I was playing my second round in Da Nang, Vietnam. The private course is called Da Nang Golf Club. It was booked by the resort hotel I was staying so it was quite expensive. But I can’t really complain too much since I was just tagging along with my wife who had a conference in Da Nang. For the most part she was working and I was sightseeing and playing golf. Tough life.
I was paired with a local twosome. The first one, Mr. Tien, was an older gentleman who owned a telecommunications company. The second one, who was younger, in his early forties, I expected to also have a Vietnamese nasal-sounding name, was to my surprise simply Tom. A very friendly guy who constantly advised me on the various features of the course to better enjoy my game since it was my first time playing it.
But what really put me at ease right away was when Tom sliced and bombed his first tee shot into the deep rough off the fairway and asked his caddie for another ball for a provisional shot. "Could it be that these guys are also hackers like me?," I asked myself. I learned that Tom’s actually a Thai married to a local girl. He’s a civil engineer who works for Heineken Beer, went to school in Perth, Australia, and had been playing golf for over 20 years, and obviously still addicted. I’ve been playing frustrated golf for about ten years and I believe him.
He also mentioned that he and his wife own a Thai restaurant - one of only two in Da Nang and invited me and my wife to try it out as he handed me a business card. He offered tips on how to better enjoy our stay in Da Nang - touristy areas to avoid, best time to visit popular destinations, and how to get inexpensive taxi service. His tip of the day, however, was when he said he can hook me up with a club member on my next round for much cheaper green fees. I did not think twice, after I told him what day and time I wanted to play, he called his friend on his cell phone and set it up right away. What a guy!
Two days later, my wife and I decided to try out Sala Thai, Tom’s restaurant. for dinner. I called Tom early in the day and mentioned that we may be joined by a few people from my wife’s conference. He sounded delighted and informed me that he and his wife will be there to host us.
My wife managed to bring eight more. We were warmly greeted by the restaurant staff, who were expecting us, and promptly led to our reserved table. Later on Tom joined us and immediately made everyone feel at ease with his natural charm. During our first round of Singha, Thai beer of course, he helped us choose from the menu.
We were not even done with our beer and the food started coming in well-timed succession - tom yum sour soup, pad thai, grilled prawns, steamed fish, chicken in curry and coconut sauce, all spicy of course. Thai is one of my favorite cuisine but the way these dishes were prepared were truly exquisite. Tom informed our party that before they opened the restaurant he sent his wife to Thailand to learn from his uncle who owned a restaurant in Bangkok. Furthermore, his wife also convinced a popular street-food stall owner to share her pad thai secrets.
At this point, Tom’s lovely wife takes a break from the kitchen and comes over to make sure we approved of the smorgasbord of culinary delights. Needless to say, my dinner party was very satisfied. Excellent food, good company, very warm and hospitable hosts. But the night wasn’t over.
After dinner, Tom recommended we check out am expat-favorite club called Bamboo. The club was small by US standard but it was right next to the Han river with a good view of the Dragon Bridge. The metal dragon spanning the bridge changed colors at night and on certain nights, spewed fire from its mouth. Not tonight, but it was still an awesome sight. The club was packed. Minutes after we were seated at a table right on the sidewalk, Tom and his wife arrived and joined us; but not before greeting several tables like a rock star. Obviously a popular guy. We had a great time at the club. The heavy downburst did not drench our spirits and the splashy ride back to the hotel on the taxi just made the night even more memorable.
