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"