I planned to record today’s walk while I was walking.
So I can’t say anything in advance. At most, I could tell you about my plans.
The facts will definitely be different.
Go for a motorbike
We talked with my roommate until 2. I planned to sleep for 4 hours before the long day of walking.
This was the first plan that didn’t work out. I have a harder time falling asleep the days before hikes. I slowly have to admit to myself that I always look forward to these days with excitement.
I fell asleep half an hour later and woke up half an hour before the alarm clock sounded. So after a warm shower I was on the street at 6 am.
I called a motorbike taxi. I was going to an island. It’s a 30-40 minute ride. I think drivers don’t like this kind of ride. The first one canceled the ride. The second one said he had a flat tire. The third one took me. You could even say that the second plan didn’t turn out as I had imagined.
I had already noticed yesterday that the wind was blowing really hard in some places in the city. Really. Now I could feel it on my own skin. A couple of times I seriously felt that the driver was working hard to keep us from tipping over.
We slowly left the city. I saw the areas where the sea surrounded the houses. The view was beautiful in the morning light. The sea, roads, houses and boats were a cavalcade before my eyes.
As we approached our destination, the sand dunes became more and more numerous. This is a different kind of experience. I remembered that I had read an interesting article about deserts last week. Now I felt like I was traveling in one.
Then I smelled the incomparable smell of the sea. At that moment, I didn’t close my eyes because of the sand. I took big sips of air.
The wind and sand together are an interesting experience. I could feel the sand gnawing at my feet a few times. I had to close my eyes a few times. According to the dream book, it is not a good experience to look around during a piercing sandstorm. Of course, there was no mention of a sandstorm, but still…
A coffee and off we go!
I arrived at the starting point. I sat down at the first convenience store. Or rather, they sat me down. I love that I didn’t have to say anything. “Coffee?” was the question. “Sit down!” I didn’t even have to choose a chair.
I got my coffee, which I also didn’t have to choose. And it turned out exactly the way I had planned.
Having finished writing the first part and having my coffee, there’s nothing left to do but to set off on my hike today.
Eo Gió
Eo Gió (Vietnamese: Eo Gió Quy Nhơn) is a spectacular coastal rocky bay and viewpoint.
Its name roughly means “wind strait” / “windy passage” (eo = strait, narrow passage; gió = wind). The place is a horseshoe-shaped, rocky bay where the sea breeze blows between the mountainside.
Yes. Here the wind really blew. When I set off, I had to change my hat for a scarf because the wind almost tore it off my head.
The paved road is not very long. So I spent more time on the huge rocks of the coast than on the official road.
Sea and rocks. Everything is huge around me. The silence… Well, I wouldn’t say it’s quiet. The wind is loud. And I listen to music anyway. But there’s silence in my soul.
On the way out, I noticed a hidden path. It led uphill. These small paths always hold an invitation for me.
So now I’m sitting here on top of a huge hill. I’m enjoying the 360-degree panorama. Or rather, I’m staring at an endless world in all directions.
Behind me is a model of a city. To the left is a harbor crowded with fishing boats. And in front of me is the endless blue. From the bottom of the sea to the top of the sky, everything is blue.
This place is really windy. I could watch this for hours.
But I want to go. You know, the plans… I want to walk a lot today.
Nhơn Lý fishing village
I walked to the nearby village.
My journey took me past a market, where I had breakfast. I ate some kind of pancake-like dish with fried vegetables. And a bunch of green leaves on the side. I really like that this much food is more than enough for breakfast these days. Here, two pancakes are the size of one in Europe. They give water for free in every restaurant. I feel like this breakfast was healthy. It cost 10,000 VND (125 HUF, 0.4 USD). Oh, and it was very tasty, by the way.
I went down to the beach that I had seen from the height. I felt the sea up close and enjoyed it. I watched the boats. And the wind blowing the sand. I felt its tickling on my skin everywhere.
I sat down to write a few lines and then I moved on.
It’s not even nine o’clock yet, but my stomach is full. And my eyes have already “ate” a lot.
Ky Co Beach
About 6 kilometers separated me from this supposedly beautiful place.
The road soon turned towards a steep and high hill.
Of course, a man on a motorbike immediately appeared. He asked if he could take me. I said no. His eyes were flashing. The question was written in it, “Are you stupid or a scumbag?”
I looked up the hill. My phone showed that it was 32 degrees. 37 degrees with a feeling of heat and 64% humidity. I agreed a little with the man on the motorbike.
But I wouldn’t give anything to be able to walk now.
No plan. But I know what awaits me.
A lizard running across the road, lifting its legs. A swallow struggling next to my head in the foreground. The carpet and smell of fallen pine needles. The back of the huge Buddha statue waving towards the sea. A small cemetery hidden among the sand dunes.
