Days 4&5: Revolution of Mushroom, and a tour of Da Nang, Vietnam!

Day 4: Revolution of Mushroom

Rogelio, whom you met last episode, recommended I try Revolution of Mushroom, so that’s where I went on Day 4 in Vietnam!

Once there, I met computer programmer/coder, Vuong. who was nice enough to share a recommendation to try his favorite meal and translate a few requests to the wait staff.

Vuong eats coconut rice, served in a coconut, at Revolution of Mushroom

We talked for a bit, and Vuong shared his travel suggestions (Hue City) and his insights into life in Hue City vs life in Hoi An (a city that’s on my list for Vietnam). I can’t wait to check them out and compare!

Vuong and me outside ROM!

Next, I had a chance to meet a great, nomad, vegan couple–Alya from Russia and Chris from Australia–and we had a really, really great conversation, connecting on quite a few life philosophies, perspectives, opinions, quests and world views! They shared a top secret “passionpreneur” project they’re working on manifesting, and (hint, hint), I expect a certain Jamaican in China will be granted an advanced interview when it’s ready to launch!

Coming soon: Chris and Alya featured in “Say Hello to My Little Friends” video…I promise!
New friends, Chris and Alya, outside Revolution of Mushroom, Da Nang, Vietnam

 

Day 5: Free Day Tour of Da Nang!

If I recall correctly, it was a couchsurfing.org “Things to do in Da Nang” post led me to sign up for a free tour of Da Nang Free Tour–Hometown

[From their Facebook page:] “Hometown – Da Nang Free Tour is an organization established on October 10th, 2015 with the aim of connecting tourists and local people in the city of Da Nang. …tourists will have the opportunity to talk with the locals and learn more about geography and the history of our country. …Almost all tour guides are students studying in different universities in Da Nang. We are friendly, sociable, open-minded, enthusiastic, and willing to learn;  You will have to pay for your food, drinks, and entrance tickets to our various locations.  Local citizens will have more realistic opportunities to practice their English speaking abilities with foreigners….we can further our knowledge of several different unique cultures and get to know people from all over the world. Last but not least, we can contribute a small part to the development of Vietnam’s tourism industry by promoting the image of the country and the city to international tourists.”

My student tour guide was a second-year tourism industry major at the University of Foreign Language Studes, named Nhật Minh. Nhật picked me up at the hostel at 9:00am, outfitted me with my helmet, and off we went! It would be my first time on a motorbike in Vietnam….cool, cool, cool!

 

Nhật Minh and me, ready to ride! “Ace Ninety Skank” style, for yaardies who know!
Videos to come!

We saw lakes…

Green lake, a favorite photo spot for wedding photos
A local couple get prepared for their photo

…saw some great vistas…

A view from our mountain bike ride

….visited Buddhas and pagodas…

Nhật took some great photos for me….

Remind you of anything? See https://www.jamaicaninchina.com/jicpreview.html

…and we met some sweet and beautiful people…

 

Myanh used to work for a Japanese bank in a stuffy, office building. Now, at the pagoda, she greets guests from all over the world. I asked which she prefers. I’ll let you guess!

…and that was all well and good, but I believe that we–you and I–as enlightened and evolving spiritual beings must each clearly identify what our priorities are in life, and honor them to the best of our ability. So, as I mentioned to Nhật: given my unique set of priorities, the latest, and clearly most important addition to my itinerary for the day in Da Nang would be to stop someplace appropriate…

Nhật. I’m afraid this cannot wait any longer. There’ something that’s been bothering me since we started this tour…I insist, at this point that we go somewhere…

….and buy a helmet that fits my head and a cool black face mask like his!  (No way would I post any more photos of myself with a tight helmet  falling off my head and wearing a light blue plaid mask! I have the “Jamaican Coolness Factor” to uphold, after all. JCF? Look it up!)

Ahem…THAT’S better. Now we can continue the tour!

With that accomplished, we then went to lunch, and then Nhật took me to the Fine Arts Museum

The Fine Arts Museum in Đà Nẵng officially opened at 78 Lê Duẩn Street in December 2016. The museum, the only one of its kind in the Central and Central Highlands region, has a total area of 1,100sq.m, displaying 413 donated works by artists from the city and provinces in the region. The centre comprises three spaces for displaying contemporary fine arts, sculpture and paintings, and regular exhibitions.–from Vietnamnews Read more

A fish made out of fish hooks
Sculptures at the Fine Arts Museum
Happiness, wealth or long life? Given a choice, which would you choose?

Next, I had some more errands to run…

Nhật asks for directions to the nearest copy center
Nhật explains that I want to go to a special page on my website…

….and voila! After cutting, a necessary tool for any nomadpreneur–a stack of contact cards, you know, just in case there’s anyone I want to stay in touch with…you know, for business and such…

Again…it’s all about priorities!

…then, we went to the “Big C” superstore for me to get a few items for my hostel stay. We parked on a lower level, and I was presented with a scene like no other:

Bike like sand!
Um, Nhật, just curious, how do you propose we find and correctly identify our bike once we finish shopping?

All in all, it was a great day! Just the sort of educational as well as practical, personalized tour I like! I shared some tour tips and tools with Nhật to help with future marketing of his guide services in the tourism industry, based on the part time tours I give on Saipan!

….and I’m off! See you next post!

Likkle more!

 

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