When my friend recommended taking the bus from Hue to Da Nang, I had no idea he meant sitting in a cramped minivan with 8 other sweaty tourists. Fortunately, I was the last one to be picked up before leaving town. Once we got a breeze blowing through the van, the heat was tolerable.
Highway 1 runs
the entire length of Vietnam along the coast, or close to it. Since there
is only one highway, they couldn't really call it 805, could they? The
driver maneuvered his way through pedestrians, motorbikes, large trucks
and an assortment of livestock to reach the edge of town. Once out of
town, our speed picked up and we started making pretty good time. The
drive was scheduled to be 2 1/2 hours. We stopped for a break after about
1 hour of driving. The driver decided to have lunch, and what was scheduled
to be a 10 minute break turned into a 40 minute stopover.
The reason for taking the bus, instead of the train or airplane, was to
see the beautiful Hai Van Pass that cuts through the Troung Son Mountains
between Hue and Da Nang. But, since we were now running late because of
the extended lunch break, we didn't even stop for pictures. I had to shoot
a picture or two from the van, moving 60 MPH.
I arrived at the
Non Nuoc Resort late in the afternoon. My friend Thinh, who works there,
was preoccupied with his duties, so I wandered down to the beach and took
a swim. Thinh arrived at my room a short time later and we went to grab
a bite to eat at a beachside open-air restaurant. Since Da Nang is right
on the seashore, the weather was much cooler than Hue.
I wandered around the beach area and found many small cottages for rent.
The girl who was cleaning one told me that they rented for only $7.00
per day.
April 10, 2001
The next day, Thinh and I rode his motorbike on a 45-minute trek to Hoi
An, noted for its lovely pagodas and native artistry.
The craftsmen were
skilled in wood carving and began to learn their trade at a very early
age. There was an assortment of tourists there, mostly European.
We found an internet cafe and checked my email before heading back to Da Nang and Marble Mountain. Located just outside the city of Da Nang, Marble Mountain is a large protrusion of pure marble, with centuries of vegetation clinging to the slippery walls and walkways. The weather was much warmer than the day before, and the hike to the top proved to be quite strenuous.
At the top was a large cavern, with a temple built inside. This cave was
attacked and occupied by the Viet Cong during the Tet Offensive of 1968,
and nearly obliterated by the U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter-bombers
in an attempt to dislodge them. The temple has since been rebuilt.
We crawled through
a small opening at the end of the cave, and continued to the very top
of the mountain for a superb view of Da Nang and the surrounding countryside.
The pagoda located on the east side of the mountain was spectacular. Hand-carved marble statues adorned the temple.
We decided to visit several small, open-air marble carving shops located
within walking distance of the mountain. Huge boulders of marble were
delivered by Army trucks to the shops, where men, women and children used
chisels, sanders, and polishing cloths to create exquisite works of art
from pure marble.
Thinh and I went into town a short while later for dinner and entertainment at the Hawaiian Bar.
My early morning flight back to Saigon demanded that I get back to the hotel early.