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John: Let’s go to Bana Hills today.
Mary: What is Bana Hills and where is it?
John: Bà Nà (Bana) Hills is a theme park located 36km from Danang and 60km from Hoi An.
Mary: With a name like that, it must be in the hills.
John: It is in the mountains, at 1500 meters above sea level.
Mary: How do you get there?
John: From Danang or Hoi An, you can get to Bana Hills by taxi, by booking a group tour, or renting a motor bike.
Mary: Can we drive all the way to the top?
John: No, only to the cable car station’s parking lot. From there a shuttle bus will take you to the entrance. The park is accessible only by cable cars; they have four of them, including the world’s longest.
Mary: What are the attractions?
John: At the park, you can explore a French chateau with a wine cellar and a garden, a French village with gothic-style architecture, complete with a large cathedral; pagodas; a beer garden; a Fantasy Park filled with video games and roller coasters , and of course, the Golden Bridge, the new emblem of Danang.
Mary: How much does it cost?
John: The entrance fee is about $60; it includes the cable car ride, plus the access to most attractions except the Funicular, Wine Cellar, Le Jardin d’Amour, the Wax Museum and your own food and drinks.
Mary: Sounds like we can have a blast there. Let’s go.
SHUTTLE
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
VIDEO: Ba Na Hills & The Golden Bridge – Is it Worth it?- The Go to Family
(Watch from 12:25)
All right guys, so we’re heading back down. We’re back at the cable car and we’re just going down.
This is quite a fun ride, I gotta to say! It goes quite fast, and it’s a little bumpy, which makes it quite a fun ride, like a roller coaster.
All right, so final thought on Ba Na Hills. The views are unbelievable! You can just see right here. You see Danang right behind us; well far away in the distance, actually. It’s really not behind us, but very far away.
So the views, unbelievable, and also the Golden Bridge, really stunning! It’s an architectural marvel! So, you want to go check it out. You want to take some pictures there. You want to take in the views over Danang.
(Talking to his children: Wow! There we go!).
The French Village, on the other hand, it’s a little manufactured. It just lacks a bit of that authenticity. And there’s really nothing quite special in there that’s like something that would make you remember it, uh, you know, like even years after you go. So, it’s a little bit on the minus side, I gotta to say. It’s quite touristy as well, and I don’t really understand why it’s not super. It’s, like, if you’ve been to Disney, if you’ve been to Universal, you know, you will not be impressed. That’s all I’ve got to say.
However, all and all, I do recommend coming here. You’re gonna take in the beautiful views. This cable car, in my opinion, is the highlight of the whole thing, if you come here; as well as the Bridge, I gotta say. But it’s really quite fun, the views are unbelievable, and it’s just a nice getaway to see a little bit of the Vietnamese countryside as well. All right, that does it for us guys!
Manufactured: Made for tourists, not authentic (see below).
Actually: In fact, really.
Authenticity: The quality of being real.
Minus side: Negative side.
Touristy: Attracts too many tourists
Impressed: Have admiration or respect
TRAVEL IDIOMS
To Go Off The Rails :
Meaning: used to describe a person that starts to behave strangely or uncontrollably.
Use In A Sentence: I don’t know what happen to grandma. She started to go off the rails when she turned 65 years old.
At A Good Clip
Meaning: quick or at a fast pace.
Use In A Sentence: Wow we climbed that mountain at a good clip. It is only 11:30.
A Redeye Flight
Meaning: a late-night flight. Usually, one that leaves really late at night and arrives early the next morning.
Use In A Sentence: George caught a redeye flight from California to New York.
To Fly By The Seat Of One’s Pants
Meaning: to rely on your judgment to do something that you have never done before.
Use In A Sentence: Rather than sit down and think about something. Mary likes to fly by the seat of her pants and figure it out as she goes.
To Fly Under The Radar
Meaning: to do something without being noticed.
Use In A Sentence: Mark is a quiet person. He likes to fly under the radar and hope that nobody notices him.
To Be At A Crossroads
Meaning: to be at a point where a decision has to be made.
Use In A Sentence: After graduating from school, I am at a crossroads. I want to make the best decision for my future.
VOCABULARY SELF-TEST
Theme Park
An amusement park built around a theme (subject). Example: Harry Potter theme, aquatic theme.
Group Tour
A visit of a place for a group of people, usually with a guide.
Parking lot
An area for parking cars
Shuttle Bus
A bus that makes trips back and forth between two places
Accessible
Can get in, can be reached.
Cable car
A transport system that is moved by a cable.
Places or activities that attract tourists
Explore
To visit new places or try new things. [Related word: Explorer: Person who explores]
Chateau
French word for “Castle”
Wine cellar
A place to store wine. Usually underground.
Gothic architecture
A style of building popular in the 12th Century.
Cathedral
A big church
Pagoda
Buddhist Temple
Video game
Games played on computers
Roller Coaster
Emblem
Symbol that represents a country or an organization
Entrance fee
Cost that must be paid to get into a place.
Ride
Moving on vehicle, an animal or a sport equipment
Funicular
An elevator that runs up a hill
Jardin d’Amour
French word for “Love garden”
Wax museum
Place that shows statues made from wax (paraffin)
Have a blast
Having lots of fun.
SPEAKING PRACTICE
ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW, THEN USE THE ANSWERS TO TELL YOUR STORY:
Have you been to Ba Na Hills?
Did you buy the entrance tickets online or at the entrance?
How did you get there from Da Nang (Hoi An)?
Did the taxi drop you off right at the entrance?
Was there a shuttle bus to take you to the gate?
Was it crowded at the gate?
How much did the ticket cost for each adult and each child?
Was there a long (waiting) line for the cable cars?
How long did the cable car ride last?
How was the cable car ride?
What attraction did you see when you got off the cable car?
Where did you go after that attraction?
Did you have lunch at the site?
How was the food?
Was it expensive?
What did you like most at the park?
What did your children like most at the park?
How much time did your spend at the park?
Would you go back for another visit?
NOW JOIN THE ANSWERS TOGETHER TO MAKE A STORY.
