The further north we travel, the prettier Vietnam seems to get. We left Dalat in the rain and luckily seemed to drive out of it. Our ponchos were used for only two hours that day which is a new record.
We decided to take the coastal road instead of the mountains as it seemed a bit quicker and our bottoms can’t handle being sat on a bike for too long anymore. These are are a few shots a long the way.
I imagined there would be loads of touristy areas along the coast we would fall in love with, but I was wrong. There was of course tourist areas but what was lacking was us being welcome there. We went to six different hotels trying to find a room for one night. They told us yes then asked where we were from then told us they were full. At first we thought maybe they were full. After the first few tries, our positivity ran low and we started to click that it was just us.
The sun was starting to set and we were getting more anxious as time went on. Where were we going to stay? Where were we going to eat? Are we going to end up travelling all the way to Hoi An? From what I have read online and seen on videos, I have learned that everyone has their low points on these kind of trips. It’s not a holiday, it’s a challenge. That’s why they call it the Top Gear Challenge.
We ended up driving all the way to Sông Cầu which was a whopping eight hours of driving. We didn’t have any lunch either as we couldn’t find any where that served food. So for a good twelve hours we didn’t eat. Apologies that this post is not the most joyful, but this is the low point of the trip. (The only one I hope!)
When we got to Sông Cầu we stopped in a hotel called Hotel Laura and thankfully they let us stay. The bed was as hard as a rock and they had weird soft porn tiles in the bath room, but at least we were in a room and safe. There was also a service station just up the road where we managed to get some food and snacks for the next day.
This is the view from our floor. This area is so beautiful, it’s a shame that we had such a bad experience here. The reluctance to even speak to us really surprised me around these parts. I’m not sure if the mountain roads are better but I wish I had taken that route instead.
Sorry to a be so negative. Here’s a funny GIF of a dog hiding underneath another dog.
I did not sense negativity, instead a dogged perseverance. I enjoy these wonderful vignettes of places I may not visit but can vicariously! 🙂
LikeLike
Glad you enjoyed the post 🙂 x
LikeLike
I’m hoping to visit late in the year. I’ll plan to make it up north. Thanks!
LikeLike
Never feel like you can’t be negative (it’s understandable when you don’t feel welcome in a place), but build on it – if you’ve reached a low point, then things can only get better. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What was the reason they said they had no rooms available? Was it due to the country you are from?
LikeLike
We think so, because they would say they had a room then change their mind when hey found out we were British.
LikeLike
Very odd. I didn’t know that Vietnam had an issue with Britain. I wonder if they feel that way about the US, too.
It might be a good thing to note on travel review sites. Sorry you were treated that way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I visited Vietnam last year; had only good experiences. It is such a beautiful country. And the people seem to have a good energy about them.
LikeLike
Visited Vietnam earlier this year! Have so much to write 🙂 thank you for this marvelous blog post. Loved the thin waterfall 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have had only good experiences in Vietnam. Its a beautiful country. And I thought the people had good energy about them.
LikeLike
Agreed, we just had a bad experience in this area
LikeLike
this is so cool! would love to travel to Vietnam, will have to add it to my bucket list now! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope rest of your trip is better. Love the GIF
LikeLiked by 1 person
It got a lot better, we went to Hoi An and I fell in love with the place 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Emily,
That is the reality if being in a different country. They aren’t always friendly. It will get better.
Gary
On Sun, Aug 6, 2017 at 11:10 PM, The Blog of Travel wrote:
> Emily posted: “The further north we travel, the prettier Vietnam seems to > get. We left Dalat in the rain and luckily seemed to drive out of it. Our > ponchos were used for only two hours that day which is a new > record. We decided to take the coastal road instead of t” >
LikeLike
It’s defiantly improved a lot since travelling further north. Glad we are travelling south to north as the best places are up here 🙂
LikeLike
Be safe, but have some great memories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve learned how to order coffee, that’s the most important thing right? Ha ha 🙂
LikeLike
Yep, food and drink can be a cultural bridge-builder.
LikeLiked by 1 person