Mud puddles are awesome

We hadn't initially planned on spending any time in Nha Trang, and were only planning on using it as a connection point for Dalat, but plans are shifting, and we're going to spend a couple of days here, and then move on to Mui Ne on our way south towards Cambodia.

Nha Trang is a big, beautiful city on the sandy coast of the South China Sea, with a beautiful waterfront boulevard and palm-tree lined paths. We spent our first afternoon watching the waves roll in, still drowsy from the night train from Hoi An. We found a movie theatre that night, on the fifth floor of a busy mall, and watched The Hobbit. If not for the Vietnamese subtitles, it almost felt like we were at home.

The next day we rented some bicycles and rode out to the Thapba mud baths to luxuriate in some mud, stopping en route at the Ponagar tower. The VIP mud treatments were too expensive, so we opted for the cheapest route, the communal mud bath, but we arrived at the tail end of a bus tour, and got a bath all to ourselves. It was awesome! After the soupy, creamy mud bath, you had to shower off, then go through a series of jets like a car wash, then a warm tub, then the cold pool. A not too shabby way to spend an afternoon.

Vinpearl, the amusement park island.

At the movies! We're going to see The Hobbit in 3D!

Ponagar tower.

The muddening begins.

For the first time in his life, Mark experiences floating.

The "carwash"

Hoi An

The ancient city of Hoi An is a UNESCO world heritage site, nestled along the Thu Bon river. Quaint and picturesque, its streets are lined with tailors, shoemakers, and cafes. Behind the main tourist streets are narrow laneways and hidden courtyards and bustling markets. It is a lovely town to wander, though the touts are persistent and plentiful! As you walk past vendors and restaurants and tailors selling mangosteens, tailored coats, hammocks, lanterns, trinkets, peanuts, and tiger balm, you will be called to and entreated with the common refrain ‘looking! Looking, buy something from me.’ I was unwittingly captured by a woman offering $1 manicures, and while she did her work she had me read her ‘testimonials’ book, which actually was filled with warnings to future patrons to be weary of her upsells and extras – I didn’t have the courage to tell her that the testimonials weren’t all that flattering, and managed to avoid her forceful offers to thread my brows and legs, and escaped with my unruly eyebrow hairs intact (and my fingernails looking pretty much the way they did when I walked in). 

We bought one of these awesome bamboo root carvings from this man,
who bears a remarkable resemblance to the one in the photo above...

Having a cheese moment. No Laughing Cow, we're talking real, raw milk cheeses.

Three of our five days here were overcast and rainy, but after lots of café sitting and cheese eating (real cheese!!!), we were itching to get moving again, so we rented some bicycles and rode out to the sea. Just a short 4 km bike ride brings you to a long stretch of beach on the South China Sea. Massive waves pound the sand that extends for miles in each direction. There’s something I adore about a wildly crashing sea with moody clouds overhead…

We met some puppies on the way to the beach!

Coracles!

Turns out I actually really do like long walks on the beach.

This giant beetle was flailing helplessly on his back. I righted him,
but he was headed straight for the crashing surf, so I moved him inland...

Beard is coming along nicely.  :)

Incognito. In very, very effective cognito.

On our last day, the rain held off and we rented a motorbike and drove out to the Marble Mountains, between Hoi An and Da Nang. The Marble Mountains are a set of three startling protrusions of rock rising up dramatically from the otherwise flat valley floor. Once mined intensively, there now seems to be some protection measures in place from further excavation, and presumably the myriad marble carvers at the base of the mountain are using imported marble (though they won’t tell you that).

