We planned our stop in Lang Co so that we could start the climb over Hai Van Pass in the morning. Alas, we tarried and ate a leisurely breakfast, starting the climb at about 10AM when the heat of the day had already started.
A lot of eloquent words have been written about Hai Van Pass, but it seemed pretty ordinary to us, having experienced many amazing views these past months and in our lives in Colorado. In addition, it was hot and humid with little wind, so we dragged to the top. Chris was not feeling very good, partly from the heat and humidity and partly from some injuries suffered the previous day when her front wheel slid on some sand and she fell hard, injuring her knee and twisting her back. It was a long slow process to get to the top but she persevered! A trooper. We stopped at the top and had a drink before heading down.
On a clear day, the view of Da Nang bay is probably stunning on the descent, but today the view was hazy with water vapor and maybe pollution.
Da Nang is a big city with many high rise buildings and big hotels near the beach. We had a route planned to go inland of the city to avoid having to cross it, but ultimately decided to go through Da Nang to get on a coastal route that would bring us to Hoi An. The original route went right next to the airport so we both had our misgivings.
The traffic through Da Nang was average, and it’s kind of funny how we have adapted to the free-for-all of Vietnamese traffic. So far, there have not really been any moments of terror. You have to be ready to just keep rolling and believing that the space will open for you. The ride today was the opposite of yesterday’s delight…it was a day of mostly getting from point A to B. Not every day can be a day of super amazing. 😉 I was hungry at some point and we just picked a restaurant at random at the side of the road. People were super friendly and the large plate of egg-fried rice was tasty, hot and cheap. I had a beer with ice in it…and Chris had a couple bottles of fizzy water to restore her. She was much better after that little stop.
We’re staying 2 nights in Hoi An, which is a major tourist town. As we entered the town, it seems quite busy. It’s kind of shocking to our sensibilities to see so many milling tourists and shops.
We found a quiet place for dinner and had a nice meal of spring rolls, a vegetable called Morning Glory and some grilled fish. It was good and we drank a few beers in the process, again served with ice.
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