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Published: October 30th 2008
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After Danang Jac and I headed back south to Nha Trang. We took another overnight bus, but this one was extremely bumpy, so we barely slept. But we met two guys from Saskatchewan (Ty and Devon) so that was pretty cool. But once we finally got to Nha Trang it was well worth it. Beautiful beach, awesome night life, tons of backpackers. We got a great hotel for $6 each a night called Phu Quy one block up from the beach. It has a beautiful roof top terrace with hammocks and sunbeds that overlook the whole city. We spent quite a few days relaxing on the beach, and then heading out to Why Not Bar or Red Apple at night. All the travellers go there, so it was great to party and meet people. Why Not is a casual patio that turns into a raging dance floor from 1am to 4am. One of the nights, we went for baguettes (which are a major staple to our diet.. specifically with Laughing Cow cheese) after the bar and then headed to the beach around 5:30am. There were a few Vietnamese locals out doing some sort of tai chi and then as the sun
started to come out hundreds of locals headed to the beach to do all sorts of exercises. I've never seen anything like it, people were in the water, on the play structures, swinging their arms, some sort of face slapping exercise, there was a group of about 10 people doing a choreographed routine. It was incredible.. possibly because we were exhausted and ready for bed, but it was amazing to see nonetheless.
Because it's very touristy in Nha Trang, locals are very persistent in trying to sell things.. we bought a few bracelets and a bathing suit. They come right into the restaurant when you're eating to try and sell you books or food (we never get why they try to sell you food when you're in a restaurant waiting for your meal). But one night there were about 5 people who came up to our table selling books, but everytime they were exactly the same books. It eventually got so ridiculous that it was funny.
One day we were relaxing on the beach and two vietnamese locals cooked us a seafood feast right there on the beach. Probably the best seafood I have ever had. Check out the picture
to really see what I mean. We went on a boatcruise around to three islands. We went snorkelling at the first which was fun, and there were these really tiny jelly fish in the water that leave a bit of a sting that goes away in a few minutes, but there were so many of them that you couldn't avoid them! We went to see a fishing village and then set up a float up bar beside the boat and everyone jumped in for drinks. Then they took us to an aquarium that was actually really interesting because they had about 10 sharks and 1 leopard shark, plus tons of other massive fish. One night Jaclyn got her nose pierced and Ty got his eyebrow pierced! It was intense, I can't believe they both did it, but they look great! Anyways after 6 nights we decided we should continue south to Mui Ne, even though it was a bit sad to leave.
Mui Ne was actually a really nice change after Nha Trang. It was super laid back and relaxed. We went with the Canadian guys and rented bungalows right on the beach. Kite surfing is really popular here, but
unfortunately the weather was never that great for it and we never got a chance to try it. But we rented motorbikes one day and droke to the sandunes which were tons of fun because we rented plastic sheets from kids at the dunes and went sand sleding. It was so much fun, the kids give you a good push and you actually get some good speed, but always end up crashing at the bottom. So much fun, we left covered in sand. We went out one night to a face painting party, which was a bit random but fun. The next day there was a big party at the bar at our hotel, so that was lots of fun. Met a bunch of Brits, pretty much everyone we've met are British.. so i'm not complaining! One night we went for dinner and it started raining just as we were getting there. As soon as we got into the restaurant it started pouring rain and the power went out. They brought us a candle and we had an amazing meal..and alot of beer, but by the end of meal the street had turned into a mini river, it was crazy!
The streets are not prepared to discard of water, so it just gets so full.
Although we've had alot of great places to stay, we've noticed that our standard of living has greatly decreased. Also, it takes us about 10 mins to shower and get reading in the morning. My bag is somehow substantial lighter than when we left and I could still manage to lose alot more items.
So we made our way to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) which was a really cool city but super hectic. We were told that 8.4 million people live here and there are 5 million motorbikes... which all seem to be out at rush hour. We got a ride right at rush hour and it was a bit nerve-racking, but fun too. But they are all pretty good drivers and can't really go that fast with that many other drivers around anyways. But the city was much cleaner and more modern that Hanoi, so we were impressed. We took a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels which are a complete underground tunnel system built during the war. It's really impressive because they are so intricate and stretch so far. But they are TINY.
Some are just 80 cm high and 70 cm wide. Jac went down into one and the people ahead of her got lost so they had to turn around and come back, but they noticed there were bats all on the ceiling. We watched a video from some of the people ahead of her and you can see them flying around, it's so creepy! We walked through another part of it, which are a bit larger but still very clausterphobic. I'm not sure how people could stay down there for long periods of time.
All in all we loved Vietnam, had a great time, mets tons of people, saw so much, learned alot, beautiful beaches, great parties!! But now it's on to Cambodia, so I'll put more up in a few weeks! I miss everyone alot x
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Esther
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wow girls, your pics are awesome!! love how you set this blog up,keep up the good work! the sand dune pics reminded me of FIJI!! im so jealous of your traveling...its getting pretty damn cold in Ottawa! miss you xoxo