Da Nang, Vietnam

"I am the master of my fate and captain of my soul"… Nelson Mandela

Current city- Da Nang, Vietnam

Note to self, no more afternoon naps…I woke up at 12 hours later and the following day. Slept yesterday away.  Hence…make-up day…and no NAPS.

I arrived in Da Nang yesterday morning, early. Dropped off my bags and walked around the little area near the beach.  Compared with Ho Chi Minh it's night and day. Everyone sits in tea shops, and the tea shops are really the only thing besides the hotels that I have seen. So I embraced the culture and sat down for some morning tea (10,000 vnd). Vietnamese Christmas concerts were blaring at full volume on the television, and everyone was passing around a beautiful, chubby, & happy baby boy. Ha- Merry Christmas early, from the future.

The hotel is stunning, for how little was paid...the fact that they gave me a robe, means I rarely take it off in my room…

Planning on heading up Monkey Mountain today to visit the Lady Buddha...and if it's half as exciting as it sounds...I’ll be in total bliss.

Skip to-
I just returned from the scooter ride up the mountain…total bliss.

Stopped at the beach along the way, spotted with small round boats in the shapes of circles that seemed to have been the same used for hundreds of years...then made it up the mountain to the white Lady Buddha.  The gardens around the statue were filled with more statues…all white, dragons and more Buddha’s. There were temples and holy places to visit. I seemed to not only be the only Caucasian woman there, but also the only one without a selfie stick. Ha. The pictures truly speak a thousand and one words. For the price of $2.5 usd my afternoon became priceless.

Sat out what I thought was the only rain storm in the little shelter with the locals...then got completely spat on by the heavens riding back. Soaked to the core and sporting the biggest smile probably in blocks, I returned, got a cold Tiger beer and laughed aloud in joy from what I had just experienced. Speaking of that, I think it’s nothing shy of a good sign when you find yourself laughing randomly aloud…a really good sign that you have just found the reason for living, the definition of happiness.  I'll take more lessons in that any day.