June 5, 2024
Back in Belfast
Today I got the news around 10:30 am in Cork, that I am scheduled to fly to Grand Canary, Spain at 3pm tomorrow and I can access my baggage on the ship, at noon before heading to the airport. I quickly packed up all my stuff at Edel's and had a quick goodbye, for now, because we are determined to meet up again soon, somewhere warm, so she can have a proper ship experience!
It then took me about 5 hours, to drive back to Belfast in my sporty Kia Rio rental; did I mention I got a standard transmission to make things more of a challenge and exciting! I haven't driven stick in roughly 30 years & add on the opposite side of the road driving! Party!! Poor Edel did a couple of body jerks while riding shotgun and not in control, over our week of touring.
I am staying at a different hotel downtown this time in Belfast and the picture above, the Protestant headquarters, is right outside my window. I am also just 2 hotels down from the famous Europa hotel, the most bombed hotel in the world! Good Karma right!
Late tonight I found out that our itinerary, once we set sail on the 15th, is also changed for first couple of days but it means I am going to miss hooking up with my dear friend Tom Powl in Hamburg, Germany. I talked to him tonight and sent new itinerary below and he is going to see if perhaps we could meet up at another point. I hope so, really would love to see him!
I had dubbed this the Fun Tour of Vietnam! We could have gone to all the historic war memorials and museums, and I totally respect and am grateful to All those who gave so much. I just didn't want that, to be my only insight into Vietnam and it's lovely people. In the morning, we again explored more of the village and our room stay included a huge buffet breakfast. We checked out by 10:30 am and took the cable car back down by 11 am to meet our driver and head to our next stop.
Ba Na Hills was so special, I took so many photo's! Here's more from the Golden Bridge or Cau Vang. One of the perks of staying at the Resort is that the last cable rides down for day visitors is 6pm and the first cable rides don't start back up till 7 am. So hotel guest get to explore the park without tons of guest. We could have gotten up at 6am to see bridge at sunrise, but directionally it's off and I took so many pictures at sunset, I didn't see the need for more!
Ba Na Hills is Bananas WoW, in the best way!! Let me try and explain. There is n o way you imaging a place like this, when you think about travel to Vietnam! A resort atop a Mountain, high in the clouds/fog, far above the city limits of Da Nang . Accessible only by cable cars, on stretches so long, it's in the Guinness World Records . Built to look like a French Medieval Village complete with Versailles style fountains and the Louvre pyramid and a Golden Bridge suspended by Giant Hands hanging off the side and carved Mount Rushmore like sculptures into the supporting rock faces. It's an Instagram wonder!