Another Vietnamese story or travel tale to tell. I was traveling between Danang and An Hoi, Vietnam when our crazy (reckless) and impulsive van driver stopped suddenly at a very remote and isolated beach.
I went down the beach and there were a row of empty beach chairs. I sat down on one and a man soon appeared out of nowhere to claim rental. Paid him and continued to relax with the sounds of waves and the South China Sea breeze massaging my face.
Not long later, I spotted a hunchback old lady inching her way towards me from far. It can’t be good, my instincts told me.
The old lady reached me, exhausted and almost breathless. She had a bag and she sells souvenirs. She pulled out a RM 20 note to show me. My van driver translated for her. A Malaysian customer previously bought stuff from her and gave her the RM 20 note. Being an uneducated villager, she didn’t know that Malaysian currency was not accepted at money changers at that time.
Poor lady took a long bus journey to Saigon to be told she can’t exchange that. She didn’t know any black market dealer, of course. In my mind, I was thinking what a heartless bastard who gave her the note knowing full well that it will be impossible to change in a small town. Every tourist changed to USD before arriving.
I asked the driver how she got to know I am a Malaysian? Word got around in the village grapevine, it seemed. Is like one in a million chance a Malaysian will land here since it is off the beaten track and unknown, Fate had demanded that I redeem the name of the country.
Gave her USD 50 and she told me it was too much. I said it was for her trouble and bus fare to Saigon. I stayed at a hotel similar to Emily Hotel near the beach in Danang,
You can find this and many Danang beach hotels, Vietnam at http://www.mycen.my/
Pic of My Khe beach from Emily Hotel at Agoda. I was a fan of Dana Delaney and China Beach series but never knew I will one day be at My Khe Beach where the Vietnam War TV series was based on and (partly) filmed.
#danang #vietnam