Getting to Hoi An from Phong Nha is a journey – there is a five hour train trip and two one hour transfers at either end of the train trip. I think the train is fine. I particularly enjoy going through little towns on the train, where it slows down and you can peak in living rooms and backyards. There was a kid around 8 years old screaming his lungs out in one, and a man banging a steel ring in another. Some have ladies cooking lunch outside, and many tend to their patches of land. Lettuce is a popular crop at the moment. It’s a varied train ride. Alongside the towns, there are innumerable rice paddies, stretches of jungle towards Hoi An, and then the ocean fills in the end of the trip. I think I successfully ask how much a bag of chips (in reality, prawn crackers) costs but Declan is dubious and thinks the cart lady just understood from the context of me holding phat wads of dong (VND) in my outstretched hand.
Don’t ask about the two ‘hour long’ car transfers, which can only be endured and not enjoyed. Looking outside the window only shows the wreckage of fresh accidents, motorbikes slayed by cars at intersections or roundabouts. ‘Hour long’ being the time ascribed by Google, a challenge easily beaten by our drivers who plough through oncoming traffic of any size and deliver us in forty minutes to our destination, all while texting the wife distractedly.
Hoi An has a very touristy old town centre but that’s not a stress at all because there are no cars or motorcycles allowed in – sweet, sweet traffic release. My brain can step down off high alert and enjoy looking around. The pretty emoticon-yellow painted buildings are uniform and attract photo opportunities for the enormous Japanese tour groups. I ask for the bill at late lunch in Vietnamese, very fun. And the cafe waitress is impressed when I order an egg coffee in Vietnamese, also fun. Our Airbnb Experience tutor would be proud of our bashful application of her Survival Vietnamese Crash Course.
Waking up in Phong Nha to sore calves from yesterday’s trek. CR.Looking back into Phong Nha township. CR.Making progress on our south bound expedition of Vietnam. CR.The reunification express in the flesh. I am uncertain about the state of Vietnam’s rail industry as this appears to be the only train in the entire country as far as I can tell. DWThe polystyrene box kept meowing. The cat doesn’t want to be on the train or in the box, or both. CR.In an uncharacteristic flair of comfort, Declan has booked us on the soft seats, the other option being the cheaper hard berth. Sadly no movies played on the overhead screens. I would have really gotten behind a viewing of Wes Anderson’s Darjeeling Limited. I found out that Declan’s least favourite tourists are Germans today. He deems them inflexible in travel and their stiff but superior organisation in boarding and alighting the train causes him visible stress. The Vietnamese man behind us stretches in legs out and massages my chair with his bare feet at various intervals, while blasting videos from his phone at full volume, in a show of solidarity with boomers worldwide. CR.The coffee cart has a little chant they do as they come around. We recognize the word for coffee, but have no idea about the rest. DWIn between shifts pushing the dining cart, train attendants like to sit back, relax, take their shoes off and enjoy a ciggy and counting cash in the dining cart. I acknowledge it’s rude to take photos of people without asking but I couldn’t resist this one. CR.Caitlin returns from her trip to the dining cart with a coffee and water. DWSixth book done and dusted and it was a dud. Blue Hunger by Viola Di Grado takes its plot from an Italian woman whose twin brother has died, and after his death she relocates to Shanghai, playing out his lifelong dream to live in China. The only good parts of this 200page struggle was the outsiders look into Chinese culture and Shanghai’s metropolis landscapes. The main plot, where the protagonist engages in a machoistic lesbian relationship is so poorly constructed. I think it’s trying to hint at cannabilsm too but honestly the writing was so overwrought so I couldn’t even bring myself to care about such a sensationalist topic. The novel also wins the award for most painful, unrealistic dialogue. I picked this book up at Glebebooks in Blackheath originally when it came out because I liked the font on the cover. I read the first page and put it back. Then later during a disastrous small solo trip to Thirroul, I see it on a booksellers recommended shelf. This is a perennial weakspot of mine and I buy it for $28. Should have listened to my first instinct. CR.The old town of Hoi An has a distinct charm and feels quaint, despite being entirely aimed towards tourists. DWOops, my Vietnamese boyfriend also likes playing Switch. I have a type. Also, one of the more unusual hotel bathroom layouts that does not prioritise privacy. Despite being on the wrong end of town and overlooking a construction site/dump/wild dog kingdom, this is the nicest hotel we’ve stayed in in Vietnam. CR. Caitlin says this despite her efforts for this trip being limited to booking the Fullerton in Singapore. She has no idea what the other options are and I invariably pick somewhere that is well reported in lonely planet and near the higher end, but with a customized focus on meeting Caitlin’s many contradicting demands. DWDinner from a local seafood place. You can see the old town in the distance. If you don’t hear from me for a week, it was the octopus… DWThe cafe next door to dinner had live music and it was going off. Full of locals over 50 sitting, smoking and one couple dancing. Neighbourhood noise complaints are apparently not a thing in Hoi An. DWCaitlin loves bananas and crepes, but the banana crepes were so-so. Better in Thailand apparently. I didn’t eat any. DW
Every time you talk about the snack/drink trolley cart lady in the train I think about the train to hogworts in Harry Potter.
