My name is Marion Vermazen. I am a traveler, hiker, reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, YouTuber, Spanish and French language student, knitter, weaver and genealogist.
We woke up to beautiful blue sky this morning. It was the first cloudless sky we have had since New Zealand. Today was museum day. We started at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture. The Champa Culture was in Southern Vietnam from the 2nd through the 19th centuries.
Statue of Gajasimha from the 12th century.
Then we went to the Da Nang museum. It was all about the history of Da Nang over the centuries.
Da Nang during the Prehistoric EraDa Nang during the resistance war against American Aggression (1954-1975)
Finally we went to the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum
Moon over the perfume river, 1999, Woodcut. Our dinner
For dinner we went to a Michelin listed restaurant, Bép Cuôn. We had to wait about 35 minutes for a table. We had a very tasty meal.
We had another day in Da Nang without rain. We even had some sun! This morning we went for a long walk along the waterfront. At out turnaround point we stopped for iced Vietnamese coffee.
On our walkThe view from our coffee stop.
It was very hot and humid again today. We were each dripping wet from sweat when we got back to the hotel.
This afternoon two of the very friendly and helpful young people who work at the front desk asked us if they could interview us for a school project. We had a very fun conversation.
For dinner we went to a restaurant called Nha Hàng Madame Lán and had a fantastic meal.
Here we are at our table. We had spring rolls, squid, beef and fried shrimp. All this plus two gin and tonics cost us $63!
Their equivalent of Uber here is called Grab. It makes getting around so quick and easy.
We had a busy and enjoyable day. It was very hot and humid, but it didn’t rain. Thank goodness. This morning we walked to the Han River to check out the Dragon Bridge.
The Dragon Bridge on the Han River
This afternoon a guide picked us up and gave us a tour. We visited the Lady Buddha, a 220 foot statue set in the grounds of the Linh Ung Pagoda.
The Lady Buddha
Then we went to the Marble Mountains. There are 5 limestone and marble hills. We climbed into several of the caves in Water Mountain. It was hot and very humid. Sweat was dripping off me. The caves were used by the Viet Kong during the Vietnam war and have multiple Buddhist altars
The Buddhist temple inside the biggest cave.
Next was the town of Hoi An, about an hour south of Da Nang. Hoi An is an ancient trading port. We had tea. Then, when it was dark, we walked along the river and watched the boats and floating lanterns. Finally we had an authentic Vietnamese dinner.
Waiting for our teaLanterns and boats on the river in Hoi AnTony, our guide mixing the noodles for our Authentic Vietnamese dinner. The dish in the middle is greens, peanuts and sea snails
This morning after breakfast we took a cab to Singapore airport. Our flight to Da Nang, Vietnam took about three hours. We traveled almost due north but moved back another time zone, so now we are 14 hours ahead of Reno.
BreakfastAt breakfast on the 38th floor of the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore.
It was raining when we reached Da Nang. The hotel sent a driver to pick us up. The traffic and the driving getting to our hotel was crazy.
Driving to our hotel
For dinner we went to a restaurant recommended by the hotel, Phiėu Tam Tính. We had a very nice meal. Everyone has been very helpful.
