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Published: December 13th 2008
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Leaving Hoi An was a smooth process as we boarded the night sleeper bus at 1900hrs on Tuesday, ready for a peaceful journey south to our next port of call. It became a bit tougher when we pulled ourselves up onto the top bunks and realised that there was no chance of getting a decent night's sleep. At times like that I wish I was five inches shorter, but I'm not and there was no way I was able to lie flat like every other passenger seemed to be doing quite comfortably. Catherine was in similar state and she had to somehow weave herself around our bags, for which there was no room. Still, I taught myself to sit cross-legged again, having forgotten after primary school, and tried to enjoy the ride. About an hour into the journey the process became a bit more rocky for me as the nausea set in. At first I put it down to the bumps and grooves that appear regularly down Highway 1, the main north-south road, but even the 30 min break in a grimy roadside stop didn't help. Forced back onto the bus, the dizziness and sick feelings got worse and I ended
up running to the tiny toilet ready to get rid of the prawn curry I'd mistakenly consumed six hours previously. I'll spare you the full details but suffice to say it became one of the worst journeys of my life, sitting there in vomit stained clothing, I just thanked the world for air conditioning (and so would the rest of the passengers if they knew).
We got off the bus at a small petrol station called Doc Let, about 30km north of Nha Trang, where I sorted myself out, with Catherine's assistance, and tried to negotiate a mototaxi ride to our destination with some local guys sitting round on little plastic chairs. We agreed on 85,000 dong per bike and hopped on the back. It was a beautiful but painful ride for me. We passed some stunning scenery including jungle covered mountains towering over paddy fields and fishing lakes, stretches of long beaches and some small villages with children cycling to school. I managed to forget about the sickness due to the serious pain in my legs coming from having to sit astride the rider, and the near misses we experienced with other bikes coming at us. When we
arrived at Jungle Beach Resort I could hardly walk and I was just about ready to give my stomach lining another test, so just gave the riders 100,000 dong each. They were delighted.
Thanks to Matt's recommendation we spent two nights at Jungle Beach Resort, which is a small collection of bamboo huts together by a white sandy beach looking out onto the South China Sea. All the guests eat together at meal times and during the day just wind down - relaxing, swimming or exploring. It is so calm and the scenery is amazing. The first day for me was completely wiped out though as spent 95% of it curled up on a mattress under the mosquito net and 5% in the next door toilet block. Catherine was a pretty good nurse come pharmacist and I managed to source a powerful suppository from some German girls.
The next day was much, much better and we spent the day on the beach and in the communal area. We both managed to get mildly sun burnt by 10am and perfected our skills in our new repertoire of the two card games we've learned since Singapore. After dinner, we sat
around a beach camp fire with people from all over the place as we polished of the last of some very dry Vietnamese wine.
We're now in Nha Trang, another seaside resort but a bit more of a tourist trap. It has loads of westernised bars and restaurants, and still the usual people selling anything and everything on the street. A favorite here seems to be sunglasses, and I was fleeced of almost 4 quid for a pair of 'Rai-Lans', produced to me in a grubby Gucci case.
We spent today at a mud baths and mineral water spa just outside the town. Relaxing in a pool of mud was more fun than I'd thought, especially when it was followed by a swim in a huge 38 degrees C pool and a hot mineral waterfall shower.
We're off to Dalat tomorrow on a normal bus. I think we're both hoping for a better trip this time.
Again, no photos. The internet cafes are totally hit and miss. We found one in the middle somewhere but it had a powercut as I was uploading some pictures. I've given up for now, too stressed out and Catherine might
kill me.
Stay safe
Nic
**** Update, 16/12 - managed to upload a few photos now! enjoy
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cats mum and dad
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how U doing
Dear Nick pleased you are feeling stronger. Catrherine's nana found your log hilarious. Now you both wish you were 5 ft 2.