Sun, sand, and relaxation...a bland account
Trip Start
Oct 04, 2005
1
35
62
Trip End
Ongoing
Nha Trang is THE party place in Southern Vietnam. It's the place to go on an all day booze cruise and then go out and mingle at clubs and bars with names like the "Sailing Club" and "Red Apple". It's where you take mud baths and hook up with other travellers. It's also the premier Vietnamese dive place. When I planned to go there I was all set to dive, to dance the night away, and get over that hang over while laying on the white sand beach. After all this time of reflection and solitude, I thought I was ready to get back in the action. Well, I guess I thought wrong. Going to Nha Trang was almost a culture shock with all the other foreigners around and the glitz of neon signs lighting up the night. Never were the vendors more aggressive (on the beach no less!) or the cyclo and moto drivers more persistant. NO!! I do not want a ride. I walk! NO!! I do not want a mango! No banana! I definitely don't need another bracelet and why would I get a manicure while travelling? The art of smiling and saying no and then looking away, even when it's a little kid hassling you, is something everyone must master when in Vietnam. By the end of my two days at Nha Trang I think I deserve a black belt in rejection skills. But besides the stress of just being in the hustle and bustle of Vietnam, I did do a lot of relaxing and just laying on the beach. I found that after 5 1/2 months of travelling, and the last month of moving from place to place pretty rapidly, I was totally exhausted. I just didn't feeling like partying or diving or even snorkeling. I just felt like sleeping, reading my books, and reviving what's left of my tan. Unfortunately I overdid that one and got really burned and now look like I have some sort of skin disease due to huge patches of peeling skin. Since it's the off season, there aren't many backpackers around, and no one on the beach, so I guess I wasn't missing out on much. I have made friends with Angelique, a Dutch girl also on her own, and after all the boys it's been nice chatting and having some giggle fests. So off I go tonight on the dreaded Open Tour night bus to Hoi An, with no real feelings of regret or relief. Nha Trang has been a rest stop, and not much more.
