Days 6-8 Nha Trang and Cam Ranh - Sorry for the delay, its been a busy month. Cam Ranh is the site of one of the main US military bases during the Vietnam War, so people often have mixed feelings about the area. The resort we visited was the Anam. It was a very nice resort, with an extra special head chef (Peter) who's passion for cooking was the highlight of our stay (which included a personalized cooking class from Chef Peter!). Our stay also included a quick tour of Nha Trang (with coffee), and a street food dinner (the hotel invites the mothers of the staff to come to the resort and cook street food on the premises.
Vietnam - days 4 and 5 - Danang We spent 3 lovely nights at the #IntercontinentalDanang. While we were there we stopped by Hoi An and Downtown Danang. I would also recommend the Marble Mountains and the Ba Na Hills.
You saw the "Lady Buddha" in my previous post. The name is a bit deceiving, she is actually Guanyin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. She protects the sailors and fishermen in the harbor.
Hoi An is a well-preserved 15th century port. There are houses that are centuries old, and still in amazing condition. The city is known for its paper lanterns, which they hang on boats and light up at night for a little parade.
Downtown Danang is also known for its dragon bridge which spouts flame and water at 9pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Finally, the peninsula upon which the Intercontinental sits is home to the Red-Shanked Douc - the most colorful primate in the world. Unfortunately there are only a few thousand left in the world (1300 on the peninsula). We were fortunate enough to see the largest group ever seen in the area.
All in all, we were pleasantly surprised by how wonderful and interesting the city and surrounding area is, and how much we enjoyed our stay.
Next Up: Cam Ranh and Na Trang
Starting today: A multi-day review of our 3-week trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand via Qatar Airways.
Today's episode: Whoever said, "Getting there is half the fun," didn't have to fly 1/2-way around the world to go on vacation!
That's right fellow Uni-Travellers, we flew 24 hours (including a 3-hour layover in Doha, Qatar in Qatar Airways amazing new QSuites, just so that we could report back to you. (and, yes, they are as wonderful as people say).
So, we will cover 3 days with the first post. Day 1 and 2 consisted of flying time, and Day 3 was our arrival in Danang, Vietnam.
Hotel: Intercontinental Danang
This hotel is probably the best hotel I have ever stayed at, and that's saying a great deal. If you are in Asia and want to spend a few days at the beach, in absolute luxury, this is the place. Like all InterContinental's they have a "cluib" level that includes breakfast, high tea, and evening snacks with alcoholic drinks. Plus you can schedule an hour-long tour with their zoologist to see their endangered monkeys (more on that later - the monkey in the photo is not one of the endangered ones). Enjoy the beauty of the #intercontinentaldanang and relax.
Tomorrow: Viva Da Nang, Dan Nang me, Da Nang me, why dont you get a rope and hang me…Good Morning Vietnam!
