17/05/2023 From Hoi An to Hue
What to expect
Hai Van Pass
Today was going to be a first for me: we were going to do a motorbike tour over the famous Hai Van Pass, where we’d both ride a motorbike (instead of me sitting on the back of Blake’s motorbike).
Ride a motorbike yourself
Just for clarity: Vietnamese people refer to scooters as “motorbikes”, so we weren’t as crazy 😉. However, most travellers are going for the “easy rider” option. This means they are sitting on the back of someone’s scooter and not riding themselves.
Travelling light
We, on the other hand, wanted to experience the ultimate feeling of freedom and decided to ride the motorbikes ourselves. Thankfully, our luggage got transported to our hotel in Hue, so we only had to carry a day bag.
Visit Marble Mountain
The ride was beautiful and after half an hour we arrived at the caves at Marble Mountain in Da Nang. To be honest they were pretty touristy. But it was cool (temperature-wise) inside the caves, so no complaints.
See the Dragon Bridge
Next we visited the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang, before heading to the famous Hai Van Pass that officially starts just outside of Da Nang.
The Hai Van Pass is absolutely beautiful!
The Hải Vân Pass (“ocean cloud pass”), is an approximately 21 km long mountain pass on National Route 1. […] Its name refers to the mists that rise from the sea, reducing visibility.”
wikipedia.org
The road winds up steep cliffs from where you have incredible views over the ocean.
At the highest point we stopped at a tiny caf̩ for some fresh coconuts. (The third ones on this day Рwe had to stay hydrated after all.)
After a few more stops on the Hai Van Pass, we rode along the beach and stopped at a café for coconut #4 with beautiful ocean views.
In over 40°C we were sweating like crazy! If you think the wind on the drive was helping, then picture a hairdryer blowing hot wind in your face constantly.
When we arrived in Hue about nine hours after we had started the road trip in Hoi An, our luggage had thankfully already been dropped off there.
Even though it was really really hot (like every day in Vietnam, except for Da Lat), we enjoyed this road trip a lot!
18/05/2023 Hue
Hue
Go on the DMZ tour
Today Blake went on a day trip to the DMZ (= Demilitarized Zone) as he loves history. For me, on the other hand, this didn’t sound like too much fun, especially in over 40°C and after being on the go a lot recently.
Not taking no for an answer
I had found a really cute café, where I was planning to take my laptop, my book and my journal in order to spend the morning there on my own. This didn’t go as planned as the overly-friendly Vietnamese host from our hotel “Hong Thien Ruby Hotel” didn’t take no for an answer when she asked me what I would like to have for breakfast. So being 34 years old, I found that I had “no other choice” than to say yes to fresh fruit, a coffee and an omelette with vegetables. But then again, who would say no to a free breakfast in the first place?
Try salt coffee
I did still go to the café “Nook Eatery” for a fresh juice. Afterwards I walked to another café “Ca Phe Muoi” for their famous salt coffee. I have to admit: it actually tasted really good and the salt really intesified the sweetness of the condensed milk (which is usually the type of milk you get when you order a Vietnamese coffee with milk).
Get a head and shoulder massage
After the coffee, I treated myself to a massage which felt amazing.
Have dinner at Madam Thu Restaurant
Once Blake was back from his DMZ tour (which he liked, but the guide’s English was poor, so he got most of his knowledge from google), we went to Madam Thu Restaurant for a very delicious Vietnamese dinner.
Summer rolls 
Beo cake 
Vietnamese pancake
Since we were still trying to avoid the buses after the some very uncomfortable buses in Saigon and Mui Ne, we decided to take a night train. We were quite excited to explore Vietnam’s capital Hanoi next.
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