Motorbike Day: An Bang Beach & Marble Mountain

Our first full day here we rode bicycles around Hoi An.  First let me say that it's 110 degrees Fahrenheit and second that I am not a big exerciser. So riding a bicycle all day in the searing heat is not exactly pleasant for me (or Buddy, by proxy!). We had to make a LOT of stops and frequent visits to our hotel room, which seriously contains the only air conditioning in this town. And my ass really hurts from that little bicycle seat.

So today we decided to rent a motor bike (for a whopping cost of $7) and drive to the beach. Thankfully Buddy knows how to drive a motorcycle! 

There are two beaches at Hoi An - one is the tourist beach, which we avoided, and the other is the "locals" beach called An Bang. We rode out to An Bang and it was spectacular!! The water is crystal clear and there were hardly any people around. We spent a good hour playing in the cold water and getting sunburned.  :-). 

Jane: I actually got in the ocean water and swam. Like ALL THE WAY IN. For at least an hour! I had Buddy take a picture for evidence:

After the delightful beach experience, we took the motor bike to a place called Marble Mountain outside of Da Nang where there are these crazy marble pagodas carved into the side of the mountain. I took a lot of pictures with the good digital camera, but I don't have a way to download them while we are traveling! Oops. So here are a few that Buddy got with his cell phone:

 

 

Also of note at Marble Mountain, I got seriously bamboozled by a very good sales lady and way overpaid for a gift. Even Buddy admits she had really good game, but I'm still kicking myself for how much I paid for a couple of candle holders. Oh well, you live and learn!