Da Nang Boy

18 August - Now, I might admit to having stopped at Da Nang because of the asian gang from GTA but that would just be admitting how shallow I am - so i'll say that i'm stoppinng here because of fond memories of that TV show I never saw called China Beach.
Had a little bit of an issue last night wiuth the electricity in my room - everything went off at about 11 O'clock, I was about to go to bed so I didn’t need my light but I did need the fan so I had to stow downstairs and wake up the guy who slept on the floor of the reception (night relief) - him and a little boy were asleep and I was loathe to wake them, lluckily the house dog didn't like me very much so his barking soon had them up. I managed to explain what was wrong and he faffed around a bit and got nowhere so he went to wake up another guy. I thought he was just flickingthe fuse because the lights came on again and then promptly went off. This happened twice - I got a bit frustrated so went downstairs to see what was going on and it seemed that he was actually rewiring the circuit for my room - huge sparks where he was connectingthe wires with a pair of pliers - eventually he got it working, they certainly know their DIY over here.
Once again - the hotel forgot my wake up call but I’d set two alarms so managed to get up in time. When I went to check out the guy couldn't find my passport - he asked if I was sure if i'd left it with them and then him and his wife had a big shouting match before they asked if I could go to breakfast and they'd find it in the interim. It was eventuallyfound so all's well that ends well.
The bus for Hoi An was about an hour latt but was luckily not very crowded (and not very far, especially as I got off a little early for Da Nang) so it was quite comfortable (as buses go).
Found a cheapish hotel and then made my way to My Khe Beach - very tranquil and very long. It was quite a cloudy day but the water was very warm and it was wonderful to actuallyswim in the ocean again - there's a few more beaches on my way so i'm looking forward to them. Once again, got lost on my return and wandered the city for a while before eventuallyfindng the hotel. The people in Da Nang ar nicer still - I hope this is a pattern that continues as I go further south. one of the best things about Da Nang (thus far) is that as it's not reallya tourist town my white skin puts me really in the minority and thus far i've hardly met anyone who sepaks any English at all - ordering food and paying for it involves a lot of pointing and sing language.
If video games have taught me anything it's that city is host to some of the most diabolical gangsters ever seen in San Andreas but I feel quite safe. Apparently it's very safe for foreigners all across Vietnam as there is a no-toplerance policy of violence against tourists - according to the Lonely Planet the last time there was a fatal attack on a tourist the culprit (or a scapegoat who bore a facile resemblance to him) was quikly rounded up, arrested, tried and executed within a week. Now that's justice!!!