Still in the 'Nam

I think it was Lucian who said the painfully obvious statement at the beginning of this trip. "There is actually a lot of traveling when you're...traveling."  Well said, seriously.  It's not like back home where you have a car and the freedom to come and go as you please.  I underestimated the amount of travel required to travel from Saigon to Hanoi and I absolutely dread the "travel days" full of somewhat chaotic train/bus rides.

We left Da Lat about a week ago very early in the morning.  Our hotel was great as the innkeeper spoke fluent English and French and really helped both of us out when it came to booking bus tickets, helping Lucian with his motorcycle, and helping us get our bearings around the town.  He arranged for a taxi to pick me up and take me to the bus station that morning.  I said goodbye to Lucian and hoped his ride went better to Nha Trang than into Da Lat.

The bus was overcrowded and overheated.  The air-conditioning barely reached my body and I tried to settle into a deep, coma-like sleep that so many Vietnamese are able to do while traveling.  We started up a very steep mountainside, going as fast as the bus possibly could, rounding the corners and bouncing along the rough roads.  I felt sick...I took deep breaths and just tried to concentrate on drinking lots of water and listening to NPR.  Of course, I know my body too well to expect the worst.  So I quickly looked around for something to vomit into.  My backpack was stuffed to the brim so I pulled my beautiful pashmina out and had to do the worst as I became sick among the beautiful scenery.  The other passengers didn't hardly bat an eye as I discreetly tried to hide the pashmina under my seat, waiting for the next rest stop.  I was able to save my mom's gift from Paris to me as I rinsed it out in a sink at our "lunch stop" (it was 9:30 AM).

We pulled into Nha Trang, relatively on time and I just wanted to sleep.  A moto driver found me and took me to my first choice for a guest house.  Lucian arrived on his bike a few hours later, looking worn out but proud of his ride and his Minsk.  It was a beautiful day and we found a great cafe called Des Amis and ate to our heart's content.  We went to the Louisiane Brewery that evening and sampled the microbrews (the first since being abroad).  Lucian did more sampling than I did...

Great painting at Des Amis Cafe

Beer sampling

Nha Trang was great for people-watching, beach bumming, and eating a lot.  Dropping out of the highlands, our hot and humid weather had returned and so did our lack of energy.  We did visit the National Oceanographic Museum (ha) during our stay and it was a little sad.  These poor sea creatures living in dirty tanks that were too small for them.  There didn't seem to be any security patrolling the grounds, so naturally I thought of snatching one of the turtles and setting it free.  I didn't.

Hawaii or Nha Trang?

Trapped turtle in a tank that was far too small...

Our next stop was in the smaller town of Tuy Hoa.  Yeah, we're definitely stared at here...not many tourists.  Not many restaurants either so we've frequented the local grocery store and trying to find good eats.  Lucian found a "great" deal on an $.85 bottle of vodka.  He's choking it down as we speak.  The beach here reminds me of the Oregon coast and I like it.  It's been cloudy and sporatically rainy so that just adds to the feel.

On the beach in Tuy Hoa, very windy

Tomorrow, I climb aboard the train to Danang, the third largest city in Vietnam, so hopefully communicating will be slightly easier.  I'm excited for some real food too!