Monday, August 1st, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Vietnam - Nha Trang - Day 1 - Hon Mieu Tour
Sunday, July 31st, 2011
It's 4:30AM and some fools are already up, holding a noisy 4-person seminar in the middle of the aisle. The sun is starting to creep up and we're rolling pass the beautiful countryside.
However, I couldn't get too upset at the four early birds because they sounded real excited. But even though I wasn't sleeping very well due to the bumpy ride, I was feeling real grumpy. The wooden tracks definitely need an upgrade. It felt real unsafe but the fact that we weren't going all that fast eased the feeling.
The sun was up and out around 5:00AM. The hillside and farmland illuminated with vibrant colors and it became a pleasant sight. As picturesque as it was, I was too beat to pull out the iPhone to snap any pictures.
I daydreamed all the way to the destination.
When the train came to a screeching stop, we exited down the few steps into a small corridor blocked off by a wall that looked to be the back of some building. We walked southwest towards the exit amidst a strong trashy stench that was unbearable. A bunch of garbage was swept up against the side of the wall. We walked through the train station to the front and picked off one of the many awaiting taxis.
The taxi ride on over to Yasaka hotel was a mere 7 minutes. Nha Trang is a very small city. It is known for its' beaches and the surrounding islands.
Our hotel was on the corner of Yersin and Tran Phu -- Tran Phu is the big main street that runs up and down the coastline. We arrived around 6:05AM and couldn't check in until 2:00PM. The hotel did have a nice downstairs bathroom that we used to wash up. We dropped our luggage in the lobby area, received our check tag and tipped the bellhop.
Around 6:35AM, we starting walking around to look for food. We walked out on Tran Phu and turned on Yersin. To our left was a restaurant that was linked to our hotel. We decided to eat here. It was 100,000 VND ($5) for an all-you-can-eat breakfast. The food was fresh and solid. To name a few items, the buffet had eggs, sausages, bread, porridge, fried rice, chow mein, pho, and bun bo hue. Their watermelon juice dispenser was so fresh and natural that I had six glasses worth.
When I finished eating around 8:00AM, I jumped on the hotel's Wi-Fi (which was available on the buffet grounds), and looked for an ATM machine. I ran around the corner to hit up an ATM, while Sonny, Linh, Momma, and Sam finished up. I met them up afterwards at the hotel and it was nearing 8:30AM. As tired as we were, I decided to book a tour in an effort to salvage time. The tour I wanted to go on actually started at 8:30AM so we just missed it. I settled for the 9:00AM one: Hon Mieu tour. Hon Mieu is one of the main islands off the coast of Nha Trang. The guy asked me if I wanted to add $10 total to upgrade to a private speedster boat. I agreed. The $10 came on top of $25 per person, so I paid about $135.
We lounged around in the lobby area while we waited for the 9:00AM shuttle. A couple of us ran across the street to take in the beach scenery.
We boarded the bus just passed 9:00AM with another group of about 6 people. The big shuttle was pretty clean and had tons of open seats. We had a pretty female host with sharp Vietnamese. The shuttle ride down south on Tran Phu took about 15 minutes to reach the dock. We also had our own personal host, a nice dude named Dung. He accompanied us for the entire tour.
At the docking area, we boarded our own speedboat with Dung and 3 workers. Our boat first sped all the way out to Hon Mun island via the South China Sea, where for $25, you can go snorkeling. Nobody wanted to go in the water so I decided not to either. Instead, we paid $25 ($5 per person) to board a bigger boat to watch the corral reef by way of dryness. The big boat had green windows on the bottom of the boat. I thought it was pretty weak but my mom and her sister enjoyed it. After this, we re-boarded the speedster and sped over to the floating village area (which I think was between Hon Mot island and the big Hon Tre island). It was similar to the floating shop in Ha Long Bay. We had the option to buy live seafood for them to add to our luncheon in a couple hours. They would cook it for free. However, we didn't buy anything and got back on the boat over to Hon Mieu island.
This spot had nice clear water. We decked out under the umbrella on the sun chairs and passed out from 11:00AM until lunch time, which was around noon.
Lunch was delicious. The food was fresh and perfectly made. The eggrolls were golden crispy and made a nice crunch on every bite. I don't know what kind of fish was the fish dish but it was soak in a savory sauce topped with red chili peppers. The water spinach was nicely fried with garlic. The squid dish was sauteed with green and yellow bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, cilantro, and celery. The soup had tomatoes, pineapples, green onions, and shrimp. The coconut smoothies were so fresh that we didn't just go after seconds but thirds.
After lunch, we had a couple hours to play until 3:30PM. After watching other people jet ski and wade in the water, we all resume our naps and slept until 3:15PM. That's when the sky was turning cloudy and gloomy. We boarded the speedboat ten minutes earlier than schedule to beat the incoming storm. We made it back to the harbor just before the thunder hit. Heavy rain followed the thunder.
We boarded the shuttle and back we went to the hotel. When we got to the hotel, we picked up our luggage in the lobby and checked into our two rooms. Sonny and I stayed in one room (two queen size beds), while Momma, Sam, and Linh stayed in the other. I think we were on the 8th floor. Our rooms were a couple doors down from each other on opposite sides. Close enough.
