This morning I headed down to the railway station to catch the train to Da Nang for my journey to Hoi An. When I arrived at the station we all had to wait in a waiting area (probably due to the heat outside). Although there were a few backpackers in the room, it was mainly Vietnamese people. Everybody was watching Mr Bean on TV which was a bit weird. Just before the train arrived everybody moved to the platform, where a couple let there young child pee all over the platform about 5 feet from me - nice. In the carriage I was the only foreigner and despite the carriage being billed as an airconditioned soft seat, I would say that description is a bit hopefull.
The route took us past some fantastic scenery; the train hugged the cliffs of eastern Vietnam and there were lots of beaches with golden sand, surf, etc.
There was a meal provided, but I opted out, it was a selection of noodle soup and a guy came round with fried (?) chicks, when somebody chose a chick, he took a huge pair of scissors, cut off its head and cut it into chunks.
When I arrived in Da Nang, I saw a couple of back packers about to negotiate a taxi, so I teamed up with them for the journey into Hoi An.
The journey took about 30 minutes and cost $12, I am sure we were ripped off :-)
After another short taxi journey, I arrived in Cua Dai Beach where I am staying. The hotel is nice, but a little boring. In the evening, I sat on the beach for a while and eat in the hotel. My room is about 50 feet from the sea and it is golden/white sand and strong breaking waves.
It rained, as it seems to every evening at the moment.
