Ooff, a 3.30am start is never good, but the transfer to Da Nang Airport was so smooth, we were checked in and aboard the little propeller plane before we'd really woken up!
There was a Vietnamese football team on our flight, The Vissai FC, from Nimbh. The English Premier League is massive here, and it was obvious who these boys looked to for inspiration and style tips, 'cos they all went for the Didier Drogba look! Big headphones, baseball cap, towels 'round their necks, diamond stud earrings, the whole thing!
They were as dozy as Prem players too, as one lad managed to lose his gear between getting off the plane, and arriving at the baggage claim!
A long transfer between the airport and the Island tried our patience especially as we had to wait for an hour in a creepy backpacker (I've come to really dislike backpackers) / diver's cafe in Nha Trang, for a connection. We eventually arrived in the middle of nowhere, in the pouring rain, to get the boat to Whale Island.
Arriving in the piddling rain was never going to be the ideal start, but even if the weather had been fine it would have been apparent that this was the most basic accommodation so far on the trip, it's a bamboo hut, with a bed (and mosquito net), a ceiling fan, and a toilet made for a particularly short dwarf! It's about 20' from the sea, which is nice, but it's not very comfortable, which wouldn't matter much if the weather were good, but so far it's rained. A lot. Hopefully it will stop! The place is French-owned and a diving destination, therefore a large number of the other guests are French or French Canadians, and/or divers, make of that what you will! I'm saying nothing (actually the FrCan bloke is dead friendly!).
We sat next to a particularly annoying bunch, last night. Dutch backpackers bemoaning the fact that there were too many tourists around! Take a look at yourselves, what 'exactly' do you think YOU are? Funny, but we didn't see many other tourists, backpackers or 'normal' ones, at the Perfume Pagoda, or at the 'locals' restaurant we visited!