Nha Trang - easy riding

Walking around this morning checking out dive shops I'm approached by a guy on a motorbike. This is a very, very common occurance in this part of the world, they usually ask if you need a ride. My guy (who turned out to be called Lam) was different; he asked if I was going to Hoi An. That was my plan.





Over breakfast he explained he was one of the "easy rider" crew, who do motorbike tours of the Ho Chi Minh trail. He could take me to Hoi An over five days, staying in rural areas, in places where tourists are thin on the ground and seeing sights a lot of people miss. He was persuasive (he has a big book of glowing recommendations) and I'm pretty sold on motorbiking at the moment anyway, so I've signed up for the trip. He gave me a complementary bike tour of Nha Trang to demonstrate his riding prowess. I hope he turns up, I paid him a sensible deposit.





I had planned to spend only tomorrow diving, but when it's $36 for two dives it seems silly not to hang around. I found a dive shop with a Texan ex-pat called Mike, and the two of us had a beer and put the world to rights as I signed up for two days of diving.



The afternoon finds me on the beach alternating between reading, splashing in the sea and swimming in a pool. It's a tough life, but someone has to have it.



The evening is spent at a few bars meeting new people, which is always a barrel of fun.

Nha Trang - We were Bikers

Had an early-morning dip in the sea, because I can. Looked at kitesurfing, it's a little pricey and I can probably do that any time so that idea goes on the back burner. The idea very much on the front burner is renting a motorbike to speed over to the dunes, which is exactly what I do.



After a slightly wobbly start (entirely justified I think, as I have never ridden a motorbike before) I soon feel like I've got the hang of it. Before long I am bombing along country and coastal roads which are wide, quiet, well paved and gently twisting, with a breeze in my face and beautiful blue sky above me. You'd be surprised how fast the little motor-scooter things can go (100kph). Vietnam is such a beautiful country, it's no wonder the Commies want it.


I find the first set of dunes, rent a little plastic board and slide down a few times. I move on to find the next set, 20km further on. I think I took a wrong turning because I didn't find them, and I can't ask for directions for obvious reasons*. I don't care one iota - the ride is great and I am loving the motorbike. I will definitely do this again.


Bus on to Nha Trang, which is pretty cool - I get a very nice guesthouse for a very sensible price, then find out I have arrived for the last day of the festival. I find a huge square rammed with people - there must at least 10,000 - and a stage with singers and dancers performing. It was particularly good because of the height distribution. Usually, despite being six feet tall, I can't see that far in crowds - the reason is that most people are tall enough that the top of their head is at or above my eye level, so height is no great advantage.



This is not the case in south east asia. I could see over EVERYONE. People were commenting, asking me to take pictures from my vantage point, and it was fantastic. The night finished with fireworks. I like Nha Trang.





*I am in Vietnam; no one speaks english**


**Also, asking for directions is for losers

Mui Ne - establishing a beachhead

Feel very refreshed by my epic night of sleep, and immediately wander over to the Independence Palace where I can see rooms preserved from when it was attacked and captured by the North in 1975. I've booked my bus out of here at 3pm so have some time to kill - I head to the botanical gardens, only to find they are also a zoo. I have not been to a zoo for years. I go to the zoo.

One hair-raising moto ride back and it's on my way to Mui Ne on the beach. On the bus I meet the swedish Andreas and two Aussie girls - Andreas and I decide to share a room for the night for cheapness. We end up getting a twin bungalow about 15m from the warm sea and with a resort pool 15m in the opposite direction, for $10. I am seriously loving Vietnam right now.

There's very little to do in Mui Ne, it is a resort/watersport town. I think about kitesurfing, but my main priority is Mui Ne's premier attraction, sand dunes. Tomorrow I will go and slide down dunes.

Saigon - war is hell

We all join a tour of the Cu Chi tunnels, which the VC used against the French, then against the Americans back in the war. You can go into the tunnels, which is painful for me seeing as I'm pretty tall even by Western standards. We also see a lot of painful traps, mostly involving sharp bamboo spikes, nails and poisons.

They have a rifle range there where you can buy bullets and use the types of guns which the combatants used. I purchased eight rounds of 5.56mm ammunition and fired an American M-16 at some cardboard targets of animals. It was very, very fun.

Once back in town, I move hotel (the one we're staying in has a very nice room and a less nice price) and visit the War Remenants museum, the best part of which has to be the American tanks, heavy guns and planes parked outside. The hardest part of the museum to view is the photographs of the children born to people exposed to Agent Orange.

I see the girls off at six and am now officially on my own. I celebrate by having a few drinks, and then go to bed very, very early. I am knackered from all the late nights and early mornings, and this is my chance to recharge without anyone thinking me lame.

Saigon - move out, soldier

Most of today was spent on a bus, but after arriving in Ho Chi Minh city (hereafter referred to as Saigon, seeing as that's what most of Vietnam does) Melanie, Sindy and I had ice creams, visited the impressive post office and took a gander at Notre Dame, a cathederal in the middle of town which seems incredibly out of place.



Dinner is the best yet, tender beef cubes with toast and chilli rice. It's my last night with the girls, so we have a few drinks to celebrate or comiserate, depending on who you ask.

Chau Doc - don't mention the war

Today was spent in minivans and buses, but after a painless border crossing I am in Vietnam! After arriving and enjoying quite possibly the poshest hotel I've ever seen, we went motorbiking round the area, and louunged in hammocks drinking beer and watching the sunset. First impressions of Vietnam are very promising.



After dinner I wander around a bit, and within a few minutes I walk past a table of Vietnamese youths. They invite me to join, ply me with some local spirits and feed me some food which they claim is dog, though I'm skeptical. First impressions of Vietnam are extremely good.

Sihanoukville - splashing around

Got up, put on my swimshorts, got on a boat and did some snorkelling. The water was quite murky, but I did see a few striped fish and a huge sea urchin. We floated off to a beach where after some determined playing in the sea we settled down for a baraccuda lunch. One more beach later we get back on the boat to another snorkel spot, but the visibility here is so bad we amuse ourselves by jumping off the boat for half an hour.

Back at base I hop on a motorbike taxi which takes me to a separate beach, much quieter than the local one, where I relax and read my book. I ask for some food - pineapple and mango slices - and when I pay they try and rip me off, but I manage to mitigate the damage. Back to my beach hut and I take my swimshorts off. Ten hours in total. Very good day.

I'm initially up for a night out, but along with quite a few others am hit by weariness during the evening meal. Sitting around sunning myself has really taken it out of me. One quick night walk along the beach (which went up several points of dodgyness in the dark) and it's back to the beach hut.