Nha Trang and Hoi An

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After Mui Ne, we jumped on another bus to take us to Nha Trang, another beach area 5 or 6 hours up north. The bus was great - only about a third full, so plenty of room.

We arrived in Nha Trang late afternoon and found the place we had picked from the lonely planet called 'Seaview Hotel'. We had mainly picked it as it was in our budget ($15) and had a pool. What we didn't expect was for the pool to be inside! Not quite what we had expected, but oh well.

We had decided that for dinner we would have some of the giant BBQ prawns (about 15cm long - yum!) that were popular around here. Just as we were about to go, I started to feel very off colour. After laying down for a bit, it didn't feel like I was going to get better any time soon so ended up sending Gav off with Mia to buy her some dinner. Typically, by the time they got back an hour later, I felt great! Oh well again - no dinner for me that night!

The next morning we packed up our beach stuff and headed to a restaurant we had read about that is on the beach and has a pool that anyone can come and use as long as they eat or drink at there. We pretty much settled in for a few hours, once again swimming & relaxing.
We met two nice families from Canberra there that were travelling together, andit was great to be able to have some new adult company with Mia being able to play with their kids.

We decided not to hang around in Nha Trang, as we were starting to run out of days to spend in Vietnam (our visa is only for 30 days) and it didn't really do it for us after Mui Ne. We were thinking of doing one of the boat trips which take you out to lots of islands, but they lasted all day so we thought it was goingt o be too much for Mia on a boat all day (lot's of loud music and drinking).

The next morning we caught the train to Hoi An. We left at 5.50am and arrived around 2pm (I think). The train was OK. We had booked out a whole sleeper berth (4 beds) so we at least could have some privacy and get some sleep. The carriage was not as nice as we had hoped, but it did the job. We all slept until about 9.30am and then just read books and watched the views out of the window. Lots of beatuifulrice paddies etc to keep us interested. After walking down the other carriages, we realised we had definately made the right decision to book our own sleeper, as the rest of the train was packed and smelt pretty bad...

We arrived in Hoi An and instantly loved the place. We were staying at the Greenfield Hotel which I had picked off the internet back in OZ, which was a perfect spot for us. Nice rooms, pool, free breakfast, and lots of other backpackers around. The two OZ families we met in Nha Trang also ended up staying there with us, so it was nice to have some 'friends' around.

Hoi An is a beautiful riverside town that just oozes charm from every corner. The buildings are gorgeous and the main streets are closed to cars which makes for a peaceful place to walk around in Vietnam! We spent 4 nights there, once again, not doing much but just enjoying relaxing. One day we all went to a cooking school for 1/2 a day (Red Bridge) which we all enjoyed. We started at the markets, which was one of the best parts, as we learnt quite a few new tricks in regards to Vietnamese cooking. I also bought myself a stainless steel vietnamese double bladed knife (for cooking!), a proper vegetable shredder and a new steel grill to go on the Vietnamese BBQ I was given in Mui Ne. (In Mui Ne, we went to dinner one night for a Vietnamese BBQ where you cook all your own food at your table. The BBQs are specially designed small clay pots. I asked the owner if I could buy them in Vietnam and he said, yes, but I will give you one instead! I was over the moon of course, and am now on a mission to get it home without it breaking!) The next step to our cooking course was a boat trip down the river for 20 minutes to the cooking school. Once there, we watched them demonstrate a recipe before we would all go over and cook it at our own station. It was fun, but we would have liked more actual cooking time. We did get to make our own fresh rice paper and noodles, which will come in handy once home. Afterwards, we sat down and had a feast. (I'm pretty sure that all the food we cooked went in the bin, and that they recooked it all!)

The rest of the time in Hoi An was pretty much spent just wandering around, eating, drinking, swimming and hiring motorbikes. The town is full of tailors that make clothes to measure within a day. Nearly everyone that goes there that we have spoken to ends up getting heaps of clothes made. Of course, me being one that hates clothes shopping, I only ended up getting one pair of leather sandals made. I wanted to get clothes made as I am desperate for them, but just the thought of trying things on, and being measured in the stinking heat sends fear down my spine. I'd rather wait for the sales in Melbourne!

We found a gorgeous restaurant there called Mermaid, which once found, was the only restaurant we would eat at (lunch and dinner). 'Real' vietnamese food such as banana flower salad with prawns, and Bo La Lot (beef wrapped in betel leaves) that is one of our favorites. The banana flower salad was once of the nicest things I have ever eaten, and I am determined to recreate it at home with my new cooking utensils. The prices were great too, and they sold great french wine! What more could you ask for! Our last night there, we went to dinner with the other families we had met, which made for a great night - 5 kids all at one end of the table, with the 6 adults all being able to relax and have fun.

We weren't sure where to head after here. We had originally planned to maybe go to Hue further up Nth, and then on to Hanoi by train. In the end, we made the decision to fly straight to Hanoi, mainly due to the fact that the train was 12 hours and we couldn't be stuffed doing it!

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Photos

Hoi An - Flower Vendor
Never buy yellow flowers as a gift to Vietnamese people - they are only for 'the gods' and spirit houses - otherwise they are considered bad luck!

On the train
Some of the beautiful scenery along the way

Hoi An
Japanese Bridge

Hoi An
25 cents for a glass of beer - can't bet better than that!

Comments

[Leon]

Dig In
Sounds like you are loving the food. Have a great time in Hanoi. Make sure you spend a couple of hours at the Chop Shops

[Gilby]

25 cent beer!
I am so there for a lager frenzy.