SUNNY Nha Trang

Pulled out of Hoi An in a down pour and, as we were getting settled into our bus, a Dutch guy told me that one of the pedestrian bridges crossing the river downtown was now completely submerged. I also found out that several of the buses heading in different directions were being held back due to flooding. Although the weather wasn't looking so hot our direction either, we shoved off into the dark. Sianara Hoi An!

For the next leg of the trip - down the coast Nha Trang - I opted for a "sleeper bus" instead of the train as I had originally planned. However, the suggestion that you might actually get any sleep on this "sleeper bus" was really just cruel joke. We were all assigned individual reclining seats/bunks that resembled a cross between one of those weird Japanese sleeping pods and a coffin. The pods were obviously designed for the Vietnamese-sized body and watching the six foot plus Germans and Norwegians on board trying to cram themselves into their slots was pretty funny. At 5 foot 8, I had it a little easier than most, but by the time I manipulated my body to fit within the pod and around my bags, I couldn't reach my camera to document the situation without popping something out of place, whether it be one of the rivets holding the bunk together or, more likely, a vertebrae. So there we sat/lay for 13 hours down to Nha Trang. Not so bad once your body started going numb, but then of course the stereophonic snoring began. Between one of the overweight Germans and an old Chinese lady below me, it was all I could do to drown the noise out with my IPod. Burned through a couple batteries listening to Tibetan chants in an effort to chill out. Sort of worked and I did manage a couple hours of sleep before we pulled into Nha Trang around 6 am.


I hadn't really planned on visiting Nha Trang until the weather turned so bad on the central coast. According to the guide books, weather forecasts, and for geographiclimactic reasons I can't explain, Nha Trang marks the boundary between the shit weather (scientific term) and the good. Surpassing all my hopes, by the time we pulled into town the surf was up and the sun was shining bright. I, of course, went straight to bed for a few hours to sleep off the memories of the sleeper bus. But when I got up and started exploring a bit, I was pretty excited to be in Nha Trang.

I'll admit right off the bat that I am NOT a beach person - unless 1. the beach is underwater and I've got a scuba tank on my back, or 2. I'm making a fool of myself trying to surf. Other than that, I can't stand the idea of just laying around dehrydrating in the sun and trying to look cooooool. But I was pleased to find that Nha Trang has more to it than just its admittedly beautiful beaches. When all was said and done, I spent a couple of days wandering around Nha Trang on foot and by motorbike. Cham ruins (the Anasazi were amateurs compared to these guys), the gritty fisherman's district on the north end of town, a ride south to Cam Ranh Bay, meeting Vietnam's most famous photographer (Long Thanh) at his gallery in town, and yeah, spending a bit of time on the beach. The highlight of the entire visit - besides simply drying out - was spending a mellow Sunday afternoon on the beachfront promenade with half the population of Nha Trang. Apparently, every Sunday, locals descend upon the beaches for picnics, swimming, soccer games, kite flying, cruising, and catching up with family and friends. The weather was perfect, the backdrop of Nha Trang Bay was spectacular, and with a armful of tropical fruit, I just pulled up a seat for some serious people watching.

All in all, Nha Trang was great - a little touristy in a second-rate Waikiki sort of way, but much needed. I'm even enjoying the new sunburn. Now it's time to head back to the mountains: On to the Central Highlands and Da Lat!