5. The train looked like it rolled out of 1955, and I’m pretty sure that was the last time it had been cleaned.
4. The ride felt like Thunder Mountain Railroad…sounds fun, but not for 16 hours or when trying to balance over the metal hole in the bathroom.
3. The entire train car reeked of rancid, stinky feet as everyone on it removed their shoes about an hour into the journey.
2. The shady man across the aisle from my seat chain smoked with his two-thumbed hand in our non-smoking car and stared at Johnny and me for most of the trip.
…and the #1 reason we did not enjoy the overnight train from Da Nang to Ninh Binh…
1. Cockroaches! The fearless little pests crawled on the walls, the backs of the seats and even on to us a few times.
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The train from Ninh Binh to Hanoi wasn’t much better, but at least it was only a couple of hours. This time, the only seats available were the top bunks in a four-person sleeper, and the woman beneath Johnny’s bunk hacked up a lung the entire trip. The best part was that she would hock up her loogies into a plastic tupperware sitting on her lap. She had quite a collection going by the time we got to Hanoi. Oh…the joys of travel!
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Ciao for Now 