Whale Island
Trip Start
Nov 01, 2007
1
19
26
Trip End
Nov 20, 2007
Nha Trang,
Vietnam
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
We checked out of our uptown hotel this morning and drove across town to the airport. Clever me - I managed to leave my hoodie at the hotel. Not a problem for me, I think, while I'm in Vietnam, but not good for my flight to England! I am hoping that James will remember to bring my fleece to LHR next week or I'll be freezing in just my t-shirt and hiking pants.
The flight with Vietnam Airlines was fine, nothing special, so all good. We landed at Nha Trang after circling the airport for half an hour, maybe some problem with the landing? Nha Trang airport is very small, a bit like one on a tiny Greek island. I hunted some time for a trolley for my backpack. I'm confused; I flew to Bangkok with it weighing about 15kg, but at Saigon it was 21kg! How did that happen? I bought one t-shirt only as a souvenir and that doesn't weight 6kg. anyway, it took ages to find a trolley and it wasn't that great when I got it. My backpack kept escaping, finding new and creative ways to fall off. I'll stop complaining about the shopping trolleys at Waitrose; they, at least, go more or less in the same direction. My airport trolley clearly had a mind of its own, its three wheels all trying to go in different directions at the same time.
We got to our bus and had to heft out luggage up through the back window. Why didn't they stow it all in the side lockers is beyond me, but with hindsight, I think maybe it's deliberate to add to our sense of adventure and make it feel different and special. It was twilight as we departed a little after 5pm. First we drove through Nha Trang Town which is pretty and where the locals hang out. Next, upmarket Nha Trang Beach, fully of fancy tourist hotels and international restaurants. All these buildings have gone up in the past year, it seems. Nha Trang is trying to be to Vietnam what Phuket is to Thailand. Hoorah - the Benidorm-in-waiting for Vietnam? I sincerely hope not, but with mass tourism comes money and jobs. I hope the place doesn't change too much more.
Our journey through the night probably felt more precarious than it really was, but when you're bumping along roads in various states of repair, it feels pretty hairy. I find, also, that people don't worry too much about driving on the wrong side of the road, either they they're overtaking or because they want to avoid a huge pothole. All fun, especially with a large tanker playing chicken on your side of the road!
Eventually our bus ride finished and we were at the dock to catch a local boat over to Whale Island. It's high tide, so a bit of wading was necessary to get on the boar. For me, it was off with my hiking boots and socks, and pants rolled up as high as they'd go. I tied my boots around my neck so they wouldn't get wet. I looked pretty stylish, I can tell you! The sea water was only ankle deep so it was an easy wade across the beach to the wooden jetty. I'm so glad I had my head torch easily accessible because it was pretty dark out there. 20 minutes in the dark crossing the China Sea and we're at our island paradise.
Michele and I are sharing a bungalow. This is made of bamboo and has two beds with mossie nets, and a seriously big ceiling fan. We also have a bathroom with loo and wet room-style shower facilities, so we have everything we need/ a quick freshen up then wander down the beach path to find the restaurant where a veritable banquet awaited us. I went o bed early, and am glad I did because I'd have ended up getting very hammered on rice wine if I'd stayed with the others.
