The first raindrops fell as our bus left from Hoi An. And it poured all night long. The sleeper bus is a good concept. It has three rows of reclining ‘business-class’ beds, two levels high. Unfortunately they are designed for shorter, narrower Asian bodies. As you board they hand you a plastic bag for your shoes which you stow in a tiny compartment under your bunk. Finding room for your carry-on pack takes some imagination.
A bus isn’t as smooth as a plane or a train and is a lot noisier. Earplugs are a must. Tylenol PM helps and Bonine isn’t a bad idea. I shared some with a Vietnamese girl and her granny but it didn’t help them. For someone who seldom travels 10 miles from home the bus can be a nightmare. Good thing the bathroom was close.
Despite the cramped quarters I managed 6 or 7 hours of sleep. Somewhere in the darkness we passed within 200 meters of our perimeter at Chu Lai, site of the bunkers where I stood guard 40 years ago
It was still pouring when we reached the beach resort of Nha Trang. It was definitely not beach weather so we booked on the 8AM bus to Dalat, 1500 meters high in the Central Highlands and 7 hours away. Not only is it still raining, it is cold too. Our hotel is ok and has wifi. Our plan was to visit Cat Tien National Park, a birding hotspot, but the folks at the Groovy Gecko talked us out of it. It is another 5 hours from Dalat and this isn’t a good time of year for travel there or for birding. So we will explore the town tomorrow and find a bus to HCMC tomorrow.
Speaking of birds, Erik from TNC emailed us with an offer to catalogue the birds at a TNC site there. It sounds too good to be true and we jumped at the opportunity. It is also prime orangutan habitat and he suggested that we also visit one of the nearby marine sites and a frigate bird nesting area. So if all goes well, February will be full of adventure.
