Da Nang, Vietnam

On 22 November Douglas and I left for Da Nang, Vietnam. It was an hour and ten minute flight, non-stop. We arrived around 10:30 am. Da Nang is located on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. Unlike Hanoi, its air is fresh, the sky is clear, and the streets are not overly crowded. We flew into Da Nang International Airport which was of a decent size and impressively clean. During the Vietnam War, the airport was known as Da Nang Air Base. It was a major United States military base. It was a bit surreal to know we were at such a place.

We caught a taxi to our hotel. The taxis in Da Nang are slightly more expensive than those in Hanoi, but still much cheaper than most in the United States. Our twenty minute ride was just around $10. As always, we saw a few interesting sights along the way. 

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa. This five-star resort was fabulous in every way. While checking in at the front desk, staff members brought out glasses of ice-cold ginger lemon tea. I had something similar in Hanoi, but this one tasted like nothing I’d had before. It was so refreshing. It was so good, in fact, that we asked the staff for two more glasses during our checkout. 

This bridge pictured, called Dragon Bridge, has been open to traffic for only eight months!

This is the back of the bridge. The head is a half mile or so down the other end. It can breathe fire and shoot water!

I can see falling asleep while riding in the car...but on the back of a motorbike? Now that is what you call tired!

We assume the thigh highs were on to protect her skin from the sun. Many of the locals cover their skin, regardless of the heat, to avoid getting darker. Wearing sunscreen is as far as I will go for protection!

Bikes parked on the sidewalk are very common. Some people even drive on the sidewalk in Hanoi.

Ginger lemon tea...yum!

The hotel sits directly on Nuoc Non Beach. We had a beautiful ocean view room that came with a balcony furnished with a table, chairs, and a cozy round sofa chair. The room was fairly large with a walk-in closet for our luggage. Personally, I feel the best part of the room was the king-sized bed that was superbly comfortable.

Smartest idea ever...all hotels should incorporate a walk-in closet in the room.

As nice as this setup was, I did not lay outside. I have never enjoyed laying out in the sun.

Within an hour of our arrival, I changed into my swimsuit and Douglas changed into his golf clothes. He scheduled a round of golf at Montgomerie Links Golf Course up the road and I planned to lounge and play in the pool while he was gone. At first I volunteered to go since I know Douglas enjoys teaching me to play golf and seeing me watch him. But shortly after I was informed that there were no golf carts and we would have to walk the entire 18 holes. That was all I needed to hear to quickly let him know that I was out!

Just returned from golf...apparently he didn't do well, but had a blast regardless.

I did laps through the entire pool...so much fun. I love swimming!

This area of the resort was nice for relaxing since it was shaded by the trees.

While Douglas was golfing I stopped by the spa to try and set up an appointment. We have never done a couples massage and I thought it would be a nice treat and perfect time to do it. I asked the woman working at the front desk about packages we could do as a couple. There was a special promotion that weekend which included a body wrap, scrub, facial, massage and bath in a private villa for four hours. The cost was $245. Although that is a lot of money, I knew it was a great deal for two people to receive those treatments over four hours. I scheduled our appointment for the next day and began to give the woman our room information. Then she said, “Okay, that will be $245 per person.” Clearly I misunderstood something during our transaction. As great as that price was, there was no way I was going to put out nearly $500 towards spa treatments. That was more than both our plane tickets and a one night stay at the resort! I thought to myself, no thank you kind lady, we will just scrub and massage one another in this beautiful hotel room we are already paying for. Thanks though.

The resort has three restaurants; Pool House, Beach House, and Green House. Each served wonderful dishes that were reasonably priced. My favorite meal was a toss-up between the seafood spring rolls with fish sauce I had at Pool House for lunch and the roasted chicken breast I had at Beach House for dinner. The spring rolls were so good, I ordered them two more times before we checked-out. And that roasted chicken had to be the most flavorful and juiciest pieces of chicken breast I have ever eaten.

Pool House Restaurant

View from our table at the restaurant

Douglas' lunch

My lunch

Seafood spring rolls with fish sauce....best spring rolls and fish sauce I've ever eaten!

Beach House Restaurant

Nearly every Vietnamese soup dish I have eaten thus far has been delicious. I love Vietnamese food!

Roasted chicken served on a bed of rock salt to keep the food warm. I thought it was rice and immediately wondered who was eating all those carbs!

