Nha Trang

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DAY 36
Our flight to Nha Trang was due to leave at 5.10pm so we ordered at taxi for 2pm to take us to the airport for a domestic flight with Vietnam Airways. The flight was comfortable and fast on a new Airbus lasting only 40 minutes. When we arrived at Nha Trang we took a taxi to our hotel which is only 5 minutes walk from the beach, we arrived just after 8pm. We didn’t hang around unpacking but went straight out to find some dinner and found ‘lonely planet’ recommended ‘cheers’ which was good food and reasonably priced.

DAY 37
We got up early to see what Nha Trang was like in daylight and headed for the beach. We found the Sailing Club bar and had breakfast right on the sand, watching the waves thunder up the beach. We were both looking forward to jumping into them later. We hired deck chairs next to the bar and settled there for the day relaxing and listening to the waves and the peacefulness of Nha Trang.

DAY 38
We went to the Louisiana Beer bar on the beach today. It is a great bar with a pool and deck chairs on the beach. They brew their own beer here so we had a tasting of their best selection and a great lunch. I tried a traditional Vietnamese soup with Balsam Apples which are nothing like apples much more like giant bitter gherkins; however after some research it comes from the same plant family as cucumbers and melons. It was very yummy but the ‘apples’ were a bit too bitter for me, so I gave up after eating half. We chilled out on the beach for the afternoon and then visited a nice restaurant for dinner called Lotus. Two English guys at the table next to us ordered tortoise, much to my dismay, which included drinking its blood with local ‘vodka’. Definitely interesting but not my idea of a pleasant meal! We treated ourselves to a bottle of Italian wine - the first wine we’ve had in a month as one bottle costs the same as 6 meals in Vietnam. Worth it though.

DAY 39
We booked ourselves onto a 4 Island Boat trip today with Jungle Tours, it was awesome. The cost was $6 USD per person for the day including lunch. We were picked up from our hotel at 8.30am and taken to the port about 15 minutes drive away. The boat left the harbour past an island called Vinpearl which is home to an exclusive resort. There is a cable car which connects Nha Trang to Vinpearl, completed in 2007 it is the longest cable car over sea in the world stretching over 3kms of water. We stopped in an aquarium which held turtles, exotic fish and sharks. After the aquarium we went on to another island to go snorkelling around the coral reefs. The water was cold compared to Cambodia but still very nice. We then sailed to another island and moored for lunch. The lunch was very good with stir-fry tofu, noodles, shrimps, tuna, and morning glory. After lunch we had entertainment which was a total surprise. The deck hands moved about quickly and one come out with a home-made drum kit and the next with an electric guitar. They started singing and then invited people from various countries to sing ‘national’ songs such as Eternal Flame (America) and Hey Jude (New Zealand) apparently New Zealand and England are ‘Same, Same’. Following on from lunch they opened up the floating bar in the water with endless free shots of Vietnamese Vodka for those brave enough to stay the water. After this we travelled to a small island with a beautiful private beach and sunbathed for an hour before heading back home. It was a great day out - I would highly recommend it if you are ever in Nha Trang.

DAYS 40-42
We have spent the last two days lazing on the beach in Nha Trang the weather has been amazing, blue sunny skies and warm wind that stops you from getting too overheated and sets the temperature at a perfect 28c. It is much cooler here than other parts of South East Asia and not humid which makes a welcome change. Not much to speak of in terms of our blog other than this is a great place for a beach holiday. It’s not too crowded but not so quiet it’s boring - wish we could stay a little longer but alas India is calling. Tomorrow is our last day in Vietnam so we have booked ourselves onto a private tour which will take us around the country side and to the local hot springs.

DAY 43
We were met at our hotel this morning by our tour guide for the day, Hung. He greeted us warmly and then we made our way over to our private car for the day. It was really great being able to have the total attention of the guide. Hung was born in Nha Trang and has lived here all his life. Our first stop was an ancient Hindu temple, built in a similar style to many of the temples of Angkor. It was built overlooking the harbour in Nha Trang. After this we headed to our private motor boat with our guide and travelled up the Muddy River to a coconut farm on an island. It was an experience to sit in the middle of coconut trees, the lady at the farm picked the coconuts from the tree with an implement designed specifically for this purpose, a very long stick with a sharp end. She then hacked the coconut with a machete so we could drink from it - I have to say it was the best coconut I’ve ever had - delicious. Photo After this we got back on our boat and travelled up river to a classic Vietnamese house. The house was made from dark wood and had shutters and a beautiful garden where we sat and had Jasmine tea and fruit. There were lots of strange and wonderful plants growing in the garden including Jackfruit and wild Rambutan. We found a horse and wagon, actually more like a pony and cart, waiting for us in the garden to take us to our next destination. Hung climbed on top of the cart to grab a Rambutan fruit for me to try - it was quite strange something like a lychee. Our next stop was a mat making factory which was actually a little hut with two women using a weave and a bamboo stick to make mats. These mats are used for all sorts in the village from sleeping on to eating on. Teresa and I even tried our hand at making the mat - a picture says a thousand words so they say - I don’t think it’s going to be a new career for either of us. We then made our way to the terracotta pot factory. They make clay pots which are filled with coal to cook on - similar to a small barbeque. We then had lunch by the river in a truly Vietnamese restaurant where our guide had to translate for us. We weren’t given menus but had many different foods brought to us which was excellent - fried fish in a garlic and chilli sauce, vegetable soup, pigeon curry (I thought it was good, Teresa thought it was disgusting - I would have thought she’d be happy to see a pigeon dead in a bowl?!) and squid. After lunch we hopped back onto our boat and headed out to the Nha Tang Mud baths and natural springs. We had a mud bath which was quite hilarious, mostly because we both looked ridiculous covered in mud in our bikinis but also because we couldn’t move around without slipping over. We then dried ourselves out, as instructed, the mud became very tight over our skin - I felt a bit like a giant raisin! After this we had various hydro-therapy/water torture including stinging jets sprayed at us and a hot water spring so hot that Teresa almost passed out. The things we do because someone tells us it will make us look and feel great! After this we relaxed by the temperate pools for an hour or so before we were taken back to our hotel. All in all an excellent way to finish off a great time in Vietnam.

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Photos

Island Aquarium
I love turtles

Vinpearl Cable Car
The longest cable car over sea in the world

Band on the Run
Our deckhands/rockstars on the 4 Island Boat tour

Coconut Farm
Drinking from our fresh young coconuts

Mat Weaving
Oh dear - I think that's a nervous smile on that poor woman's face. She's wondering how long it will take to fix our mess