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Beach Capital of Vietnam
Nha Trang – turquoise water and beautiful beaches. It is a very touristy beach community. You can’t really go anywhere or sit in a restaurant without multiple vendors approaching you, but it does have a beach charm. It is low season and we were able to barter a really nice room for $14/n with sat. TV and Wifi. The weather has been somewhat cloudy and drizzly so we have kept busy sightseeing instead of beaching.
We had some dirty fun at the Trap Ba Hot Spring Center. We soaked in private mud pools followed by a mineral water power hydro shower and then a soak in a private mineral water pool. After we finally got all the mud and mineral smell off (not too bad especially to the thermals of New Zealand). our skin was so soft.
We enjoyed some culture too… visiting the stunning Long Son Pagoda then climbed the 200 stone steps to the giant Buddha sitting in a lotus blossom that over looks the city. At the base of the Buddha was series of memorial alleys with gravestones of many Vietnamese soldiers lost in the war.
I made a cardinal sin of any traveler a few days ago and am now regretting it. I had a drink from the street vendor with ICE…I knew that was a mistake but only stopped drinking it after half of it was gone (it was really good, fresh orange juice and I was thirsty). Needless to say, I have had some harsh stomach cramps and visited many toilets in the past 2 days. I managed to find some crystallized ginger in a market today that is helping somewhat. Another travel note/warning worth mentioning… the first time ever after almost 20yrs of traveling, I had my backpack slashed open. I had my luggage (with a Pac-Safe backpack lock on it) stored at a reputable hotel while on a hike and someone cut into it with a knife. The odd thing is that nothing was removed – had my laptop and other electronics in there too. Lucky, I guess but proof that that kind of stuff happens unfortunately.