Road Trip - Hue to Hoi An

Thursday 29th June
We enjoyed our last breakfast in Hue before packing up our gear and right on time our van arrived to take us on our next part of our trip - a road trip along the coast to Hoi An, about 150km away.

Our Driver, Thinh, spoke pretty good English and laughed most of the way.

Once out of Hue, we followed the coast, fish farms (on land and in the sea) and rice on either side of the road. Look like small farms and work is done mostly by people and buffalo, not many tractors here, even small ones. All along the road are houses / businesses, all types from repair shops, hardware, clothing, food and every so often a large government building identified by the large sign at the front in Red & Yellow and have the best kept gardens.
Through a couple of tunnels (paid by a toll way, so not so much traffic) and then onto Lang Co where we stopped at the beach for a swim & coffee. Lovely soft (but very hot) sand and warm, shallow, clear water. Sue & Therrie got their feet wet but only Peter went in for a swim (twice).
Soon after the road rose up the mountain with spectacular views along the coast until we reached the top (Hai Van Pass) and stopped for a view back over the sea to the North and over Da Nang to the south. We could have taken the quick road though another tunnel but no views that way. Was a bit hazy on top but fabulous views all around.
An equally sharp descent saw us arrive in DaNang, the 3rd largest city in Vietnam, a coastal port city. As we arrived, Thinh asked us about lunch and suggested a shop he knew (family friends) along the road that only served the local Pho - spicy beef in broth with noodles. We agreed and it was well rewarded with a delicious Pho, probably the best we have had so far. All finished within about 15 minutes, so back into the bus and we took the scenic route (coast) roads through Da Nang, passing a huge amount of development, all resorts & golf courses (Chinese & USA $) while the locals live very poorly, just over the road.
Just south of the city we stopped at a huge marble factory where local marble is hand carved into anything. Thinh said he would have a 30 min sleep but after 10 min, we were just sitting near the bus, he decided to go on. As a cynic, I imagine that there was some benefit to Thinh to keep us at the factory for enough time for us to buy something and when it was obvious we were not buyers, he decided to move on.
Just a few minutes up the road we turned in to the Marble Mountain - an outcrop of high grade marble that had been carved out to supply the marble market. After paying less than $1 entry fee, we went into the centre of the mountain which is a natural / manmade cavern. on the walls and in man-made alcoves the workers have carved figures / designs and statues into the rock. There were the usual Buddha's and scholarsbut on the lower levels there were some demonic carvings with depictions of demons, torture and nasty stuff. There was a very small sprial staircase winding right up through the middle to a small platform overlooking the city. There were some magnificent carvings on the walls and in nooks and crannies. Could have spent ages checking them out but a bus load of Koreans armed with chatter and selfie sticks sort of dampened the mood.
Back onto the bus and within about 1/2 hour we were deposited at our hotel, Calla Villa, just on the west side of the Hoi An Ancient Town. The rooms are very nice and large with a huge bed. The hotel is a sort of H shape with 1 area between the H was filled with a pool, about 20m long. After checking-in, a dip in the pool was first-up, very nice indeed. A couple of beers and a splash about later, we were ready to hit the town.
A short walk along the river we reached the old town area just on dusk so by the time we had a cocktail, dark & all the lanterns were lit and cast a lovely splatter of colour across the water. The whole town area is heritage listed and the old shops are all adorned with flowering creepers and lanterns. We just wandered about looking at the colourful streets and shop displays, trying to avoid the numerous street vendors selling anything from food, drink, sunglasses and toys. It is supposedly the low season, not many international tourists but seem to be planty of Vietnamese tourists to take their place. After dinner and a couple of local beers, Larue, we navigated our way through the crowds, back to the hotel. At least the temp had dropped down so it was quiite pleasant out.

Highlights
* Road trip up the coast & over the pass;
* Poadside lunch in Da Nang;
* Marble Mountain;
* Hoi An lanterns & Old town.Read more