Da Beach and Da Museum in Da Nang

 

You would probably expect to have the beach mostly to yourself on a late afternoon on a Thursday, right? Not in Da Nang. As soon as the blazing June sun has started to set, swarms of locals comb the beach and cool off in the East Vietnam Sea also known as the South China Sea (depending on which country you ask).

Before 5pm

After 5pm

When twilight appears, the crowds all flock to the roadside seafood restaurants that line the beach. 

$150/kilo lobster anyone?

But beach aside, to get your Shiva, Ganesha and apsara fix, pay a visit to the marvelous Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture. If you've become obsessed with Hindu iconography, as I have, add this to your places-to-visit list. In the same time period and style of Angkor Wat, the Champa empire ruled the central region of Vietnam. Some pieces in the museum are collected from the religious My Son site (the best preserved out of the ones that remain) which can be visited on a trip to Hoi An. 

Then speed on out of here. Unfortunately, that's really all there is to see in Da Nang!

Goin' Goan

So, I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed when we first reached Dwarka resort on Cola Beach in South Goa. We were spending an awful lot of money for some simple thatch-and-reed huts and no hot water. I guess that's what you pay for when you sign up for an eco cottage resort! But I realized after a day what a gorgeous spot this was - fresh water lagoon on one side (perfect for young children) and ocean (with strong currents) on the other side. And Dwarka proved to be an ideal place to relax, especially since there was barely a bar on my mobile phone and no Wi-Fi in sight. If you want the quieter Goa, come to this place. Not only is the setting mind-numbing, the variety and quality of the meals (always a seafood entree for every meal) will instantaneously give you food coma thanks to their superb chef John. Thanks again to Sidu and staff for making our entry into Southern India a warm one.

Pick a side: lagoon or ocean?

Our digs, cottage I

View from our cottage

Tranquil lagoon

The cherry on the sundae: another family staying in the resort who had a three year old boy from California! In typical three year old fashion, playing and fighting in equal measure.

(Conversation between Alex and H outside our cottage)
H: You want to play with me girlfriend?
A: I'm not your girlfriend. Don't call me girlfriend! Call me Alex.

Morning boat trip

Bring on the dolphins!

(Conversation between Alex and H on the boat)
H: (holding onto the side of the boat) I'm scared.
A: Don't be scared, just hold my hand.

Big buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Goan bebinca

And just in case you get bored (which is the idea, anyway) you can always amuse yourself watching the many Russian girls posing for each other's cameras.

Ahh Akwidaa

We had nothing to do but relax for 5 days without internet or mobile phone connection. The stretch of beach in the western region of Ghana is pristine, with nothing but small fishing villages dotting it’s shores. The 8km dusty and pothole filled road from Dix Cove to Akwidaa was absolutely worth it!

The one drawback (but not entirely) was the sad story of our beautiful hotel, Safari Beach Lodge. The quick version: an American couple, one a chef, opened up this well designed “eco-luxury resort”. It apparently was a hit until it was sold over a year ago to a Dutch guy living in Nigeria. The guy is hardly ever there, leaving the staff to run the place the best they know how. But with no real manager, it looks like the place is just a shadow of its former self.

Case in point – we arrive after 7 hours of transport, with a reservation, only to wait one hour to be shown our room, given the wrong room, Marc helped the guy move Alex’s extra twin bed , and asked to pay for our full stay in advance –all from a man with an affect that barely registered a heartbeat. Not the start we wanted for the wind down portion of this trip.

Marc and I even pondered the thought of staying for a few months and offering to help out. It’s really that beautiful and thoughtfully designed. Thankfully, the kitchen staff retained the skills of the chef, so the food was a definite winner.

By contrast, it’s more casual next door neighbor, The Green Turtle Lodge had no vacancy. It’s run by a super friendly and smiley English guy, Tom with his family. Alex was so happy to see kids her age.

Despite the bad the start, we had a National Geographic moment one night when the receptionist who appeared to loathe us woke us up for a rare experience.

We were witness to a leatherback turtle laying her eggs along the beach, burying them and returning to sea.

Who says there's no school on vacation? We played some bones.

Akwidaa kids