As we were riding there, a woman rode up alongside us and guessed correctly where we were going, and told us to follow her. This has happened before, and normally they’re luring you somewhere where they get a commission. There is always a catch. This catch was that she’d give us free parking in exchange for taking a look at her store instead of all the others, just in case we happen to be in the market for a pair of massive marble lions to flank our driveway. (In the end, we got away with only buying a small, laughing Buddha. A lucky Buddha, said she, though not so lucky as to prevent the minor ignition troubles we had when we were leaving…)

But what an amazing place! The largest of the three mountains has a series of caves and pagodas tucked all over the mountain, with a labyrinth of stairs and pathways between them. Walking into Huyon Khong Cave was an experience I’ll never forget. Through the arched gateway along the path into the mouth of the cave is a statue of lady Buddha, and off to the left you see a dim light beyond the darkness where the cave continues, and you follow this around a corner where you can see through the dimness to another cavern whose diffuse light and distant people hint at it’s size. Above you, bats are squeaking in the darkness and you hear various tips and taps from droplets falling from stalactites you can’t see. You begin to walk to walk down the dark steps that lead into the massive cavern and you see a giant Buddha statue across the way, perfectly framed by the rock, and at the bottom of the cave is an entire, free-standing temple. Though light is pouring in from openings high above, it’s still dim in the cave, which lends the space an entirely magical and mystical feel. Just awesome.

The entrance to Huyan Khong Cave.

Huyen Khong Cave, Marble Mountains.

Giant marble statue, anyone?

Typical Vietnamese eatery.

Huế

We took another night train (our third in seven days… yikes) from Hanoi to Huế (pronounced Hway), arriving about 13 hours after leaving the capital. Our stay here was brief, just two nights, barely sufficient to skim the surface of some of the cultural and architectural wonders here, including the Citadel (Huế was the capital from 1802 to 1945), numerous pagodas, and tombs of former emperors. The sites are scattered around the city, so we rented a scooter again to get around. It was a bit more harrowing than driving around Vang Vieng and Sapa, but it’s definitely the quickest and cheapest way to get around. I had no idea the tombs would be so vast! We only had time to visit two: Tự Đức and Khai Dinh.

The first was where Emperor Tu Duc went to escape the bustle of city and work, and is a lovely walled complex tucked among pine and durian trees, with a moat-like lake, and various pavilions. The burial tombs for himself, his first wife, and adopted son are just three of the many decorative buildings.

Outside the walled complex, we were waved into one of the many food stands and shown a menu. Soup for 80,000 dong ($4)?! I don't think so! So we walked away, and she called us back and showed us another menu. This one was identical except the prices were more than half that of the first menu. Ok, that's better. I'm sure there was still another strata of menu she never showed us, as we've heard about the tiered pricing system in Vietnam: the price for locals, the price for expats, and the price for tourists (otherwise known as the FU price).

Khai Dinh is a singular, multi-level compound, with elaborate statues and dragon-protected staircases all building and leading to the top tier of this gigantic wedding cake, where the palatial building is a fantastic mix of Asian and European influences. Inside, in the central throne room is completely encrusted with scenes made of colourful tiles; similar to Wat Arun in Bangkok, but even more dimensional and elaborate. The effect is visually stunning. When I am emperor, you can be sure my tiny tumbleweed home will be tricked out in a similarly overwhelming display of tile.

Detail of the Citadel grounds.

Citadel. Hue, Vietnam.

Watching the ball drop on 2012

Normally as a new year arrives I am filled with contemplation about what the previous year meant, and what I want the new year to be. The amazing sense of endless possibilities marked by a new year is a feeling I look forward to. I don’t feel it as strongly this year, I think because this adventure is, in many ways, a series of days that each hold infinite possibilities. Why I couldn’t harness this feeling every day back home, I don’t know. But I think it’s easier when everything surrounding you is new and unfamiliar.

As with Christmas, it’s bizarre experiencing a holiday in a new place, without familiar surroundings, but on Cat Ba Island there was no shortage of fellow travelers who were looking to celebrate. Earlier that day, we had been given several flyers from different bars advertising drink prices and offering such successes in life as to be always “Money in the Pocket” and “Funky in Life” and “Never Sad and Always Fun!” We found some people we’d met earlier that day at The Good Bar, and had a Good Time! 

Perhaps too much of a Good Time, considering we had to get up early for the last day of the tour which included a bus ride then a boat, then another bus, and for us, a night train at the end of it all. Hungover + bus/sea/car sick = a rough start to 2013.