Today I enjoyed another relatively relaxed day in Da Nang. The main event was a surf lesson. Around 3 PM, I joined a young Dutch woman for a two-hour lesson at the beach. The instructional portion of the course lasted about 10 minutes, during which we learned how to paddle correctly and how to pop up into our desired skateboarding / snowboarding stance.
We then tested these instructions on the slower, rolling waves closer to the shore. Remarkably, I managed to stand up on my first attempt thanks to the instructor holding the board in place. Afterwards, we were encouraged to catch our own waves. Over the course of the two hours, I probably had four or five good rides. I also had some body boarding saves and nasty wipeouts, especially when catching larger waves and having the nose dip down causing me to do a front somersault. Getting out beyond the crashing waves with our giant beginner boards proved to be the most difficult and exhausting. I'm definitely going to feel it tomorrow morning. I'm no spring chicken anymore.
On my way back to the hotel, a couple of Vietnamese teenagers stopped me for an interview. I complied and answered their two questions: one about my name and the other about what I enjoy in Da Nang. I told them I liked the weather, the beach, and the relaxed atmosphere. If I were to add anything, it would be the decent American food and the city's walkability. While I'm not sure if I'm experiencing the authentic Da Nang, I'm enjoying it immensely. Tentatively, I would say this is the place I would choose to stay if I were to pick a Southeast Asian city and become a digital nomad.
As for today's meals, there isn't much to report. Lunch was a banh mi accompanied by some Texas Tenderloin Steak Lays chips, and dinner was a Tex-Mex pork burrito.
The burrito wasn't the worst I've had; I'd rank it as mid / C-tier. Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to some rest and a visit to the Marble Mountains.