Oct.31 – Day 11 – HAPPY HALLOWEEN -We took the Hai Van road along the coast and could see the sea and the coast for miles as we went over the high pass. Danang is out there in our future somewhere. We have thick jungle on our right and the ocean to our left as we drive slowly down the road in a southerly direction. We stopped twice for photos of the area.
The road is good and the views are fantastic. We can see white caps of ocean waves out in the foggy distance. We are on our way to Hoi An and will remain there for three days.
We drove past a few small towns where their main business seems to be rubbing alcohol. Do not drink this stuff.
We came to the high pass where the ancient merchants had to stop and pass through a gate to pay taxes on their wares. The large stucco covered brick gate is still here. There were battles fought here in the Vietnam War and the walls are still covered with its scars. We are getting closer to Danang.
We have arrived. Danang is a modern, growing city on the Pacific Ocean. It has a large fishing port and the Chinese are spending money here building hotels, roads, and casinos.There are still plenty of vacant land for sale if you are interested.
There are golf courses all around us just waiting for the golfers from all over the world to arrive.
The beach is wide and the surf is very good today. It looks very much like where I come from. The waves are the perfect shape for surfing, but perhaps it is the wrong time of year, the beach is empty. I’m not sure why. We ate a nice lunch here and then moved on toward our destination. It is the Thanh Binh Riverside Hotel.
We reached our hotel without incident which is always a good thing. All the members of the group seem to be in fine health, so far. It is easy walking distance to the downtown of Hoi An.
We have been very lucky with the weather and have only had one day of rain. It is around 70 degrees F and the sky is dark and clear here this evening.
Everyone seems happy here and we see no signs of the military. Everyone has just voted for their representatives who vote for their neighborhood leader who then votes for the higher ups who then vote for the Prime Minister, the President and two more people, one being party leader. The communist party runs the show of course.
People are free to complain, and we have heard some complaints about the government being slow to correct an issue here or there, but I’m not sure how loudly or often one can complain here. I don’t have all the facts.
I do know that there is no central state medical care here. It’s up to you to find a doctor and to pay for your own treatment. Sounds like free enterprise to me. The economical system seems to be based on the Chinese model.
