FootLoose in Asia This journal is primarily for family and friends to follow our progress on our SouthEast Asia adventure through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and possibly Malaysia and Myanmar (Burma). Hopefully there will also be some useful information to others planning a trip to thease areas.

Nha Trang, Vietnam – 5 to 8 February, 2007 After experiencing the packed minibus from the hotel in Dalat to the travel agents office, we boarded the big bus for our journey to Nha Trang. Fortunately it was only a six hour trip as the bus was somewhat the worse for wear. The headrests were torn up, the seats very worn, and the seat D & J were on was not firmly bolted to the floor so it rocked back and forth at every start and stop. To top it off, the air conditioning didn’t work very well, so everyone had the windows open. All this in what is supposed to be a luxury bus. Fortunately a few people transferred to a minibus to another destination about four hours into the trip, so we were able to spread out between two rows and have a bit more room to sweat. The bus stopped a short distance to the beach at one of the bus company’s partner hotels. This seems a favorite way to populate the hotels associated with the bus service or hotels that give the bus company a kickback. We knew about this tactic, but were also aware that the hotels are sometimes good deals and it is worth taking a look at the rooms. We took a look, and as we didn’t have a place booked we decided it would do. At $8 a night with A/C and hot water we thought it was a pretty good deal, our cheapest so far. D soon had her sleep sack out and it wasn’t long before we had visitors. A swam of tiny bugs found our food stash. D was quick to toss the invaded food but J had other ideas he brushed off the little visitors and put the sweets in a ziplock bag. Down the road a bit D was happy all the food was not lost. In our usual fashion, after checking in we went for a walkabout to check out the area. The beach was a ten to fifteen minute walk from the hotel, and what a beautiful beach it is. It seems to go on as far as the eye can see, and there is almost no development on the beach itself. With only a couple of exceptions, all hotels, shops, and restaurants are located across the road that runs parallel to the beach We were surprised at how few people were on the beach as it is high season in Vietnam. We did learn that part of the reason was the winds pick up significantly after about 1:00 PM so people tend to clear the beach then. Even the morning crowds were sparse however. We continued our stroll along the beach to the south and as we hadn’t eaten we thought we would find a place for lunch/dinner. After a short walk we came to what can only be described as almost heaven. It was the first brewpub (Louisianne Brew Pub) we have encountered since Singapore, and it is one of the few exceptions that is set right on the beach. In addition they have a swimming pool and fixed thatched beach umbrellas that are free for the use of their customers. The only downside is you have to buy a beer (or something else) to use them, bummer! While not up to Tupper’s Hop Pocket standard, J thought the Pils was very good, and D liked the Red Ale. This was to become a location of a daily visit for at least one meal during our stay in Nha Trang. The next day we strolled the opposite way on the beach, but there wasn’t much to see other than empty beach. We then reversed course and found ourselves back at the brew pub for lunch. D got to meet the owner and brewer who are both Australians and asked why they didn’t do an IPA or a stout. The answer was they would like to, but it was too hot and people wanted lighter beers. The rest of the day was spent wandering around the town and visiting a few shops. Late in the day we wandered past a hair stylist, and D decided to get her hair cut. The stylist did a great job and the grand total was the equivalent of $1.79 for the cut, and another $1.79 for the style. We decided to take a full day boat trip for our last full day in Nha Trang. The shuttle bus picked us up at the hotel about 7:30 AM and proceeded to pick up at other hotels before heading to the port. As we picked up a load of Aussies and Brits at the booking agents office, we knew we were in for an interesting day when they all got on the bus with beers in hand. At the next pickup stop, a couple of them got off to run into a close by shop to pick up more beer. It turns out they had been partying all night, and a couple were the worse for wear. We finally reached the port and boarded the boat for our island tour. It wasn’t five minutes into the voyage when one of the Aussies lost his breakfast of beer. Without a flinch, he explained he was just making way for more. The plan was to visit four islands. The first was a park area and we would have the opportunity for swimming and snorkeling. The second was a resort island, and parasailing and jet skis were available for an extra cost. We would then have lunch on the boat along with a sing-along and a floating bar just off the third island. Finally we would visit an aquarium on the fourth island. We hadn’t even moored at the first location when the wild bunch was doing cannonballs off the roof of the boat. We all had a nice swim, and then it was on to the island resort. The resort was busy as all the tour boats run the same loop and seem to arrive everywhere at the same time. It was also expensive with nickel and dime charges for everything from putting foot on shore to a seat under an umbrella. D & J found some shade on a wall and watched some of the group try parasailing. The parasailers went in tandem at a cost of about $15 each or $30 for both. We timed their trip, and from the time of takeoff to landing, it was a total of 2 ½ minutes. The best part of the day was the lunch and floating bar. The bench seats on the boat all fold down to make a large table. On this the crew sat five groups of food consisting of rice, noodles, fish, pork, vegetables, spring rolls, and fruit. Everyone had soon scarfed up on the food so they began the sing-along. The crew all formed a band with one on guitar, one on drums, one on tambourine, and one singing. They had everyone on the table dancing, and it wasn’t long before even D and her bad arm was on the table doing the twist. After lunch they launched the floating bar. This is a home made contraption made from some type of circular float with a seat in the middle and a type of bar top around the outside edge. The bar top isn’t for serving drinks, but instead to rest your feet on as you float on your back while the barman in the middle keeps topping up your glass. The drink of the day was Mulberry wine from Dalat. J turned out to be a hero when the bar ran out of wine and he swam back to the boat to fetch the last three bottles. These were dropped over the side to him in a box, and he managed to catch it and get it back to the bar without loosing a single bottle to Davy Jones. The aquarium was a let down as it was simply oversized fist tanks with some very large fish, turtles, and sharks stuffed into too small a space. From there it was back to the dock to unload after a full day in the sun and water. Instead of taking us back to the hotel, we had the bus drop us off at the brew pub for a last dinner and beer before leaving Nha Trang the next morning. Next stop Hoi An.