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Published: February 2nd 2013
So my birthday was an early rise for my tour and not the greatest start as my stomach decided not to like the previous nights curry and so took some tablets for that, then i got to agency after changing cash and the bus did not turn up and so i ended up being on a motot taxi and a car taxi to meet the bus and get on the tour so trike one against fantastic tours.
I made the bus and sat next to a german traveler id met the other day at the war remants musuem and so we chatted and he had a buisness in germany and sold it and is traveling on the money he got. Our tour guide tam was excellent and a real good laugh and excellent english and he was trying out his cockney ryming slang and he got to know everyones name.
We first we visited the cao dai temple which is a mixed hindu,buddist and catholic reglion and church and people in various colours and the church was so kitsch, it was like the disney version of religion.....lol.
We then grabbed lunch and i got chatting to an english couple danny and carla and they were really nice and we chatted alot about our travels and dannys dad has got a tmour and so they await results and wether they will cut the trip short and go home.
Lunch was not so great and not so cheap and we headed on to the chui chi tunnels and it was 5 dollars in which goes to the army, so was not so happy about that, would be ok if it went to the locals, but Vietnam has a red army.
We saw bomb craters and the traps used and tools etc and then we went in the tunnels and they have englarged them for tourists and it was still very cramped, we also saw a video at the tunnels which was like the war remmant musuem and painted a very one side picture of the war and how wonderful the vietcong were.
So back on the bus the was some funny thai guys and so that was funny and then the bus sung me happy birthday. When we got back i had drinks with our guide and carla and danny and they paid the drinks and then we had dinner and more drinks and they paid again.....they are salt of the earth.
We went to a club and then parted ways as i had to be up for my mekong trip.
I checked out and stored my rucksack at the agency and the bus was on time and it was nice to see the mekong, but the guide was naff, he mumbled and did not speak english well and seemed to be going through the motions as appose to the guide the day before, we saw a few islands and amking of coconut candy and had honey tea and we had some music and a ride on a small boat and lunch was rubbish and it wasnt just me everyone agreed.
On the trip i met a danish girl and her friend and we swapped facebook details as she lives in aarhus were my girlfriend lives there and i will live there in january next year.
I met a kiwi woman and her friend who had been traveling for a year and met a cool aussie couple. I got back to the city and bumped into danny and carla we hung out and dinner together and promised to keep in touch.
Then i went to the agency for the bus and it turns out the agency had booked me on a sitting bus and i had asked for a sleeping bus, after much arguing and getting no were i went direct to the bus company and got my ticket changed and so id suggest steering clear of fantastic agency in Ho Chi Minh.
On the bus i met a load of aussies and chatted and slept some and at one toliet break we were there an hour while the bus driver watched the footie?.....lol.
We eventually got to Nha Trang and its nice and quiet compared to Ho Chi Minh and i met an aussie traveler on the bus called Annika and cause of the room costs at hotels here we got a room together, seprate beds though.....lol, as i have a lovely girlfriend at home and annika has her fella back in western austraila.
We both grabbed some sleep and then took a wonder round the city and i swapped a book and we looked at dive prices as annika wanted to do some fun dives as she has her padi and i looked at open water and i think i can do it in Thailand cheaper and so ill wait till there, me and annika went to the louisanna beach bar and hung out at the pool and chilled out and chatted, had a beer and read our respective books and then annika booked a dive for tomorrow and im going on a 4 island hopping cruise tomorrow and the day after we are going to hire pedla bikes and see the local sites and then we both head up north.
So we were both up early for our respective days and i got my washing back which was cool as i needed my swimmers, i grabbed a bagguet for breakkie and the was wasnt as late as some are.....lol
The guide was a funny guy and the was a few of us westerners and the rest of the bus was full of vietnamese and korean tourists and some twainese.
We got to the boat and well i doubt it would pass an y safety tests in the uk, although most things here wouldnt...hehe,near the port was a cale car system and the guide said it is the longest in the world and goes to vinpearl island resort and its a 5 star resort and the guy who owns it is vietnemes mafia. We headed out to mot island and tried some snorkelling althoght the snorkeling gear wasnt the best and the reef wasnt amazing and then some of us did bombs and diving off the boat and some sun bathing and i got chatting to a russian guy and some young vietnemese guys, we then headed to our next island and had lunch and lunch was good plenty of it too.
Then we went out on rubber rings and had drinks out in the sea and chilled which was fun and then a big lunch which was good and then we had a band to entertain us at the second island and the third island you had to pay to use the beach and well it was a crap beach and some just stayed on the boat, i dodged the 10,000 dong entry fee and was glad as it was a naff beach.
The 4th island had an aqurium which was 25,000 ding entry and me and some others decided to give it a miss.
We got back to Nha Trang and i headed back to the hotel and annika was there and had had a good day and we went for a walk and had a few beers and some games of pool and she waited on others from the diving as they were to meet for a meal, they did not show and so we found an italian and i had my favourite pizza and then we came back and chilled and watched hbo and i uploaded some piccys.
Tomorrow some sight seeing and then a night bus to hoi an.
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