Touring Here and There: Day 50 - Vinh to Ha Tinh to Thieh Cam Beach (October 16)

It sometimes rains in Vietnam.

It rained for the entire day. I guess I will have to get used to rain. It looks like it might rain just about everyday here in Vietnam. It seems like a curse now, but in a few days, I will actually find that rain is good. Even though it causes the road grit to stick to my bike frame and to cover my legs, it also cools me off. I am not well adjusted to this tropical climate - even when the rain makes the temperatures "cool" by Vietnamese standards, it is still hot for me.

We continue to see the affects of the typhoon that had passed through the previous week. The typhoon ended up being good for us because the beach was relatively empty. It is also the "low season", so there are less people around and staying at the hotels. This means we can get good deals. Like hotels for a third of the "normal" price.

The typhoon has had a significant affect on our trip. While we didn't suffer the direct force of the typhoon, we are now seeing what a large storm can do a country. All the tourist information that I've seen shows smiling happy (Vietnamese) tourists on the beaches of Thieh Cam. But we are experiencing empty beach towns. No tourists. No smiles. Little sun. I hope we eventually see a vibrant beach town, say Nha Trang?

There is a calm and peaceful pagoda on the hill on the north end of the beach. On the other side of the hill is an empty beach. I wouldn't mind spending a few more days here even though it is grey and rainy.

Steps leading to the Pagoda Showing Typhoon Damage.

Typhoon Damage at Thieh Cam Beach.

North Beach: Empty.

Fishing Boats on North Beach.

Because the beach was so empty, there were few options for food. Deep fried omlettes and rice were the options for me. Of course, we were near the beach, so there were a lot of seafood options, but I don't eat seafood. We shared our meal with some soldiers from nearby army barracks.

Reception Desk at Our Hotel.