No, not the late 80s TV show, but the real thing...China Beach, Vietnam!
This post is dedicated to our buddy Doug who served in the Vietnam war and was stationed near here. Hey Doug...we made it!
China Beach is a 20-km stretch of fine golden sand that starts in the city of Da Nang and ends near the town of Hoi An. From Hoi An it was a quick jaunt of about 25 kms to get to our 7-dollar backpacker special room on the beach. Can't rave about the accom, but the friendly atomsphere was great and with 20 kms of beach to yourself, what can go wrong?
It's really amazing here how all the beaches tend to be empty everywhere we go. The Vietnamese just aren't a beach culture, despite probably having more beach per capita than anyone else in the world. Apparently, they are so against dark skin, that the women avoid exposed skin at all costs to avoid tanning. We have never seen a Vietnamese woman in a bathing suit. They just don't do the beach thing. In fact, any women you see on the beach (usually working, certainly not just enoying the beach) are covered head to foot and wear a face mask. It crazy since it's about 400 degrees in the sun. Anyway, just an interesting cultural note. As a result, the beaches are empty. Here we are on an amazing beach only a stone's throw from a city of 1 million people, and there's us, the 2 German girls, and the couple from England. That's it as far as you can see!
Anywhoooo, we spent a couple days on the beach, finished off a couple more books, got a little roasted, and then yesterday put in a rather big day (130 kms including a 500-m pass) to get to the city of Hue, where we are this morning sipping coffee (very civilized morning) and planning our day.
This post is dedicated to our buddy Doug who served in the Vietnam war and was stationed near here. Hey Doug...we made it!
China Beach is a 20-km stretch of fine golden sand that starts in the city of Da Nang and ends near the town of Hoi An. From Hoi An it was a quick jaunt of about 25 kms to get to our 7-dollar backpacker special room on the beach. Can't rave about the accom, but the friendly atomsphere was great and with 20 kms of beach to yourself, what can go wrong?
It's really amazing here how all the beaches tend to be empty everywhere we go. The Vietnamese just aren't a beach culture, despite probably having more beach per capita than anyone else in the world. Apparently, they are so against dark skin, that the women avoid exposed skin at all costs to avoid tanning. We have never seen a Vietnamese woman in a bathing suit. They just don't do the beach thing. In fact, any women you see on the beach (usually working, certainly not just enoying the beach) are covered head to foot and wear a face mask. It crazy since it's about 400 degrees in the sun. Anyway, just an interesting cultural note. As a result, the beaches are empty. Here we are on an amazing beach only a stone's throw from a city of 1 million people, and there's us, the 2 German girls, and the couple from England. That's it as far as you can see!
Anywhoooo, we spent a couple days on the beach, finished off a couple more books, got a little roasted, and then yesterday put in a rather big day (130 kms including a 500-m pass) to get to the city of Hue, where we are this morning sipping coffee (very civilized morning) and planning our day.
Loving the updates, Amy!!! Living vicariously thru the 2 of you? when is the wedding???????
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