It was just a 10-minute ride to the train station from our Hotel. Yes, it was very near. Da Nang is actually a small place. We bought the 10.30am bus ticket for VND71,000 (RM10.65 / USD3.50) per ticket.
Since we were still early, we wondered outside the train station to look for food. We saw a stall selling the local food - bread with fillings inside from mint leaves to egg to pork to beef. And the sauce is awesome. VND15,000 (RM2.25 / USD0.75) for a bread. I totally can live on this food while in Vietnam. It is delicious and filling. It is baguette, bread introduced by the French, and from what I read, the locals changed the texture of the dough making it less sweet, hence localising it. Well, I am not a pastry chef, so I do not have much qualms about food texture.
The interior of the train station where we waited for 30 minutes.
There was even a certificate on the wall that the train station has been audited. Wow. It must be safe. My very skeptic friend commented - It is amazing what one can do with Microsoft Word and a coloured printer. The only thing you need to add is a glassed frame. Okay, that made me laugh but not funny after 5 minutes.
The train came at 1020am. But left about 1040am.
And this is our soft seat carriage.
There was food sold in the train. Reminded me of my train journey to Tibet. A set of lunch costs VND20,000 (RM3 / USD1).
Then, I was off walking around, checking how the train looks like. This cabin is a sleeping cabin.
The lady in this sleeping cabin made her own avocado drink. Excellent. Looks very easy. Then, I returned back to my cabin because I saw there was a nice view outside. Of the sea.
On the way back, I saw snacks and sweets being sold.
It was read that the view from the train is excellent. We passed through a number of tunnels.
Saw lots of greenery.
The South China Sea. The water is so choppy. I could see the strong waves.
Passed the roads and bridges.
Passed a stream.
Then, I saw a sole lady walking by. I did not realise that she was one of the sellers in the next station. As soon as we stopped for a 30 minute break, immediately a group of sellers came and offered their products at each carriage. The passengers buy through the windows because the doors were not opened.
While the train stopped, I walked around, going towards another end of the train. I encountered the hard seat. The station that we bought our tickets did not sell hard seats. The cheapest was the soft seat.
This is where I saw a passenger buying the stuff from one of the lady seller. He bought a packet of dried squid for VND100,000 (RM15 / USD5). Then, he bought a single squid to be eaten on the spot. So, the lady seller cooked for him on a pot filled with charcoal. It was completed in less than 5 minutes. That costs VND2,000.
The passenger told the squid into strips. He offered me a piece and it tasted yummy! So, I hurried back and informed my friends of my new finding. When we wanted to buy a piece of that, the seller charged us VND20,000. Ridiculous.
I just settled with my bread that we bought earlier. Yummy.
Unlike the train that we took to go to Tibet, this train has sockets that worked. So, I charged my camera battery for 20 minutes. Standing by the door. Opposite it was a cabin for staff to sleep in. Only one person can sleep inside.
Along the way, we passed by some paddy fields.
In the train, there was a tool for emergency. I opened it and saw a hammer inside. It must be to break the windows in case the train breaks down and the door somehow gets stuck. I agree, I am very inquisitive. Which makes me an excellent traveller! Because I am always keen to know and explore. La la la la~~~~
After about 3.5 hours in the train, we finally reached our stop, Hue.
I was the last to walk out from the exit, as I was busy snapping photos. And as I approached the exit, I did not see my friends. When I walked nearer, I saw that they were swarmed by a group of locals, whom I found out were cab drivers.
Next mission - get a cab to our Hotel.
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