These are never visible from the back of the motorbike.
Not to mention that I shouldn’t be wiping my forehead on the motorbike. Before I knew it, so much sand had mixed with my sweat that I started planning to build my own private sandcastle.
Walking teaches me every time. It shows me, written in sweat, that every hill has a top. From there, the road takes you down to the next hill.
I only stopped for a few minutes because I didn’t want to lose these thoughts.
The road takes me on. No matter where I wander.
In an hour and a half, I reached the entrance to the beach.
At the ticket office, it turned out that I not only had to buy an entrance ticket, but also pay for a minibus to take me to the beach, which was about 1 km away.
I said that I wanted to go down on foot. I couldn’t walk because it was private land. I heard this as meaning that I couldn’t walk because then I wouldn’t pay for the bus.
The plan went awry again. I looked at the pictures of the beach and decided that it wasn’t worth it for me. I’ll skip that today.
I thought of a workaround. What if I buy an entrance ticket and a bus ticket, then find out if it’s possible to walk in the private area afterwards.
But the ticket guy was so grumpy that I’d skip that suggestion too.
I pulled the match out of him anyway. I sat down for two minutes to consider the information I received. Then I bought myself a private Pepsi and a water. I asked him for this, but he ordered a woman to give me the drinks from the fridge 1 meter away.
Unfortunately, today I walked into a private soul. That wasn’t part of the plan either.
I quickly made myself a small bench out of a log. I drink the cold drinks with my back against a rock.
Then I walk back to where I came from, as planned. In the meantime, I look at the beautiful landscape.
I drank everything in half an hour. I move on. Now there are 18 km to go. For some reason, the look on the motorcyclist’s face came back to mind.
On the road
I did 10 km without stopping. I completely agree with the biker.
On the other hand, I continue my journey. I just found a shop by the road. I bought 1 liter of water and was even given ice. The saleswoman left me with a stick. I’ll take a little more care of the goods, but then I’ll move on.
It feels like 40 degrees. I’m walking next to a multi-lane highway. Surprisingly, there’s a two-car-wide sidewalk next to it. So I’m driving safely.
I wanted to see sand dunes. Well, this plan worked! I’ve felt like I’m in the desert for 7 km. I came here in the morning. Now the story is different in that there’s no wind. So I just enjoy the heat.
There’s a popular lighter here in Vietnam. I’ve seen it several times. It has a transparent housing and two small dice inside. Honestly, I really like these little cubes.
Once I found a lighter like this. I broke it. I had two small cubes. Later I found one. It became four. After that I wanted to find a third one. So now I have 6 small cubes.
And I still have 8 km to go. Maybe there will be more.
In the meantime, the saleswoman came back. She asked where I was going without a car. I showed her. At least she didn’t show what she thought.
Well, I’ll continue. My journey. The road covered with withered plants and dry cow dung is now slowly covered with broken lighters. At least today I left a little trace behind me.
Hòn Khô
I have arrived.
Results:
- The biker was absolutely right.
- 18 km.
- Total distance for the day 26.4 km.
- I arrived at 15:20.
- Two crispy fried legs.
- 14 dice.
The dices come with a story.
I found a total of 11 lighters, so I should have 22 cubes. However, not all of the tools were empty. I opened these using the scientific method of “throwing a stone at it”. So 5 cubes simply turned into mist after a big bang.
I found a factory defective piece, which only had one cube in it. And unfortunately, in one case, the grave robbers got ahead of me. Someone was so depraved that they broke a lighter in front of me.
Today I also improved in using tools. I already caused the last explosions in an empty plastic bottle.
Finally, I found a small transparent box, so now it contains my cubes that were not even in the plan this morning. All 14 of them.
During the last six kilometers, the sweat was only willing to flow into my eyes. I would have missed this experience.
The last two kilometers had already tipped over into the deadly category.
I’m not saying that it wasn’t a great experience to sit down.
This small town is on the seashore. I’m going to go for a walk in it right now. And smell the sea. Since I’ve come this far.
Then I’ll order a motorbike. I hope the first one will take me home…
After arriving, I had to hydrate. That is, I drank a liter of tea in 3 minutes. Then, while drinking the 3rd bottle, I ordered lunch. There was time for that too.
My system recovered in an hour. Time for that little walk.
Towards the end of the walk, I wondered why I hadn’t gotten sick during a walk without shade for several hours in 40-degree heat.
I realized it.
I didn’t have time to get sick.
I looked for lighters.
Buy me a coffee?
If you enjoyed this story, you can buy me a coffee. You don’t have to – but it means a lot and I always turn it into a new adventure.
Buy a coffee for Steve
Linktree
Short introduction