Danang Flight and Moto trip to Hoi An

After catching the bus from my hotel in the backpackers area of HCMC for the half an hour ride to the airport (about 15cents), I checked in an quickly realized I was in business class. I guess I when the booked my ticket they thought of course I would want business class. This was only my second time in business class (the first was on my flight from London to Kumasi, Ghana). This made the flight great I was able to lay all the way back in the seat and was served a full meal. My only regret was that the flight was less than 1 hour - so after I got done playing with all of the buttons and began to relax it was time to land.

My plan after landing in Danang was to take a tourist bus to Hoi An - a historic city one hour south. However, since the airport is a few kilometers from the city there was no tourist center or travel agency to arrange a bus trip. So with the help of a restaurant owner I got a moto driver to agree to the hour trip including a brief stop at Marble mountain for about 5 dollars. The moto trip was great we were weaving in and out of the traffic in Danang frequently traveling on the other side of the road to pass other moto drivers. It also was nice to have the wind cool you off. It really makes me consider getting one when I get home - except that the big SUV's at home would quickly squash a moto driver bike and all.

A half hour south of Danang is the Marble Mountains - 5 natural marble outcrops with natural caves that house Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries. By the time we arrived it was just about sunset. After a 5 minute hike to the top I was rewarded with a view of the sunset overlooking the ocean with a pagoda and statue of Buddha in the foreground. It was one of the most beautiful scenes so far in Vietnam. As it continued to get dark one of the locals approached me an offered to show me around the site. This was great to learn some of the history and see some of the temples quickly before the light faded. I thought she was just being hospitable, however as we got down I realized that she wanted me to stop by her shop to buy something. I felt a bit obligated so I ignored my rule of never stopping unless you are willing to buy. I quickly regretted stopping and found myself haggling for a small marble Buddha statue. In the end I left with the Buddha statue in my bag and my tour guide happy that I bought something.

By this time it was completely dark and my moto driver and I still had a 1/2 hour trip to Hoi An. This trip became a bit more harrowing when the lights on the moto do not work very well and there are many people walking and biking in the middle of the narrow street. We made it to Hoi An a little slower than expected and I found a old style hotel in the center of the old quarter.

Well I better be off to see the sights of old town and maybe even a Vietnamese cooking class.