I let the four of them settle in while I got into the taxi out to Ga Nha Trang (train station) to exchange the train tickets. We initially were gonna stay two nights but my Mom wanted to go back the next day. Exchanging the tickets induced a fee of 10 to 20 percent. Sucks but that's what happens when you roll with an indecisive Mom.
Anyway, when I got back, I got on the Wi-Fi and researched the popular landmarks in Nha Trang. I mapped out the order of sequence to visit for the next day.
After I was done, it was time to go eat again. We got in the taxi not knowing where we were going. We asked the taxi driver if he knew a spot. He asked us what kind of food and someone blurted out seafood. He took us north on Tran Phu for about 8 minutes, made a U-turn and dropped us off at a seafood restaurant called Muoi Do (Ten Dollars). Plastic chairs lined the restaurant. There was table cloth over the table but I'm assuming the table was also plastic. The place was fairly busy. When it was time to order, we walked up to the cashier, where they had buckets of live seafood. They had four different types of clams, fish, squid, shrimp, crabs, etc. We ordered some clams and squid. A couple pounds worth of each. They fried both orders up with garlic, green onions, ginger, and some seasoning. It was served with white rice and was super good. I was licking the clam shells like a starving child. The squid was also excellent. It was so good that I wanted to try the other stuff also but I was short on cash. The ATM I went to earlier that morning only allowed me pull $100 for the day. The bill came out under $25.
After we paid the bill, we taxied back to the hotel. The time was around 6:30PM.
When the sun was readying to set, I decided we should walk down the main street. We only made it half a block down ha. We stopped at the Nha Trang Center.
It's a huge complex with about five floors that included a shopping center, an arcades entertainment center, and a few restaurants.
There was also a mini concert going on outside. Sonny and Linh went to go play the arcades. Momma and her sister, Sam, shopped, while I went to go check out the food. I got some vanilla ice cream in the food court area that was pretty solid. Then I scoped out some food joints that looked inviting so I went to gather the troops. I found Sonny and Linh in the arcades, and Momma and Sam in the accessory area of the shopping center. I ordered banh beo, banh nam, banh it, banh xeo, bun bo hue, bun thit nuong, goi cuon, and some coconut smoothies. The food was a failure. Only the banh xeo and banh beo were good.
Once we finished our second dinner, we walked back to the hotel and got back around 9:10PM. We washed up and everyone crashed by 10:00PM. We were exhausted. The results of a long day combined with the comforts of nice beds provided a sound sleep for everyone.
It's 4:30AM and some fools are already up, holding a noisy 4-person seminar in the middle of the aisle. The sun is starting to creep up and we're rolling pass the beautiful countryside.
However, I couldn't get too upset at the four early birds because they sounded real excited. But even though I wasn't sleeping very well due to the bumpy ride, I was feeling real grumpy. The wooden tracks definitely need an upgrade. It felt real unsafe but the fact that we weren't going all that fast eased the feeling.
The sun was up and out around 5:00AM. The hillside and farmland illuminated with vibrant colors and it became a pleasant sight. As picturesque as it was, I was too beat to pull out the iPhone to snap any pictures.
I daydreamed all the way to the destination.
When the train came to a screeching stop, we exited down the few steps into a small corridor blocked off by a wall that looked to be the back of some building. We walked southwest towards the exit amidst a strong trashy stench that was unbearable. A bunch of garbage was swept up against the side of the wall. We walked through the train station to the front and picked off one of the many awaiting taxis.
The taxi ride on over to Yasaka hotel was a mere 7 minutes. Nha Trang is a very small city. It is known for its' beaches and the surrounding islands.
Our hotel was on the corner of Yersin and Tran Phu -- Tran Phu is the big main street that runs up and down the coastline. We arrived around 6:05AM and couldn't check in until 2:00PM. The hotel did have a nice downstairs bathroom that we used to wash up. We dropped our luggage in the lobby area, received our check tag and tipped the bellhop.
Around 6:35AM, we starting walking around to look for food. We walked out on Tran Phu and turned on Yersin. To our left was a restaurant that was linked to our hotel. We decided to eat here. It was 100,000 VND ($5) for an all-you-can-eat breakfast. The food was fresh and solid. To name a few items, the buffet had eggs, sausages, bread, porridge, fried rice, chow mein, pho, and bun bo hue. Their watermelon juice dispenser was so fresh and natural that I had six glasses worth.
When I finished eating around 8:00AM, I jumped on the hotel's Wi-Fi (which was available on the buffet grounds), and looked for an ATM machine. I ran around the corner to hit up an ATM, while Sonny, Linh, Momma, and Sam finished up. I met them up afterwards at the hotel and it was nearing 8:30AM. As tired as we were, I decided to book a tour in an effort to salvage time. The tour I wanted to go on actually started at 8:30AM so we just missed it. I settled for the 9:00AM one: Hon Mieu tour. Hon Mieu is one of the main islands off the coast of Nha Trang. The guy asked me if I wanted to add $10 total to upgrade to a private speedster boat. I agreed. The $10 came on top of $25 per person, so I paid about $135.
