Nha Trang

We took a 12 hour bus ride from Saigon to Nha Trang, a bus ride that was bearable, with stunning red sand dunes and coastline to look at as we bumped our way down the highway. I say bumped because the roads here in Vietnam are in need of a little TLC... It was reminiscent of when you cross the line from Georgia or North Carolina into South Carolina, where infrastructure is not a priority and you bump your way through the state. Coupled with a bad cold I'd picked up somewhere in Thailand and brought as a souvenir to Vietnam, the bus ride was bearable, at the very least. Thanks to Sinh Tourist, we arrived safely yet an hour late to our destination in Nha Trang. I blame the ladies who bought 6 to-go coffees at the last rest stop we made. The buses in Vietnam (except the "sleeper" buses) do not have bathrooms, so by the time we arrived to Nha Trang poor Paul was about to scream and shove his way through a group of Chinese tourists if they did not move with quickness...But, 12 hours and lots of cold medicine later, we made it and checked into our hotel, the St. Paul Hotel.

Pretty lanterns hanging over the street in Nha Trang

One thing I love about Vietnam is you can get a pretty decent room for super cheap - we paid $16 a night at our hotel, and it had a really great shower, nice big bed, breakfast, a mini bar, and enough room to do some yoga or a little workout. All for $16! Our place was a quick 5 minute walk to the beach, and right close to all the restaurants and shops. Nha Trang was what I had envisioned our trip to Hua Hin to be.. the beach is beautiful there. There is a nice promenade that lines the whole coastline, with palm trees and sun loungers if you want to relax. One morning when I felt up for a run (and I could breathe without my chest burning) I ran all the way down the promenade and found a "private beach" we could go to.. there was no one there trying to sell anything, no tourists, and lots of sun. We spent an afternoon there and it was lovely..... It's been a while since we've had some good beach time. Nha Trang was what we needed after our nonexitent beach in Hua Hin.

 Promenade - the first day we were there, of course, a storm rolled in and we left the beach early.. We spent the first day recovering from our colds, which was probably exactly what we needed to do.

The rest of the time we spent our days reading books, relaxing and enjoying this view.... not too shabby. The water was pretty, but the shore pound was nuts! The water broke right on the shore, and it was like 2 foot waves that could knock you down. It was kind of amusing watching people trying to get into the water.. The waves crashed against the shore and then there was a sheer drop.. There was a sign that warned "do not enter the water" but that didn't stop the Russians, Paul, or myself from taking a dip in the sea.

Nha Trang is overrun with Russian tourists. One thing I have noticed is where there are Russians, the prices are higher. It was the same in Thailand.. I guess its because they are all on short vacations, so they don't mind paying a little more. Everything in Nha Trang was in Russian or Vietnamese, and we even saw restaurant staff speaking Russian to their customers! It was wild.. You could go and get a bowl of cabbage soup and sausages if you wanted.. There was even a "Russian BBQ" restaurant nearby... Personally I prefer the local tastes, but I guess those Ruskies long for home while they are on their vacations. I can understand, but I just want a bowl of cereal. There was Russian food on almost every menu at every restaurant we went to!

We had a nice stay in Nha Trang.. It was a nice sunny beach town, with lots of touristy stuff to do. We opted to just lounge on the beach rather than spend money on little outings or jet ski rentals, as we knew we had to get better for our Sapa trekking we have ahead of us. We did, however, find a cafe named after me.

I booked a "sleeper bus" with the same company we arrived to Nha Trang with, a bus that would take 12 hours and carry us from Nha Trang to Hoi An. We had heard horror stories about these "sleeper buses" but for the price, it made sense. Armed with an eye mask, ear plugs, and "Night Queen" homeopathic pills, we boarded the bus and hoped for the best. The "beds" are perfect size, if you're a small Asian. Unfortunately, we were assigned the seats right in front by the driver. What I didn't realize before our long distance bus trips in Vietnam was that the drivers beep at everything... Cyclists, cars, scooters, trucks, cows on the side of the road... everything. The "sleeper" bus should be called the "beeper" bus... Honks all night long that even earplugs don't block out. Between the random stops during the night, the man who made his bed on the floor beside Paul, and the "night queen" tablets wearing off mid journey, it's safe to say not much sleeping took place on the "sleeper bus". If I've learned anything from this experience, it is that you should suck it up and buy valium from the pharmacy! 

Our next stop in our Vietnam adventure is Hoi An.. a small quiet beach town that is also a UNESCO heritage site... And that's my next post!