went to the second tailors whose clothes fitted perfectly without adjustment so happily paid (worth a whole day's budget) and wore the stuff for the short walk back to the hotel. Watched a cheesy movie in the girls room and called it a night when a JC Van damme film called Hard Fight or something dared to rear its face.
previous travel blog entry
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