The scenery with the river and the mountains is beautiful.
Walking around Sydney will feel serene after what you have experienced in Asia.
When I started reading about the polystyrene box I seriously thought you were going to say that there was a snake or some other type of exotic animal in there so the cat was really a bit anticlimactic.
I must admit that I found the photo comment about Germans and boomers to be slightly triggering as I fall into both those categories.
The train looks more modern and comfortable than the XPt to Coffs.
I feel Declan has done a great job booking transfers, river cave, comfortable train seats and accommodation as it always takes a lot of effort to research and make decisions based on limited and possibly out of date information.
Declan, what would be an example of Caitlin’s contradicting demands
So annoying when old people over 50 have fun and make noise. They should be at home in bed by 8.
The snack/drink cart attendants have a great tune to their voice. They’ve got to advertise their goods with their voice if your cabin door is shut and I think they’ve got a really nice sing song method of doing so. The two bunk berth did remind me a bit of Harry Potter!
Declan is worried when we are back in Sydney that we will completely disregard all road rules and end up in trouble.
The train was better than the xpt!
Declan has done very well to organise the Vietnam trip on short notice. He has found good value for money places and the staff have been very nice at all. The only place I really didn’t like was the one in Hanoi. But the staff there were also very nice.
Catilin’s contradicting demands include a quiet hotel, that is somehow centrally located with everything at the doorstep. For a city like hanoi, this is not possible.
Declan is missing out on the fact I am willing to pay top dollar for this combination, which makes it possible..
Another abandoned puppy blog.
This day definitely deserves a chat.
Every time you talk about the snack/drink trolley cart lady in the train I think about the train to hogworts in Harry Potter.
The scenery with the river and the mountains is beautiful.
Walking around Sydney will feel serene after what you have experienced in Asia.
When I started reading about the polystyrene box I seriously thought you were going to say that there was a snake or some other type of exotic animal in there so the cat was really a bit anticlimactic.
I must admit that I found the photo comment about Germans and boomers to be slightly triggering as I fall into both those categories.
The train looks more modern and comfortable than the XPt to Coffs.
I feel Declan has done a great job booking transfers, river cave, comfortable train seats and accommodation as it always takes a lot of effort to research and make decisions based on limited and possibly out of date information.
Declan, what would be an example of Caitlin’s contradicting demands
So annoying when old people over 50 have fun and make noise. They should be at home in bed by 8.
The snack/drink cart attendants have a great tune to their voice. They’ve got to advertise their goods with their voice if your cabin door is shut and I think they’ve got a really nice sing song method of doing so. The two bunk berth did remind me a bit of Harry Potter!
Declan is worried when we are back in Sydney that we will completely disregard all road rules and end up in trouble.
The train was better than the xpt!
Declan has done very well to organise the Vietnam trip on short notice. He has found good value for money places and the staff have been very nice at all. The only place I really didn’t like was the one in Hanoi. But the staff there were also very nice.
Catilin’s contradicting demands include a quiet hotel, that is somehow centrally located with everything at the doorstep. For a city like hanoi, this is not possible.
Declan is missing out on the fact I am willing to pay top dollar for this combination, which makes it possible..