Unless you are traveling long term, the idea of getting exhausted from traveling seems to be a foreign concept. I mean, how can you get tired from traveling if you love it? Well you can, and you will. When you are on the road for months moving from place to place, living out of a suitcase, making new routines everyday, choosing a place to eat for almost every meal and trying to communicate in a language you do not know, it gets to be challenging.
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| View from Marble Mountain |
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| Iced Vietnamese Coffee |
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| Crabs making sand art |
No, we wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world, but it was important to accept that we would need to settle down for a bit at some point in order to rest and regroup before continuing. For us, Viet Nam has been that place. Our resting period has been a little longer than most I would imagine (we have been in Da Nang for seven weeks so far), but the time here has been an experience in and of itself.
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| Doves at beach - Da Nang |
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| Vendors - Da Nang |
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| Goddess of Mercy entrance - Da Nang |
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| Han Market - Da Nang |
Living in Da Nang has been wonderful and full of many pleasant surprises. We first passed through Da Nang a couple of years ago on our way to spend time in Hoi An (where the majority of tourists go when visiting central Viet Nam). We thought the city was less hectic than Ho Chi Minh and looked nice, so when we were contemplating a resting period a couple of months ago, we decided to come Da Nang. Cost of living was also a factor (I mean, we would have loved to have stayed in Japan or Singapore for a while!).
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| Urban farming - Da Nang |
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| Monkey Mountain - Da Nang |
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| Marble Mountain - Da Nang |
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| Seafood hot pot - Da Nang |
We rented a condo giving us more space than a hotel and the option to cook for ourselves again. It feels like home. We have become a part of the neighborhood and the neighborhood has become a part of us. The farmers around us tend to their gardens everyday, the dogs and roosters sing their daily songs, and the children play on the streets saying hi to us when we pass by. When we first arrived in late November, the weather was a little rainy and chilly with few tourists around. Since then, the weather has been warming up and tourists are slowly filling the city.
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| Da Nang |
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| Fishing boats - Da Nang |
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| Da Nang |
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| Dragon Bridge - Da Nang |
Jason has learned how to use a motorbike and get us around the city. It is not just learning the skill of driving a motorbike, but learning the art of traffic here too. When you stand on the sidewalk and watch it, it is hard to comprehend how it works, the fact that it does work, and that you could ever figure it out! Alas, Jason has and we have been able to go shopping at the supermarket, bowling, to the movies, etc. Almost everything the locals do, we do.
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| Jason & Lan playing badminton - Da Nang |
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| Beach - Da Nang |
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| Goddess of Mercy - Da Nang |
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| Urban farming - Da Nang |
Staying put for a while has given us the chance to observe, and live the life. We have also met other travelers and expats to gain their perspective and gather some knowledge as well. It has been a wonderful experience and great insight but soon it will be time to move along to continue our travels and adventures.
~ Christine
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