NHA TRANG
Having been here several times, I kind of knew what I wanted to do and led a group of friends around. In my hustling nature, I ran over to a driver and hustled my way to get 10 people into a car for $60 ... yes folks, $60 for the day to drive us around to several hotspots. it kind of felt like one of those circus cars .. how many more people could come out of a van?! Having that mother-hen nature in me and being able to speak the language, i felt like it was my responsibility to show everyone what Vietnam was all about since for many, it was their first time.
First stop, the white buddha. What, no it wasn't. It was the bakery. Couldn't go past a traditional pork roll!Unfortunately for me, I could only remember what it tasted like since Vietnam still had no idea what gluten-free was all about.
 |
| can't miss a pork roll! |
Everyone else demolished and inhaled their pork rolls as we were driven to the White Buddha.
Another ascent on cobble-stoned steps up the mountain, we passed beggars and old ladies trying to sell incense, postcards, fans and what not. The first stop was a buddha, lying down. It stretched for metres and had Thai inscriptions on it. Apparently rubbing the elbow would give you good sleep and rest during the night. Whether that was true or not, we all went for a good old rub :)
 |
| rub elbow for good sleep .. so they say. |
Continuing up, we stopped by a big gong where an old lady told us to sit inside it and would knock on it.
At the very top was the 43 metre high white buddha.
 |
| "are you seeing what i'm seeing B1?", "yes i think i am B2"... 'ITS A BIG FAT BUDDHA!!" :) |
We piled back into our car for our next stop, the Cham Towers. We all wore our robes to enter the various temples. The view across Nha Trang from up here was magnificent.
 |
| putting our best foot forward! :) |
 |
| zenning out |
 |
| view of Nha Trang from Cham Towers |
By this time of the day, the overcast had cleared and the heat was rising so straight to the beach it was. Four Seasons Beach was the beach of choice and we quickly all settled on our deck chairs, went for a dip (and almost got bowled over by the rough waves) and sipped on our beverages. Vietnamese ladies came to sell us fresh seafood, paintings, bracelets and hand-made accessories and of course, how could we pass an array of fakey sunglasses. This is Vietnam after all. Colorful to say the least!
 |
| fresh seafood anyone? |
 |
| matching anklets in memory of Nha Trang |
My favourite part was the ordering of lunch though. I had to get everyone to taste the Vietnamese coffee (which was an instant hit!), then the feast ordering began.
Kan Kong, Squid with lemongrass and chilli, rice, caramelised pork, vietnamese spring rolls, steamed fish. We polished off a feast and that completed our day in Nha Trang.
We did stop by some local stores which sold bottles and jars of fermented pythons/fish/seahorses... it smelt so strongly of fish and even for me, I couldn't handle the sight of dried seahorse and birds in pouches.
A bit of this, a bit of that. That was Nha Trang in a day. And what was most amazing about it all with the sites that we saw, the hiring of our private driver, eating and drinking to our hearts content was it all added up to a whopping $20US a head. Amazing!
I keep forgetting how big the difference is between Saigon and a smaller coastal city like Nha Trang. The people are less in your face in Nha Trang, much more relaxed and if anything traffic is to be the judgement of the city, it is much calmer. There are still scooters rushing around and you still see the xic lo (rickshaws) transporting locals around, as opposed to Ho Chi Minh City being SO hustle-bustle that there is no space for slow rickshaws. Vietnam will always be vietnam though. A colorful place, vibrant and all about the food. Can't wait to spend a proper week next month in Saigon!
Oh and many photos curtesy of Tom Dickerson. Thanks Tomspert! :)
Love and light,
Van-Anh
And for the RIGHT NOW:
Fav food: jolly ranchers.
Reading: Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell (still…)
Wishlist: a shoulder massage
Current city: Nha Trang
Listening to: Mark Ronson & The Biz Internationals
Fav clothing item: Nicholas high-waisted hot-pink scallop shorts.
Next destination: Singapore, Singapore
Missing: a stop in Saigon.
0 comments:
Post a Comment