March 6, 2019 – Today we moved from Hoi An to Da Nang. It was a short 30 minute taxi ride. We moved into a 2 bedroom apartment with a washing machine. It was our first AirBnB in SE Asia. We were looking forward to having a little more space here. We explored the neighbourhood and didn’t do too much on this first day. We found a highly rated restaurant not too far from us and had a very good Western meal there. We met a man from Washington, DC that has been living in Vietnam for 8 years and now runs jeep tours. He gave us his business card and we planned to look into it later.
March 7 – We started the day going to Thanh Tam Bakery and Coffee shop a place that employs people with disabilities. The coconut coffee and pastries were delicious. We then went to the beach and watched a group of people bringing in their nets. They would wear a belt and tie it around the ropes and then use their body weight by leaning back and walking backwards. Once they were far enough back they would untie and move themselves to the front of the rope and start the process all over. When the fish made it to the beach they separated the fish, took out the trash and jellyfish. People were buying what they wanted right there. Couldn’t get any fresher than that. We contacted the Mick, the American tour guide, after looking at his reviews and although the tour was fairly costly at the end of our trip we decided to do the tour the next day anyway. The reviews online were good and we thought it would be good for the kids.
March 8 – Mick picked us up in his 1985 jeep that used to belong to the Viet Cong Army. The shifter was a grenade, another one was a huge bullet and another a grenade launcher. We toured through the mountains and stopped for coffee at a small roadside coffee shop, then we stopped to buy and eat fresh pineapple that was just picked. While there we watched the neighbours loading up a water buffalo to take to work. We also saw the carts that the water buffalo would pull to help the farmers. We stopped at a stream and took some photos here.
Next stop, lunch, at the biggest town on the mountain. This was one of the many restaurants in someones home which is very common here. We didn’t know what we would be eating because there wasn’t a menu at this place. It turned out to be Pho and all of us enjoyed it. Before leaving from the restaurant some kids recognized Mick and his jeep and the kids handed out lollipops to these kids.
The rest of the trip consisted of giving candy and soccer balls to kids along the way. We were doing the things we tell our children to never do, taking candy from a stranger. The people that live in the mountains are an ethnic minority group called the Co Tu people which rely on old agricultural methods for harvesting the rice, vegetables, and animals. They are also known for their weaving and are often seen wearing their wicker baskets to transport goods. We stopped in one village where there was a massive party going on with people of all ages. We are not sure if this was related to International Women’s Day or a usual gathering for Friday afternoon. This place was excited to see us and their partying moods were evident. The people were picking up the boys and making sure their hats were off or at least lifted up to show their blond hair. The women were taking selfies with Danika and myself. Even one of the elder men came down with his walking stick to see the visitors in town. The women were singing karaoke and dancing and were trying to get me to come into their hut and joined them. I danced for a few seconds outside the hut but no one in our family really wanted to go in as they were all “feeling pretty good” and no one spoke a lick of English and I don’t even know what language they spoke. It was kind of an awkward trip where our guide just stopped wherever the heck he wanted (when he needed a smoke) and nothing was planned he just drove around and had the kids hand out lollipops and soccer balls. When we would ask him a question he would answer it but then say “I think but I don’t know.” He also was a great guide if you were not very intelligent and like people to state the obvious. Things like, over here is a brand new gas station, see the banana trees, over here is a lake, etc. Overall, the kids enjoyed it, minus the partying adults portion.
March 9 – Today as a reward for the kids getting their homework done we went to ……………………….. Vin Pearl Land. It was a smoking 30 degrees Celsius this day. There was so much we didn’t see the first time around so it was worth it for us to go back. Today was busy so many Chinese tourists outside when we first arrived. Even though today seemed busy compared to last there were only two rides we waited in line for and it was only a three minute wait. The park was still pretty quiet for a “busy” day. We went to the 3D art museum this time, which didn’t compare to the one we went to in Phuket. We also went to the cultural village and saw examples of the houses of Vietnamese people over time. Danika tried her hand at pottery and the boys attempted to make clay animals. Of course we hit up the water park because it was so stinking hot. We would put our shirts back on and go back to the amusement park with our bathing suits underneath to keep us cool. About half way through the day the Bumper car employee was letting little kids drive on their own. We decided that Gabe may as well drive on his own now since he had been taking turns driving with Shawn, Danika, or myself. These kids were better drivers than the tourists attempting to drive bumper cars that clearly have never been behind the wheel of a real car. Another highlite today was riding a new roller coaster. One where your feet dangled and the track was above you. Gabe was too small for this ride but he sat out like a champ and the rest of us loved this coaster. Danika and Shawn braved the Swiss Tower where they rose up 85 metres before the big drop. Someone had to take pictures so I guess I had to be that person. Darn. Our taxi driver came back to pick us up when the park closed. It was another full day here.
March 10 – Our taxi driver had his friend pick us up today to take us to Lady Buddha this morning. This is the tallest Buddha statue in Vietnam at 67 metres tall. We paid $2 for a family pic which was hard to accomplish with so many people wandering around. We also saw the Linh Ung Pagoda which is decorated with numerous dragons on the outside and three buddhas inside. Outside the pagoda are 18 Arhat statues, conveying different emotions, to protect the main shrine. We walked to a very good taco restaurant and had a quick walk on the beach today. We came back to our apartment to get a break from the heat for awhile. Later this evening we walked 30 minutes to the dragon bridge. It is a beautiful bridge that changes colour and at 9:00 on the weekends and holidays it breathes fire and spits water. It was a pretty interesting site to see. We chose the right side to watch from because the people on the other side of the bridge get soaked with water and ran for it when the dragon started spitting water. We made the trek back home with a fresh fruit stop on our way back. – Renelle
Lew Crew Adventures 