Vietnam - Nha Trang and Hoi An
Hey All,
So we arrived in Nha Trang at about 7am having slept pretty well on our night bus from HCMC to find that there was a fully fledged storm outside – not ideal for a beach town.
Not to be deterred we decided to go for a walk along the beach and find some breakfast. The weather was atrocious; howling winds and needle sharp rain. After we were full we trudged on and had a wonder about the town. If it was nicer I’m sure that Nha Trang is a really lovely place – as it was I wasn’t warming to it!
In the end however the rain wasn’t getting any weaker so we decided that this was a good oportunity to catch up on some sleep and do internet/indoor things!
In the evening we met 4 diving instructors that were living in Nha Trang and went for some drinks and food. It was during these drinks that the rain got REALLY bad. Within about 15mins it had rained so much there was blockage somewhere and the whole street flooded. There must have been about 6/7 inches of water which was well onto the pavement and entering some sh0ps and bars.
The next day it was nicer but the storm had made the water horrible and had scattered most of a neighboroughing islands foliage all over Nha Trang beach. Becase of this we decided to rent a motorbike and go and look at some inland attractions. We were recommended to go to Bo Ha waterfall as “it isn’t very touristy and you can ‘be with nature’”. This was the understatment of the century and where our Nha Trang adventure really began. We rode off in the direction we had been told with no map and just the name of the place written on a piece of paper to stick under the nose of a local. There were no sign but the locals were very helpful and after about 45mins we found ourselves on a tiny dirt track heading towards the jungle.
We came to a sign saying “Bo Ha Waterfall Tourism Area” however there was noone to be seen just a dirt slope and a noise. We began to climb.
First we passed a snake with a multi coulored head and this probaly should have been our sign to turn around and pay a local to give us a tour, however we decided, being the outdoorsy type, to carry on going. After about 10mins we got to the top having been bitten countless times by massive ants. We came to a tiny entrance to the Jungle and having just climbed for 10mins we decided we shoul sally forth. But there was no path so we were effectively we were trekking through dense jungle where we couldn’t see the ground having already seen a snake. Possibly the most stupid thing we have done to date! After about 40mins of jungle exploration we found the waterfall. Not to get bitten by snakes we decided that it may be safer to canyon down the waterfall than to trek back through the Jungle we saw a smorgasboard of crabs and spiders but it was pretty good fun but slightly challenging.
After about an hour we found an exit from the waterfall near to the top of the big mud slope so we climbed out walked past another snake and made it back down to the bike – thank god. That is enough snakes and jungle for our travels I think.
That night we got the night bus to Hoi An. Again it was OK but Katie and another girl had some cockroaches in their beds.
When we got to Hoi An we found some accomodation and went for a wander about the town. The town is really pretty and the central market was a bustling hive of activity. That evening we went out for dinner and drinks with some Danes and Aussies that we met in our hotel.
The following day we went on a bus/boat trip to the My Son temples. It was really good but our tour guide couldn’t speak english very well and got really angry at everyone but this only added to the comedy value of the trip.
This morning we got the bus to Hue. We are about to go on an explore (hopefully no jungle this time) so will give you an update soon. Hope everyone is well.
Chris and Katie
xxx