Archive for the ‘Da Nang’ Category
xe om city tour
Arrived in Da Nang around nine-thirty this morning. We are only staying here one night before going onto Hue tomorrow morning. The weather during the day is nice. What is nicer though, is the feel of the ocean breeze against your skin as you’re riding on a xe om (motorbike). That’s exactly the path we took today to tour this city that seems to be less frequented by tourists. In fact, Hac and I were the only two to get off the bus at Da Nang (all the other passengers were on their way to Hue except for two other passengers who became angry and took a taxi during the thirty minute stopover at yesterday’s marble mountains).
After checking into the Hoa Hong Hotel, we jumped onto the backs of the xe om’s of Dung and Tinh. Tinh was a cool driver as he pointed out the landmarks of the town and explained some of the local history along with the new developments springing up around town. Our first stop was at the Cham Museum in the heart of the city. Here we viewed ancient relics of a civilization stemming from Hinduism, which ultimately was slaughtered and conquered.
The next stop was a remote beach where few people flocked to as it was a semi-cloudy day. The views here were nice and the waters cool. Here we purchased some banh beo with gio from a local woman who once resided in Hue. Despite her heavy accent, I was able to gather from her that none of the tourists would purchase the food she was selling for fear of trying foods which they were unaccustomed to. Likewise, she spoke of her daily hardships and that she had seven children who experienced similiar hardships. I have experienced such situations before over here in Viet-Nam; this instance reminded me of how many travelers tend to segregate themselves off with other travelers. With irony, I have done this many a times, but do make attempts to interact with the locals outside of just buying their wares. In fact, I may have an advantage over the usual non-Vietnamese travelers in that there is a sort of connection between myself and this country. It is a bit hard to describe, and I do not yet completely understand it.
Our third stop was at the local Cao Dai temple here in Da Nang. With its elaborate designs, this structure constitutes a mixture of many religions from the many influences over the centuries. Inside, we were lectured on the religion by a priest who had been in this particular sect for over forty years. It was interesting at first, but I found my attention drifting off as he spoke quickly with words with religious connotations which I did not understand. Soon thereafter, we visited the local Catholic church of the area–a large pink structures with some bats flying around inside.
Our last stop, at the local victory museum, was a bit of a disappointment in that we received the higher Viet Kieu (overseas Vietnamese) pricing despite Dung’s attempt to get us the local student entry price. I feel that it is extremely difficult to receive the locals’ price as my appearence usually gives away the fact that I am a foreigner. Adding onto this, we were told by the comrades as to what the order of which parts of the museum we were to go to. A difference from what I am used to.
Tonight Hac and I went to an nhau a few minutes away from our hotel. Tiger Bia, San Miguel, peanuts, quail eggs and nuoc mam ot with lemon, lau thap cam, and garlic battered shrimp were the items which we consumed.
Well, tomorrow morning we are going to Hue. Three nights there if I recall correctly.