Douglas got caramelized pork

Across from the resort are the historic Marble Mountains. From my research I learned the mountains are a cluster of five marble and limestone hills. The five hills / mountains are named after the five elements: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. As we drove along Truong Sa Street, where our resort was located, there were several stores selling stone sculptures and crafts. The sculptures are enormous and weigh tons. We did not have enough time this trip to make it to the mountains, but that will certainly be our first stop during our next visit. 

Marble Mountains

Marble sculptures

The following is a true story:  One thing Da Nang has very few of are African Americans. Douglas and I are very accustomed to people gawking at us while roaming the streets in Hanoi, but people here were a little more excited to see us. While eating breakfast at a cozy round table outside overlooking the water, a few Asian ladies approached. Without as much as a Hello, one of the ladies slid herself into our booth and scooted my way as she put her arms around me for her friends to take a picture. I would like to say these ladies were very young, but they were probably closer to 50. Needless to say, completely inappropriate no matter how much of an once-in-a-lifetime sighting this may be. At first I kindly dismissed the ladies because we were eating. After we finished eating I called the ladies over and stood up so they could take a picture with us. Actions like theirs can be very frustrating, but I tried to put myself in their shoes and feel the excitement of seeing something or someone I’ve probably never seen before, no matter how rude I thought it was. I guess this is a tiny taste of what celebrities must feel like!

Green House Restaurant

Best part of the buffet

Lychee - tropical fruit

Passion Fruit - very sour!

My favorite beverage now is passion juice.

After breakfast Douglas and I took a stroll on the beach to breathe in our last bit of fresh air before leaving the city. We stayed on the beach until the very last minute before our check-out time. It was absolutely beautiful out there. This part of the trip was incredibly relaxing. We were pampered the entire time and enjoyed every minute of our stay. There is no doubt that if we should make it back to Da Nang in the future, The Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa is where we will stay.

The next stop was Da Nang Train Station. We were headed to the city of Hue. What a memorable trip it would turn out to be...

238th Marine Corps Birthday Ball

10 November is a mighty day. It is the Marine Corps Birthday. For every Marine and Marine spouse the Birthday Ball is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. It is the year's highlight for Department of State employees overseas as well. To many it can appear to encompass a woman getting fancy in a gorgeous gown, eye-catching shoes, a beautiful hairstyle, sparkling nails, flawless make-up, and shining accessories to compliment the look. While that is what it may take for a woman to prep herself for the event, too often people forget the purpose behind the event. It is not just wardrobe and dancing. Though not everyone thinks this way regarding the Ball, living overseas has shown me that many people do.

The Marine Corps Birthday Ball is a time to celebrate the birthday of the Corps and all the service members who stood on the yellow footprints to pledge their lives for a greater good. One of the most tear-jerking moments during the ball is the showing of the Commandant’s message. I can see and feel the ultimate sacrifice that comes behind wearing the title "Marine." I also think about the families who additionally make sacrifices every day to support their Marine. It is a formal ceremony to acknowledge and celebrate informal events. There is no red carpet, dress blues, or pretty dresses worn when Marines fight to defend our freedom. There are no content smiles across their faces, only stern looks with eyes forward, focused on the assigned mission.

When (or unfortunately, if) that Marine makes it back home safely to the arms of those who love them, November 10^th approaches and we acknowledge their commitment, their growth, their sacrifice, and their honor to their country and the Corps. On and around 10 November, Marines everywhere celebrate this day and the continuance of the Corps.

In the fleet, Douglas never took part in the planning process of the birthday ball. He did, however, take part in the musical portion of the event. He and his fellow band members played at every ball held for the various units on their base. Sometimes there were even members of the band, including Douglas in 2011, who could not attend their own birthday ball because they were scheduled to play at someone else’s.

Marine Security Guard (MSG) duty has shown both of us a different side of the birthday ball experience. Overseas, the Detachment Commander is responsible for planning, organizing, and executing the entire ball with the help of the Marines in his detachment. In Hanoi, Douglas has five Marines. That is a small  percentage of the actual number of Marines most units in the fleet have to help orchestrate their balls. Hosting such an event is no easy feat. This is now Douglas’ second time in charge of the ball. The first was in Algiers. Last year’s ball was good, but this year’s ball was absolutely flawless! It was a perfect example of growth in a specific area. From the outside looking in, I could see the changes and feel his confidence increase. I felt so proud to be in that ballroom, look around, and know that my husband and his Marines put it together. They recruited such wonderful people to be a part of the event and help make the night spectacular. It was a job well done!

