Extravelganza411: First Impressions of Da Nang

My, my, I haven't posted in a while. Well, apologies for that. Let's catch up.

We spent most of January in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our daughter was with us for half that time, and then it was back to the two of us for the other half. Today is Tuesday and this past Sunday we flew out of Kuala Lumpur and into Da Nang, Vietnam. First, where is that? Well, Da Nang is on the coast along the East Vietnam Sea. It is close to the middle of Vietnam in the north-south sense, with Hanoi being in the northern part and Ho Chi Minh City in the southern part. Da Nang has a beach, it's near the mountains, and it has a river, the Han River, running through it.

So far, we really like Da Nang. But our Monday was spent in trying to find a place to live. We are staying in a hotel, the Hilton Da Nang. This is a fantastic hotel, very comfortable with a beautiful pool and an amazing breakfast. (It is surprising how much more thorough and extravagant hotel breakfasts are outside of the United States.) But we set out to find an apartment. And I think we have one. This afternoon we should be moving in.

The Han River Bridge showing off

Our hotel is just across the street from the river. There is a lovely river walkway including sculptures and views of the bridges. Our hotel is very close to the Han River Bridge which lights up in a colorful display at night. Further downriver is the Dragon Bridge which looks like a dragon. I've read that at certain times, the dragon's head breathes fire. We will definitely have to go see that! It is supposed to happen at 9 PM sharp on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The Dragon Bridge (orange, but it changes)

One lovely aspect about Vietnam is cheese. And bread. Two, two lovely aspects of Vietnam are cheese and bread. Vietnam was colonized by the French, and when the French left, the Vietnamese held on to the bread and cheese. You don't realize how much you miss those things until you are in parts of the world where they are uncommon. We actually went out for pizza our first night here. I was craving pizza near the end of our time in Kuala Lumpur. And you can get pizza there. But Alrica pointed out that Da Nang has lots of pizza places, so we bade our time. And it was worth it. Great pizza!

I suspect she turned to stone because she was out of the water too long

I know, you're saying "Erich, your first night in Vietnam and you had pizza?" Yes, you're right, but I have plenty more chances for stir-fries, pho, and spring rolls. In fact, I had pho as part of my breakfast today, and it was good! Plus, we had banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) for dinner on our second night.

The temperatures have been great! Generally in the 70s, which is so lovely, though the Vietnamese find it chilly. It does rain off and on, but when it is sunny, the city sparkles.

And wow! Amazing fire hydrants. I've found three different styles already.