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Published: August 6th 2007
Nha Trang
Buddha takes a napTo get to Nha Trang we took a bus to Danang (I think), and then climbed back on board the Reunification Express. The trip took about 9 hours. While the scenery was great, the day train was for some reason filthy compared to the night train. Maybe the rail workers think they don’t have to worry about it so much because you are not sleeping on the train? We were in the same kind of 4-berth, soft sleeper compartment, but the carriages looked like they had not been cleaned for 10 years. Lucky we brought along our own toilet paper too because the day staff obviously thought we didn't need any for a nine hour journey.
The nine hours passed quickly, playing cards, reading, telling jokes and watching the country pass by our windows. Looking on a map you suddenly realise that Vietnam is a very long, skinny country and travel times are a lot slower than back home. This trip reminded me of a lot of train rides I did as a child going up and down from Sydney to the North Coast of NSW. The train was about the same vintage.
No! I don’t want a motorbike,
a cyclo, or a massage thanks.
Nha Trang struck us as a bit of a sleezy resort town. Sure the harbour and the beaches were lovely, but there was a definite negative feel to the place for some reason. Perhaps it was the endless number of times motorbike taxis, cyclo riders or the hotel security guards asked me if “Mister want massage, take you to see nice girls Mister, you get happy ending Mister” got on my nerves. Or it could have been the profusion of signs in our hotel warning us of thieves and pickpockets affecting my subconscious impression of the place.
Don’t get me wrong, Nha Trang has a lot of beautiful scenery and is probably a nice resort town, but just not our cup of tea. Interestingly the government railways have just started a 5-star rated train service from Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang to cater for the huge amounts of tourists interested in visiting the town.
It was good to get out on the harbour and spend a full day relaxing and swimming. We also took a walk around a fishing village located on a small island, which was a good break
from the centre of town.
Another day on the scooters
We took another motorbike tour in Nha Trang, which did not shape up to be as good as the one in Hue. This one turned into a bit more of a shopping trip as our local guide seemed a lot more interested in telling us what bargains he could organise, rather than filling us in on any history or things of cultural interest. Although our afternoon at the mud baths was a lot of fun. The huge white Buddha at the Long Song Temple was worth the visit too.
At the Long Song Temple, we got talking to a young girl who was being educated by the Buddhist monks at the temple. The level of education must of been pretty good judging by the fact that she was fluent in English and French, which at 16 is a good achievement. She told us she was from a single parent family and that her and her younger sister would not have been able to afford such a good education if it was not provided for by the monks. In return she spent some time each day selling postcards
Nha Trang
Local guide at temple and taking people on short tours of the temple. Her tour of the temple was interesting and her explanations of the statues and symbols, plus the forms of worship where a good insight for us. She seemed happy and enjoyed what she was doing, so full credit to the monks at the Long Song Temple for the work they are doing with their school.
Was Jackie Chan one of our guides?
One exciting event in Nha Trang happened while we were on the motorbike tour. We made a stop to take a look at the view from one of the main bridges in town. While we were standing on the edge of the footpath a scooter approached at speed and the passenger leant across to try and snatch the day pack off the shoulder of one of our group. In an act of quick thinking on of our tour-guide-motorbike riders struck the rider with his elbow just before the bag was grabbed. This sent the scooter crashing to the ground, with the passenger running off down the road and the rider spread eagled on the roadway. Well done! It happened in a flash, but was a move worthy
Nha Trang
ou est Patrice? of a Jackie Chan movie - I was impressed, as was the rest of our group once they realised what happened.
Last jaunt on the Reunification Express
Our last trip on the Reunification Express took us from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City. I think it was about a 14 hour trip. The views out the window were interesting, lots of big wide rivers, rice paddies, small villages and pergodas scattered here and there. The train, aside from being basic, is certainly a much better way to travel than by bus. For a start you can walk around a bit, talk to some locals, go to the front carriage bar and have a few beers and also order some very basic food in that carriage too. Like I said, basic, but a good way to travel, plus after a few Saigon beers it was reasonably easy to fall asleep on the “soft bed”.
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