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After writing that last entry I actually bumped back into the Norwegian girls... It was norway's independence day (from Sweden) and so we all celebrated.... Perhaps too much! The problem was that there was a happy hour at the bar and this made all beers about 20cents.... High volumes of cheap beer are never a good combination. Hopefully I didn't embarrass myself too much, but I spent the following morning in bed NOT happy... It was a rough day, terribly hot and terribly hungover. Anyway, I survived.
Although I did negotiate for some shirts from a tailor I opted not to get anything. The girls from norway seemed to do the opposite, and one of them got 13 outfits made! Crazy... Alex and I actually left the following night leaving Ernie and Amy behind since they were waiting for clothes to be made. The overnight bus was sheer hell. It was barely a distance of 400km but took 12 hours because there aren't exactly good roads here. It was terrible falling asleep because of the constant potholes. Anyway, we finally arrived this morning and walked right off the bus into a group of about 10 hotel touts fighting for our business. We managed to get a decent room with a balcony for $2 each, but no air con and definitely no pool.
Nha Trang is a beach resort for both backpackers and Vietnamese. The main town is a bit of a tourist trap and the beach, although nice, isn't great. There are lots of dive shops here and I had hoped to go Diving, that was until Amy gave me her cold. With my sinuses blocked I can't dive or I'll end up with a mask full of blood. So it looks like I'll have to make do with a boat tour of the islands, and perhaps some snorkeling. The girls arrive tomorrow, so today Alex and I rented a motorcycle and headed off to a beach we had heard about. There are plenty of beaches close by but this one was about 90 minutes away and supposed to be something special.
Hopping on the motorbike, off we went. Except, for some reason, in the rush I had forgotten just how terrible the people here drive. It was INSANE! People crossing without looking, people driving down the wrong side of the road on a dual carriageway, bikes stopping for seemingly no reason... Well, anyway, I quickly figured out how to use the horn like they do. Problem being that the horn on my bike sounded like it could've come from Barbie's bike... Hardly intimidating!
After finally tracking down the beach it was a bit of a disappointment. After the adventure to find it (we had to stop 4 times for directions) I had hoped for more. The water was a lovely turquoise, but the beach was definitely brown (white where there was trash floating!). Although there weren’t any other tourists it wasn't quiet either. We walked along and found a more shaded and quieter bit. Yesterday I bought 'The Beach' and I'm almost finished reading it today. Will need to buy another one soon!
The girls arrive tomorrow so we'll see what happens then.
Posted by Admin at May 19, 2002 05:08 AM