Today was a taxi transfer to Danang, with sightseeing on the way. I was sorry to say goodbye to my hotel in Hoi An, and to its pool.
The first stop was Marble Mountain, one of a group of 5 which rise quite dramatically from the surrounding flat land. Marble Mountain is known for having a number of pagodas and caves, as well as the great views.
The stairs up are pretty steep – there is a lift nearby that allows you to skip these, but there are so many more stairs up the top there does not seem a lot of point.
In Tang Chon CaveIn Tang Chon CaveEntrance to Tang Chon Cave
Linh Ung Pagoda
Entrance to a very dull cave. There was a passage further back, but it looked so steep and dangerous I decided it was better not to find out where it went.Fresh coconut milk. No doubt a high tourist price at 35,000 but justifies my decision to walk away from the woman in Hoi An trying to charge 50,000It was very crowded up here. You could generally get a photo with less people if you waited a while.The view was worth the climb.I did have to brave some nasty cactus, as well as steep and slippery rocks, to get these photos.The path got pretty steep at the end – it turns out it goes into the back of the cave I had decided not to explore because it looked to steep!Huyen Khong CaveSteps leading into Huyen Khong Cave
Xa Loi TowerHere be dragonsWe made a quick stop at My Khe beach – if you like beaches you would love this place.
The second main stop in the tour was Ling Ung Pagoda on the Son Tra Peninsula. There are beautiful views back over the city from here.
View of Danang
View of Danang, showing the fishing fleetView of DanangApparently Buddha rode a dragon.Giant Lady Buddha statue. Because bigger is better.
In town I visited the Danang Museum of Cham Sculpture. Fairly small, but had quite a few well preserved sculptures – and far better than My Son Sanctuary.
On my last night in Hoi An I had decided to go to a local restaurant that did not really cater to tourists, and had a pretty bad experience. I was given a menu, then completely ignored, so never even managed to order. I got the impression they really did not want a foreigner there.
I decided to try again in Danang, and could not have had a more opposite experience. There was no English menu, but the owner Hung was very friendly and helped me order, and showed me how to eat the dishes. I was introduced to the manager, and they were obviously very happy to have me there. It was a very good night. It was also cheap – 2 seafood dishes plus a drink for less than $7.
Seafood fried rice – this was one of the tastiest dishes I have had in Vietnam.My other dish, before being cooked. They had lots of different types of sea snails, crabs etc here.The finished dish. The snails were nice, but a little rubbery. The broth was really tasty, but a little too spicy for me.The snails were accompanied with mint and bitter melon. And bitter melon really lives up to its name!
