Da Nang, Vietnam
We decided to take a sleeper train for $70.56 to endure the eleven-hour journey to Da Nang. Each compartment had four beds: two bunks. We crossed our fingers for a stench-free experience. When we arrived, a young girl was settled above Jim and a young guy above me. We unloaded our backpacks, kicked off our shoes, and flopped down, ready for the adventure. After organizing our stuff, we put on headphones and relaxed. Not too shabby; I could get used to this.
About five minutes in, I realized I should've used the bathroom before we left. I tried to distract myself, but that didn't last long. I gestured to Jim, who nodded and off I went, hoping for the best.
As soon as I opened the bathroom door, I regretted my life choices. The bathroom was the worst (and I've done bad). I quickly calculated that I had a couple of hours before an accident would be unavoidable and opted to hold it.
Fifteen minutes later, I was in trouble. The train was tossing us around, my stomach was churning, and the urgency was real. I grabbed my mask, rolled up my pants, and armed myself with sanitizer and toilet paper. When I finally got the courage to go in and hoover myself over the toilet, I tried to focus on pleasant thoughts; while praying not to touch anything with any part of my body except the soles of my shoes. Even with my mask, I could smell the stench. My over-extended bladder was not emptying, I couldn't go. The bouncing was making it extremely difficult and my mental pep talk wasn’t working, plus I was making my situation worse by now realizing that what I thought was water covering the ground, was probably pee.
When I finally returned to our sleeper, I removed my shoes with the delicacy of defusing a bomb and tried to settle in. But the smell lingered, and I caught Jim giving me the look. Confused, I asked what was wrong, thinking he could smell the stench, but instead he grabbed the trash can. Thankfully, it was empty, but not for long. I mouthed, “Are you okay?” and he shook his head NO. Just as I was about to ask what happened, he shot up and muttered “bathroom.” I silently prayed for his courage.
Twenty minutes passed, and I debated checking on him but couldn’t leave our stuff unattended, plus I wasn’t going back in there. I was relieved when he finally returned, accident free. He shared with me tales from the bathroom filth while I felt a mix of sympathy and relief for my empty bladder—though I still had a hint of stench lingering around me or was that Jim?
Two hours crawled by as the train jostled us around on sticky plastic beds. Then, we came to a complete stop. The conductor came by and shouted something in Vietnamese and hurried away. The guy above me immediately bolted, leaving us questioning WTF. I started to gather my things, but the girl above me shook her head, saying NO. Thanks to Google Translate, we learned that a tunnel ahead collapsed and they were busing us. Nine hours on a bus! Poor Jim.
After an hour of waiting, we were ushered off the train. Our new friend tried to lead us, looking back making sure we were following; but the platform turned into a chaotic sea of merged lines. In the chaos, I lost sight of her and decided losing her was better than losing Jim.
It was pandemonium as we stepped out of the train station: buses everywhere, people grabbing bags, and me shouting at Jim, “Passport, wallet, phone?” Since he moved slower, I took charge, following the most trustworthy-looking person I could find.
He led us to a bus that looked like it had just survived a major accident and was from the 1980s. He stuffed our bags into an overstuffed compartment that wouldn't shut—three men had to wrestle it close. My fears shifted from whether our bags would survive to finding a seat. The only spot left was at the very back. I crammed into the window seat while Jim squished himself in the middle aisle on the hump.
From dusk till dark, we had no idea where we were headed. I attempted to check maps but had no service—at this point, I was just hoping we weren’t being kidnapped. The next two hours were a mental marathon of “what ifs,” anxiously praying we’d arrive in one piece without any accidents—especially concerning Jim.
Finally, we discovered we were at another train station. We grabbed our bags and boarded a new train with cleaner bathrooms. The next ten hours flew by compared to the first chaotic three, and after a grueling 15 hours, we finally arrived in Da Nang, exhausted but victorious—without any accidents!
Up and down the coast of Da Nang lies restaurants and parks kept sparkling clean by tireless city workers. The beachfront parks come alive as the sun sets over the East Vietnam Sea. We chose Biển Mỹ Khê park, right across the main drag. The large shade trees began to light up as tight rope walkers fell to the left and the right. Yoga classes started and locals were walked by their dogs. We sat taking it all in.
An old Vietnamese man came up and asked where we were from. We didn't see any pamphlets or trinkets so Jim started a conversation. He was excited that we were from the States and told us not many people from the U.S. visit. He said he was trying to practice his English. We told him his English is way better than our Vietnamese. We laughed and said goodbye.
We walked over to the East/West brewery finding it ironic we were literally in the east coming from the west. Along with the brewing program being operated by a guy from Portland, OR. The drinks and appetizers were some of the most expensive we encountered but the sunset was spectacular.
The next day we went up into the mountains to Ba Nah hills, an amusement park for adults. The cable car, one of the longest in the world (3 miles and 2,500 feet up) led to the main entrance that offered panoramic views of the lush valley below. The green terrain was sparsely interrupted by tall waterfalls misting the air.
They've somehow managed to recreate France’s finer highlights, Germany's beer gardens and tuk in a 4D roller coaster ride that just has to be experienced to understand. Then there are the hands holding a walkway revealing just how beautiful the area was.
It was hard going back to the city after that feeling, but the next day, we made the most of it by venturing to the Marble Mountains, to check out all of the caves. It was a bit of a hike but well worth it.
Da Nang was supposed to be just a beach town to chill in but offered so much more. The friendly people all working and playing together is how it will be remembered.
Comments
Post a Comment