Day 5: night train

We thought we had booked the private tourist "Livitrain," a car that hooks onto the Vietnamese Railway Train. Even though more expensive than flying, it seemed like a good way to see the scenery during the daylight portion.

Our hotel, which kindly booked the train for us, clearly misunderstood our request, and put us on the Vietnamese Railays "soft bed" train -- probably luxe by Vietnamese standards but a little scary for us greenhorns.

We had a four-person berth. We shared the entire trip with a lovely Vietnamese woman in her twenties who acted as our translator and guardian angel. 

She made certain our berth was locked against marauding freeloaders and vendors (we think, who knows really) and possibly thieves. Through the night, various people got on and off the one empty berth in our coach. 

The bathrooms were dirty and fundamental and ran out of toilet paper early in the evening. 

In the morning, a vendor came around with bags of hard-boiled eggs...fertiilized duck eggs and chicken eggs. I chose the duck egg (photo below) but was not able to finish when I bit on a hard piece...what was it?

I was, though, able to rest from the lingering effects of the stomache virus...12 hours prone is exactly what the doctor ordered. 

The scenary between Hue and Danang was remarkable. Many miles of unfettered coastline below us...the land smothered in kudzu vines above it. 

It was not the worst travel experience of my life, for certain, although at triple the price of an airplane, not to be repeated.

We got a car beteen Danange and Hoi An.. Hoi An, a little gem.