Up at 7:00 and on the back of a motorbike at 8:00. Huy’s (We) grandfather has a slick carbon fiber racing bike and one awesome electronic horn mounted on it. I wanted one. He drove me over to the bike shop to buy one. Ballistic sound that you won’t ignore. More importantly, riding on the back of a motorbike in Vietnamese traffic is one of those life altering experiences. Weaving through intersections jammed with traffic going in all directions. When to yield and not to yield, it is instinctual with these drivers. Made it back alive, hooked up the horn and rode to the supermarket to stock up on road food. If you are looking for the oranges, they are green.
With one day to scope out Da Nang, I rode to the waterfront and saw the dragon bridge and another modern suspension bridge which was a real marvel. Wandered from side street to side street, taking in all the shops, restaurants and people, a mixture of old and new worlds. Everyone sits on these plastic chairs half the size of ours. Ended up a modern coffee shop on the waterfront and chilled for an hour with two peach ice tea lattes. Later at my back alley pocket hotel, I blacked out for an hour or so before experiencing another motorbike ride to buy a new headset. Huy drove, I leaned with the curves. He translated and I bought. With everything taken care of, I walked
a local seafood restaurant recommended by Huy. Shrimp four inches long sautéed in garlic and butter. Try shelling and eating them with chopsticks. The rice/veggies and two beers was perfect with the monster garlic shrimp. Back at the hotel, I met more of Huy’s family, friended him on Facebook, took pictures and learned more about how his father and aunt had used their land to build a new hotel. Central to town and only 250,000 Dong, brand new building, a real find. Several people are spending up to six months there? $300/month, I could do this! Tomorrow I am heading south on flat terrain.
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