Journeying further North
After consecutive mornings of waking up early, we decided to lie in today. We were checking out of the hostel at 12pm today. Fortunately, we’d been able to book a bus to our next destination further North. Our next destination turned out to be Hue. There were several options to choose from, such as Hoi An. Hue was our choice because it’s further North, plus the delay caused by the typhoon. Instead of staying in Nha Trang for 3 nights, we had to stay 5 nights. Tonight, we’d be getting a night bus to Hue.
The receptionist allowed us to leave our luggage in the reception area. This was appreciated as some places charge for keeping luggage. Mat and I set out for some breakfast/lunch. We went back to Olivia’s because we’d been before and it had a large menu, and it was delicious. Our breakfast was very nice again, and at these prices, no one could complain! After we’d eaten, we decided to plan the next stages of our journey in Vietnam. We were looking at destinations, sightseeing opportunities, accommodation, transport, and more! A lot of time goes into all of this planning.
Hanging about
Due to the scuba diving and busy days, we’d not been writing in our journals consistently. We made sure to use this downtime to catch up. After China, I’d been under the impression that train is best for travelling Asia. However, aside from China, it seemed the rest of Asia’s rail network left a lot to be desired. Having booked the night bus to Hue, it seemed that the cheapest and most direct routes would be buses.
We were in the restaurant for over 4 hours! As we’d been there so long, we even ordered pizza for dinner, as well as a milkshake. This place really was a gem. If you’re ever in the area, check out Olivia’s Restaurant. Eventually, we vacated the restaurant and headed to a shop to pick up some supplies for the night bus to Hue. The journey was estimated at 12 hours; this was the longest bus journey I’d ever taken. Once we were back at the hostel, we began our wait for the bus.
I still remember my first transport journey, what an experience! Check it out here to see what happened.
Is it here yet?
The ticket we had said the bus should be here at 6:15pm. However, that time came and went. We had zero confidence in this receptionist, it was the weird guy from our first day. Mat was getting slightly frustrated, understandably, and kept asking where the bus was. I too was getting slightly anxious as the minutes went by. It wasn’t until gone 7pm that a small bus pulled up and we boarded. There weren’t too many people on it, and it was quite well air conditioned. The chairs were upright, but it might not be too difficult to get some sleep on here.
After 15 minutes of driving, we arrived at the bus pickup area. It turns out that our bus was merely a pickup bus that transported us to the real night bus to Hue. We went into the bus terminal to exchange our receipt for a ‘proper’ ticket. When I say terminal, I mean a glorified bus stop with a few desks. At this terminal, there were loads of other backpackers already. They must have all been Western, and a large amount were British. It was honestly strange to hear other Brits as I’d not really spoken to any since the UK.
The night bus to Hue arrived. It was quite a large bus, with lots of funky lights. I thought it was some Ibiza part bus or something. Everyone was allocated a seat. The seats were more in the style of sun loungers. They weren’t completely flat, but not upright either. There was slightly too little leg room for me, so I had to bend my knees. On the whole, it was comfier than I expected and I was hoping I’d be able to get some kip!
Tip!
Whenever you receive a receipt or slip of paper for ANYTHING, such as transport, tour, accommodation, guard it with your life. You never know if they’re going to ask for it, for confirmation. Sometimes with transport, you’ll have change over transport (e.g. 2 buses), and they’ll require the first ticket/receipt before they’ll allow you onto their bus. It’s also good for nostalgia, scrapbook, or journal entry purposes.