We lounged around in the lobby area while we waited for the 9:00AM shuttle. A couple of us ran across the street to take in the beach scenery.
We boarded the bus just passed 9:00AM with another group of about 6 people. The big shuttle was pretty clean and had tons of open seats. We had a pretty female host with sharp Vietnamese. The shuttle ride down south on Tran Phu took about 15 minutes to reach the dock. We also had our own personal host, a nice dude named Dung. He accompanied us for the entire tour.
At the docking area, we boarded our own speedboat with Dung and 3 workers. Our boat first sped all the way out to Hon Mun island via the South China Sea, where for $25, you can go snorkeling. Nobody wanted to go in the water so I decided not to either. Instead, we paid $25 ($5 per person) to board a bigger boat to watch the corral reef by way of dryness. The big boat had green windows on the bottom of the boat. I thought it was pretty weak but my mom and her sister enjoyed it. After this, we re-boarded the speedster and sped over to the floating village area (which I think was between Hon Mot island and the big Hon Tre island). It was similar to the floating shop in Ha Long Bay. We had the option to buy live seafood for them to add to our luncheon in a couple hours. They would cook it for free. However, we didn't buy anything and got back on the boat over to Hon Mieu island.
This spot had nice clear water. We decked out under the umbrella on the sun chairs and passed out from 11:00AM until lunch time, which was around noon.
Lunch was delicious. The food was fresh and perfectly made. The eggrolls were golden crispy and made a nice crunch on every bite. I don't know what kind of fish was the fish dish but it was soak in a savory sauce topped with red chili peppers. The water spinach was nicely fried with garlic. The squid dish was sauteed with green and yellow bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, cilantro, and celery. The soup had tomatoes, pineapples, green onions, and shrimp. The coconut smoothies were so fresh that we didn't just go after seconds but thirds.
After lunch, we had a couple hours to play until 3:30PM. After watching other people jet ski and wade in the water, we all resume our naps and slept until 3:15PM. That's when the sky was turning cloudy and gloomy. We boarded the speedboat ten minutes earlier than schedule to beat the incoming storm. We made it back to the harbor just before the thunder hit. Heavy rain followed the thunder.
We boarded the shuttle and back we went to the hotel. When we got to the hotel, we picked up our luggage in the lobby and checked into our two rooms. Sonny and I stayed in one room (two queen size beds), while Momma, Sam, and Linh stayed in the other. I think we were on the 8th floor. Our rooms were a couple doors down from each other on opposite sides. Close enough.
I let the four of them settle in while I got into the taxi out to Ga Nha Trang (train station) to exchange the train tickets. We initially were gonna stay two nights but my Mom wanted to go back the next day. Exchanging the tickets induced a fee of 10 to 20 percent. Sucks but that's what happens when you roll with an indecisive Mom.
Anyway, when I got back, I got on the Wi-Fi and researched the popular landmarks in Nha Trang. I mapped out the order of sequence to visit for the next day.
After I was done, it was time to go eat again. We got in the taxi not knowing where we were going. We asked the taxi driver if he knew a spot. He asked us what kind of food and someone blurted out seafood. He took us north on Tran Phu for about 8 minutes, made a U-turn and dropped us off at a seafood restaurant called Muoi Do (Ten Dollars). Plastic chairs lined the restaurant. There was table cloth over the table but I'm assuming the table was also plastic. The place was fairly busy. When it was time to order, we walked up to the cashier, where they had buckets of live seafood. They had four different types of clams, fish, squid, shrimp, crabs, etc. We ordered some clams and squid. A couple pounds worth of each. They fried both orders up with garlic, green onions, ginger, and some seasoning. It was served with white rice and was super good. I was licking the clam shells like a starving child. The squid was also excellent. It was so good that I wanted to try the other stuff also but I was short on cash. The ATM I went to earlier that morning only allowed me pull $100 for the day. The bill came out under $25.
After we paid the bill, we taxied back to the hotel. The time was around 6:30PM.
When the sun was readying to set, I decided we should walk down the main street. We only made it half a block down ha. We stopped at the Nha Trang Center.
It's a huge complex with about five floors that included a shopping center, an arcades entertainment center, and a few restaurants.
There was also a mini concert going on outside. Sonny and Linh went to go play the arcades. Momma and her sister, Sam, shopped, while I went to go check out the food. I got some vanilla ice cream in the food court area that was pretty solid. Then I scoped out some food joints that looked inviting so I went to gather the troops. I found Sonny and Linh in the arcades, and Momma and Sam in the accessory area of the shopping center. I ordered banh beo, banh nam, banh it, banh xeo, bun bo hue, bun thit nuong, goi cuon, and some coconut smoothies. The food was a failure. Only the banh xeo and banh beo were good.
Once we finished our second dinner, we walked back to the hotel and got back around 9:10PM. We washed up and everyone crashed by 10:00PM. We were exhausted. The results of a long day combined with the comforts of nice beds provided a sound sleep for everyone.
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