Travel Diary

It was day number two of the tour, although we had a later than expected start. Elaine was not feeling well from the food the day prior. Now the food was fine for most, but she has allergic reactions to gluten, or it could have just been in the water and didn’t affect the rest of us. Regardless, we opted to start the tour later so she could feel better. This worked well for me as I had more time to move files and get sorted out. Plus, just having more downtime was nice. The tours definitely involve a lot of mental and physical energy.

Around 10am, the bus arrived. Elaine stayed back and the rest of us headed to Marble Mountain. I’d heard the name mentioned, but had not clue what it was. Well, it’s a mountain that they mined marble out of. Ah, that uh...that makes sense. They also don’t do that now as if they kept doing it, there would be no more mountain, and likewise, no more tours.

The tour bus stopped and we exited onto some small streets in town and then found an elevator. It was a surreal thing, just taking an elevator up a mountain, but it was quite cool. Up high, we had views of the area and the other marble mountains, though the tours were just at the main one. From there, we went through the caves of the mountain and saw all the shrines and temples inside. It is a fascinating place, though like many things, it’s something you really do just once.

After that, Terry opted to take a private car back to the Airbnb to hang out with Elaine who still wasn’t feeling too well. Once he departed the rest of us went to the boats. These boats were round and floated nicely on the water. I guess it’s a big thing for tourists to do. It’s cool to try and learn about the fishing and traditions out there, but again, just something to do once. We did have a special treat as our guide had hired something to perform in a boat for a few minutes. Pretty cool to watch him spin the boat quickly in circles. Then he asked for volunteers to ride in the boat as it span around fast. Well, I guess that would be me, since no one else was stepping up. Very well. I got in the boat, held on, and went around at high speeds. It was exhilarating and akin to an amusement park ride. Plus, some cool photo opps from the experience.

After the boat rides, we headed to a farming area for lunch. This was one of the best meals of the trip as everything was farmed locally, like probably 90% was harvested within 100 yards of the restaurant. The weather and views were great, and the food exceptionally tasty. I had wonderful memories of that meal.

Our next stop was the streets of Hoi An. This was fascinating, although it’s also a hectic and touristy thing to do. The streets are just packed with westerners looking to buy things and eat stuff. What’s actually authentic? Impossible to say, but we were on a mission for tailor made clothing. We entered a shop that the guide recommended and some Vietnamese ladies greeted us with water and tea. For men, the main purpose there is to buy inexpensive suits, so a woman sat down with me and showed me photo albums of men wearing a large variety of suits. The cuts and materials and styles were not indicated. Just sort of random photos, but that was fine. I wasn’t sure I was actually going to buy one, but I’d heard about these $100 suits from YouTube videos and I had to at least investigate further. But it was a little different than advertised.

Most importantly, there were no “$100 suits.” Prices started at least at $200 and that was for cheap fabrics. The nice ones were about $400. Yeah, it was one of those typical bad, okay, very good type things. The cheapest option was garbage, but just to get into a low price range if someone truly did not care about fabric quality. That said, I already had a decent suit coat, so spending $400 wasn’t on my todo list either. I was incredibly hesitant even though it was far under pricing back home. The others did convince me that perhaps I could at least get a nice blazer. Slacks and vests could be acquired easily elsewhere and for good costs. Plus, the majority of a nice suit is the coat. Very well. How much? Not a bad price was offered, and since I was forgoing the other items, I could select the “nice” material. She quoted $175. I balked. $150. Very well. Let’s do it. Now, I don’t say I got any special deal at $150. For all I know, they may have dipped to $100 had I kept pushing back. Impossible to even know. I was just happy I was spending $150 instead of $400. So buyer was pleased.

After taking my measurements, we were done there. Lesly and Bri already had been fitted and ordered a few items. We then met up with Terry and Elaine who traveled out to Han Noi to meet us. We were guided around the river some and then did the lantern lighting. It’s a traditional and I guess touristy thing to do, but also fun and made for great photos.

After that, it was dinner time. The place was called Vy’s and overall, fairly nice, but this was also towards the end of our trip and we had already consumed many very good meals. Vy’s trends a little towards the touristy side, so while it certainly wasn’t bad, it didn’t stand out either. Again, a nice meal overall.

When dinner was done, we explored the streets a little more. I was mesmerized by some pounded ice cream, and probably would have gotten but photos were being taken nearby and I was needed there. Oh well. I’d say, “Next time,” but really? After that, it was back to the bus for the long ride back to Da Nang. There wasn’t much traffic, although it did seem to take quite some time to return. Once back, we paid and thanked our guide. Seriously, he was outstanding and the reasons for his high ratings were evident the entire time. It’s worth it to pay more and have the best experience possible. Nothing was lacking.

It had been a filled day and it was easy to nod off fast. I packed up my bag and quickly fell asleep.