Nha Trang

Nha Trang Vietnam - 5 Dec 2010

View from our Hotel

Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain

Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain

It's been raining, for so long

when the rain comes, they run and hide there heads

it's raining again

raindrops keep falling on my head

You get the picture?

When they said it was wet season here they weren't joking.

But neither rain nor sleet nor hail or snow can stop the tourists on their appointed rounds. So we got some new raincoats and trudged around Nha Trang today.

We saw a large Catholic Cathedral, the biggest Buddha we've ever seen and some really really big markets. Then we walked home along the rather beautiful esplanade that runs the length of the beach. 

After all that we agreed that the most fun we had was just sitting at a tiny little coffee shop watching the rain just pour down. The owner brought us Chrysanthemum Tea and Ice Coffee that was so thick with Sugar and Condensed Mile it was like a desert. She pointed at her chest and said "me Vietnam, you?" and we said "Australia" and that was pretty much it for conversation. We just watched the rain and smoked and drank our coffee and it was peaceful. I felt a million miles from home and separate from everything, a feeling that's hard to get in these days of Skype and Facebook.

The Pagoda and Buddha were gorgeous but unfortunately haunted by the kind of self appointed guides these places are prone to. They followed us around talking non stop and then demanded money. It's hard not to feel guilty saying no but they were asking for the equivalent of $10 for something we didn't ask for. We gave them a few dollars which made them angry and they stormed off.  Kind of spoils the peace of a place which would be beautiful if you could just wander around it in silence.

Big Buddha at Long Son Pagoda

The market was like one of those old puzzles with ball bearings and a maze, you tilt the puzzle to get all the bearings into the centre. Once we were in the centre of the maze it was really hard to find the way out. Stalls and stalls of shoes, and sunglasses and bric a brac and food and herbs and vegetables and fish and, well, pretty much anything you can think of. It was kind of cool but we weren't in the mood for it so didn't shop for long. The beach was gorgeous after the buzz of the city, the water was brown and stormy with cloud and mist shrouding the Islands making a wilder sort of beauty than it would be in high season with perfect weather. Didn't swim there but had a plunge in the cold pool of the roof of our Hotel. Beautiful!

        K in the Pool on the roof looking out at the Islands.

Early night tonight, we are flying out to Da Nang tomorrow morning.