After a short flight from Danang, we arrived by taxi on a beautiful coastal road fairly hairy due to a combination of steep cliffs, heavy recent rain and a poor road surface. We were heading for Veitnam’s only real seaside town with along golden beach and had checked into the appropriately named Golden Hotel. Sadly the weather was less than golden and we stepped out of the taxi into a foot of water….here we go again. Luckily the sun came out in time for pre-prandials on the beach at the Sailing Club, where we watched the kids play in quite big waves until one caught Harley by surprise and he went from David Hasselhoff to a piece of tumbleweed in the blink of an eye. Ruby instinctively hauled him up with no regard to her personal safety before we could even get there and won a gold star for bravery.
Dinner was amazing at Truc Linh 3 (4 is being built) but the service was a bit slow as all 10 waitresses were busy cooing over Harley and ignored our order (I know, I’m just jealous). It’s great picking ut live monster prawns to eat but I had to leave poor old Larry the Lobster in his tank as he had taken on pet status with the kids.
More delicious fresh seafood ensued on our boat trip the next day on Tam Island including 3 crabs for £1.50. The others had a nibble between them and I was there for over an hour dissecting the poor beasts leg-by-leg, dipping in pepper and lime and washing it down with Tiger beer. You may say what a glutton but Ruby managed two adult portions of tuna sashimi the day before so I didn’t feel so bad.
The other stops were on Hon Mieu where there is an aquarium housed in a ghastly looking concrete ship, literally the size of the Cutty Shark and more of an eyesore even after the fire. The sharks did look menacing although they were only reef sharks, too many Jaws movies as an impressionable youngster I suppose.
Lastly and most memorable, was the fishing village which would have been by-passed altogether if we hadn’t insisted on going. The captain looked to have pulled two birds on Tam beach and was in a hurry to get back to shore. We stopped for a drink overlooking 100 or so boats bobbing about meticulously painted in blues and reds with small bamboo coracles whizzing in between. We witnessed one of these little circular boats being crushed by the machete-wielding coconut harvester as it lay upturned beneath the palm tree mercifully unmanned.
The weather wasn’t bad either as we headed on an impromptu visit to Vietnam’s version of Disneyland, Vinpearl. The approach was impressive on a 9 minute cable car and the kids were kept in the dark about where we were going adding to their excitement. The park itself was unfinished and less than spectacular. The indoor area was completed and included a bucking bronco where I nearly broke my wrist and a boxing game where I nearly broke my fist. But I was happy to get the high score even though I weigh 3 times more than the average Vietnamese.
On our last day in Nha Trang, we visited the eponymous Long Than photo gallery. Some of the black and white images of Vietnamese life were very emotive including one of a young man sprinting across the backs of water buffalo that seemed to capture the spirit of rural Vietnam. Mr THan was there in person and provided pomegranate for the kids whilst we browsed and chatted wondering how he could look so young for 55. Must be the short haircut.
The last evening Karen managed to find a bar with a Halloween party and 2-4-1 drinks. So whilst I decorated black bin liners with paper moons and stars, Karen did the make-up and tracked down the hotel’s broom. Low and behold Ruby and Harley were transformed into the witch and her cat and stole the show. All in all a good few days in a relaxing town so there was a slight sense of foreboding as we took the early taxi to the airport, destination Ho Chi Minh City, population 9m and growing fast, which could well make the hustle and bustle of Hanoi look like a country town.
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