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Published: December 15th 2005
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My travels up Vietnam seem to have ground to a sudden halt in Nha Trang, or maybe not ground to - maybe drunkenly stumbled and collapsed in a heap in Nha Trang...... I met an English guy in Mui Ne who told me to skip coming here as he thought it was a hole and the weather was really bad, but I'd already booked my ticket and thought I might as well give it a maybe 2 days to see if I liked it. That was a week ago and I'm still here! I'm beginning to learn that people have different priorities when travelling, most people I meet are looking for hot weather and quiet beaches like Mui Ne but to be honest I find that a bit dull. In places like that most people are in couples and hard to approach. Sitting on the beach reading my book is great for a day but after that I just get bored, it'd be nice to have someone to swim with. There were loads of water sports to be done in Mui Ne, windsurfing, kitesurfing, snorkling etc but not much fun on your own. I could've gone with the English guy but to be honest he was a FREAK and I spent most of my time trying to avoid him (which was hard the day I found him sat outside my bungalow.)
So anyway I took the 6 hour bus journey up here and checked into my hotel ($4 a night) I was really up for a night out after being in quiet quiet Mui Ne. I had certainly come to the right place.... Nha Trang isn't like 'real' Vietnam, it's a beach resort with loads of bars and restaurants. Sounds tacky and bad, the kind of place I'd usually avoid but to be honest it's great to have a break from the constant travelling and sightseeing and just put my bag down for a few days. The first night I went out I met Anthony an English guy who had come to Nha Trang for a few days and now 2 months later he and his girlfriend are still here working for a dive shop. He gave me some advice about where to go drinking and I met up with them later that night. It was a pretty heavy night and we ended up at the sailing club where I had my first experience with buckets (Rhum or Vodka based cocktail v. v. strong) I met loads of people, most of them living here working in various dive shops and to be honest that's why I'm still here. They are a good crowd and we go out most nights or sometimes just stay in watching DVD's.
The weather is really bad. It has rained pretty much constantly since I got here, it's still really warm and humid but the constant rain means there isn't much to do. I signed up to do my Open Water dive course. It takes 3 days to complete, the first day is spent watching DVD's and studying from a text book, in the afternoon you head to a confined water area (i.e. a swimming pool) and learn some skills. Then days 2 and 3 are spent out in the sea practising the skills. I managed day one - the DVD's and pool work. It was really wierd to be studying again and there was a lot to learn, when I went in the pool I was actually terrified! It's really strange breathing underwater and the skills you have to learn involve learning what to do if you loose your regulator (i.e. bit you breathe into) or your mask fills with water. I think I found it more daunting as I was the only one in the class, it would have been easier if more people were learning with me. The most important rule when diving is never ever hold your breath as you can damage your lungs badly, so when you loose your regulator you have to breathe out till you find it, scary when your out of breath and still haven't found it! Anyway the next 2 days I was supposed to go out on the boat but as the weather as been so bad it hasn't been able to go out. So I've given up on it and will complete my course in Thailand. I need to move on soon, still have to go to Hoi An, Hue and Halong Bay and want to get to Hanoi for Christmas. Cutting a bit fine so I need to get my ass in gear.
P.S I will add pictures to this blog later, so check it again in a few days. I forgot my camera today but just thought I'd give you an update on my whereabouts and escapades.
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Eilidh
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Idiot Guide!
Just worked out how to use this site properly and found I had missed about three of your entries!! Now I know and am more jealous as you`ve done loads! Still laughing at your spelling though! Take care, love Eilidh