As always, there are plenty of experiences we could blog about today, but there's really only one thing we should be taking about: our great train adventure!
18.00 (train leaves at 19.00): We arrived at the station in plenty of time, not really knowing what to expect but yet confident we'd be able to figure it out. We're now sat on the train, drinking beer and eating hotdogs, waiting for our departure in 30 minutes.
As you'll see, our 'soft sleeper' cabin is more akin to a prison cell than a hotel room, but we wanted adventure...
We'll be sharing our cell, sorry, cabin with two others. Most people on this part of the train are European...with a few loud French people among them. We await to find out the identities of our travel buddies...
18.40: OK, so we welcome to our four-berth cabin a family of four. If you're any good at maths, you'll realise that 2 + 4 = a cosy ride to Danang! Still, the two young 'uns - Be and An - seem like lovely kids. Be is a cheeky, fun lad around six, while An is about two and currently very shy. Nice family, so we're not too worried about the next 11 hours. I wonder if they know how to play s***head?
18.58: No, they don't. Still, it was worth a go.
19.00: And we're off! Toot, toot!
21.53: Almost three hours have already gone. Time flies when you're on an adventure! All is quiet in here. We've dulled the lights enough for the kids (and parents!) to sleep while me and Lynz read with our sidelights on. I'm on the top bunk, Lynsey below, in case you're interested. Very comfy, clean and actually relaxing in here - unlike the cabin next to us, which contains a friendly Dutch family and plenty of cockroaches, apparently. Sweet dreams...
05.14: The sun is rising and Lynsey has managed to capture it beautifully in a photo. It may be early, but we've actually slept well so far. That's surprising given the ride has been a touch rough in parts. I imagine this is what off-roading in a train feels like.
8.21: We're approaching Hue, the seaside resort a little north of Hoi An, our final destination today. Folks are readying to leave the train after a mere 13.5 hours. Lightweights; we've still got another couple of hours of fun left.
9.55: Wow! Now that is some stunning scenery!! The train is currently snaking up through the mountains. We can see the Hai Van Pass above us, and to the left and increasingly below us is the beautiful ocean. Incredible!
10.54: And here we are!! 14 hours on a train and we're remarkably fresh. Really pleased we did the journey and we'd both do it again. The family we shared with were great...sad to say goodbye! And best of all, Lynsey had one of her wishes granted: a driver was waiting for us outside the station holding a board with her name on it. Fame at last! Right, on to Hoi An...