What an interesting day today!!

I didn’t like where I stayed last night in Da Nang after choosing against the great looking hostel online via hostel world or booking.com, so decide to try the beach having sen My An which was lovely.

However, Looking for places I realised there was one a little higher up ( the map) from me so booked another ‘lovely looking’ hotel, just £9 a night, on the sea front! Great, sorted!!

Morning came, not the best sleep with noises, not comfy bed, and air con as ever.
Packed and out for 10, a walk on the beach on a cloudy day, exploring and eating seafood, before going to Saigon tomorrow.

Taxi came, took me not far, on a main road, no beach i. sight! Checked the address, tried to explain unsuccessfully I wanted the beach I (thought) Id booked, and then he called them to check. She came over, confirmed the beach was there, over the wall, and hotel could see it!! Asked to cancel then changed my mind and drove back – nearer the airport, there was a beach to try and hotel looked ok. Tall and thin, called ironically Ca Voi (blue whales).

Although it says book in is after 2 she took me up and a lovely room but no view, even if a window!!! Unpacked a bit, changed from swimsuit and out for a lovely breezy walk along a very long sandy beach with high waves, quite rough on the South China sea bay!

I checked out the flotsam and jetsam washed up from dead cockroaches, there’s, plastic bags and wrappers to a shell as big as my foot, large snails, small dead fish and all sorts.

I photographed two fisherman laughing as they got swamped trying to collect their net in, and waved at me, later as they were wrapping it for next time, said hello as I Was walking back. I watched others fishing, collecting bottle tops, two dead fish and lots of mangrove weed washed up. I found a shell as big as my foot, big black snail shells hiding their owners deep and safe for next high tide.

I checked out the old type woven and pitched round vessels holding nets, a seat or other bits and pieces; some small fishing boats, beach umbrellas in thatch and closed ones on poles lower down; backed by dark brooding mountains whose heads are in dark thick cloud over a wave-filled shoreline…

An old woman in pyjamas and hat who I earlier saw crouched in the flowers on the edge of the beach messing with stuff, walked with me as we smiled at each other, then through signing and pointing told me all the junk washes up, to go look at it. Then kissed my arm she was holding and said ‘goodbye’.

I found an open ‘restaurant’ where we struggled to communicate but laughed about it, and with the supposed help of two younger family members got chicken bits by pointing at a b&w picture of chicken on a plate, and beer ( as they couldn’t get orange but could say beer) which was my brunch today as rain started. Luckily Id brought my brolly and mac along in case.

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