At every birthday ball there is a Guest of Honor and a Guest Speaker. At this birthday ball, the Guest of Honor was Ambassador David B. Shear, Chief of Mission in Vietnam, and the Guest Speaker was Brigadier General Richard L. Simcock, Deputy Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific. These guests typically sit at the head table along with the host of the event. In the fleet that is usually the Commanding Officer and Sergeant Major of the unit, along with any other Marines in that command. Here it was the Detachment Commander, Douglas, and the Assistant Detachment Commander, as well as their dates. Going from sitting at a table with your fellow peers to men and women of such elite status can be a little intimidating. I would be lying if I said I was not nervous. I was completely nervous! Leading up to the event I pondered questions such as: What would I talk about? Will the conversation be over my head and out of my league? Is this going to be the most uncomfortable night ever? Or, will I be sitting next to either one of the special guests? I sure hoped not! If the answer to all my questions were yes, the last place I wanted to find myself was next to either individual. Awkward! For some reason I did not think to ask my husband who we were seated next to. I should have! After all, he is the one who created the seating chart. I could have simply shared my request to sit across the table.

On the night of the ball, I spent some time mingling with guests during the cocktail hour. Once the doors opened to the ball room everyone flowed in to find their tables. I spotted mine in the front of the room, table number two. I circled around the table to locate my name tag. My throat practically dropped to my stomach when I saw my seat was directly next to Brigadier General Simcock to my left, Douglas on my right, and directly next to him was Ambassador Shear. Just the sandwich I did not want! Be careful what you don’t wish for because it is usually the very thing you will get! None of the men were at the table because they were all a part of the formal  ceremony. I decided I would stick to being myself and not pretend to be someone I wish I was instead.

Once the ceremonial portion of the evening ended, all the Marines and the Ambassador took their seats. The next hour and a half seemed like a blur. It went by so quickly because I had such an amazing time! I felt comfortable being around both the Ambassador and the General. Since the General was seated directly next to me I spoke with him more. In just that short time I learned a lot from him and was extremely moved by his speech. To be at such a lofty status in the Corps, you don’t always expect leaders at such levels to be approachable. But the General was just that. Many moments I simply felt like I was speaking to an ordinary individual who happened to be great at his job, rather than a Brigadier General whose presence in a room automatically commands everyone else to stand if they are seated. I realized at the end of the night I had nothing to worry about. That sandwich I was seated in worked out pretty well. (My biggest reason for sharing this story about sitting at such an elite table is to bring comfort to those future MSG spouses who may find themselves in the same situation, feeling similar to me. Exposure like this only makes us better individuals, more equipped to mingle amongst senior leaders. Sometimes it is good to break out the circle of our own peers.) 

After dinner Douglas and I made our rounds to various tables, greeting guests and thanking them for coming to the ball. Again, that is not something we did at the birthday balls in the fleet. But it felt like the right thing to do since Douglas was the host. I placed it upon myself to join him since I see it as a voluntary duty that comes along with being the wife of a Detachment Commander. It helps that I have also learned quite a few things from watching seasoned spouses on Parris Island in such positions. Janice, Kim, and Roxanne, I thank you for unknowingly teaching me by example. That part of the evening certainly did not feel like a task. I very much enjoyed it. I cannot say the same for my feet, but they too survived! We finally made it to the dance floor around 10:30pm, which is where we remained until the DJ played the last song.

I feel very blessed to play a role among such an elite force of men and women. For every man and woman who has earned the title United States Marine, I say to you, Happy 238^th Birthday!

Another ball down, one more to go! We are certainly going to miss the MSG program when it comes to an end. 

March on of the Official Party - SSgt Hardee, BGen Simcock, Ambassador Shear

Presentation of the Guest of Honor's gift

BGen Simcock also received a hand painting

The traditional cutting of the birthday cake

The first slice of cake is given to the Guest of Honor and the second slice is given to the oldest Marine present who passes it to the youngest Marine present.

The Fallen Comrades table; shown in honor and memory of Marines who are no longer with us

The Color Guard detail presented the colors (American flag and Marine Corps flag)

Presentation of Colors and The National Anthem

The Official Party departs the ballroom, ending the formal ceremony

The Guest of Honor, Guest Speaker, and Marines of Detachment Hanoi

Every Marine who attended the Ball, including former Marines