I invited my dear friend Khiem to accompany me for a weekend in Nha Trang, a lovely coastal city 200 miles north of Ho Chi Minh City.
We decided to take the train, scheduled to depart at 6:40 p.m. Friday,
and arriving in Nha Trang at 5:30 a.m. Saturday. Kheim then learned that
he may have to work late Friday. This put our plans into a tailspin. We
were further disheartened when I received the train tickets and mistakenly
read the departure time as 5:40 p.m. Khiem said simply, "I cannot go."
I panicked and cursed, then went down to the hotel lobby to ask about
a refund. The receptionist pointed out that I had read the departure time
on the return leg of the trip, that the train would depart Saigon at 6:40
p.m., as originally planned. I called Khiem back and he was very excited
to learn that all plans were back on track. He would meet me at the train
station when he finished working, approximately 6:00 p.m.
I went to the train station early and waited, becoming progressively more nervous as 6:00, then 6:15, then 6:30 went by... Suddenly Khiem appeared and I breathed a big sigh of relief. We went to our berth and prepared to depart. It was hotter than hell inside the train, and people delayed their boarding until the last minute. Also, I had to pee, but was informed that the rest rooms were closed until the train departed the station. Later I learned why. There is no sewage holding tank on this train. The sewage empties directly onto the tracks. I thought about the poor people who lived close to the train tracks. The train passes within inches of their homes. Not only do they suffer the noise of train whistles at all hours of the night, but get to enjoy the lovely aroma of splattered human feces in their back yard.
We enjoyed the view of the Vietnamese countryside until it became too
dark to see. As the temperature dropped to a tolerable level, we made
ourselves comfortable in our berths. The berths were not the best available,
even on this train. The best berths had padded mattresses, and 4 berths
to a room. We had the hard berths, metal platforms covered with a straw
mat. They were stacked three-high, a total of six per room. We did receive
pillows and a light blanket, though. After all, Vietnamese people freeze
when the temperature drops below 75 degress. I felt sorry for the poor
people who were riding on the hard benches in the front of the train.
We settled in and tried to sleep.
We arrived in Nha Trang on time, 5:30 a.m.,and were wondering what to do about a hotel. The usual check-in time is early afternoon, so we might have to pay for an extra day if we wanted to sleep now. Just then two boys approached us and asked if we needed a hotel. Khiem arranged to have them drive us on their motorbikes to the hotel. We boarded their motorbikes and slithered through pedestrians and other motorbikes to get to the street, during which time, the driver managed to scrape my knee against another motorbike. Nothing serious, just enough to cause a bruise. When we arrived at the hotel, Khiem showed me his knee, where his driver had deposited some of Khiem's skin onto another motorbike.
We checked into the Ha Minh Hotel, and I was delighted to learn that the
room was $8 per night. It was one of these classic Vietnamese hotels,
14 feet wide and 4 stories tall. It was clean, had a private bath and
air-con, so what the hell? We slept for a couple of hours before venturing
out to see Nha Trang.
The hotel staff arranged for us to take a boat ride out to the islands just off the coast. The cost was about $4.00 per person and included lunch. We were with a group of tourists, some from Australia, a few from Japan, even a Dutchman. I was the only American, as I often was during this vacation. Apparently, American tourists are only now becoming aware of how beautiful and safe this country is. So, I recommend visiting Vietnam now, before it becomes over-commercialized, like Thailand.
We toured several
islands, stopping to swim or snorkel for awhile before going to the next
island. The ocean breeze was very cool and relaxing, especially after
experiencing the heat and humidity of Ho Chi Minh City. I had developed
an ear infection during this trip, and could not enjoy the swimming activities.
I watched Khiem, instead.
We toured a fish farm where fish were kept for the enjoyment of the tourists.
By the mid-afternoon, I was becoming bored with the boat scene. I wanted
to see more of Nha Trang and hang out at the beach. I felt guilty that
I was in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and was bored. I guess
my ear infection had spoiled my water sports, and I was not happy about
it. We finally returned to the dock, where the small bus took us back
to the hotel.
Khiem and I wandered
around Nha Trang for awhile, looking for a good place to eat. We became
lost for a while until we spotted a familiar street. Nha Trang is not
that big, so to become lost there is somewhat of an embarrassment.
April 14, 2001
The next day, Khiem
wanted to go to Monkey Island, a small island populated by, you guessed
it, monkeys. The boat dock was a few kilometers out of town, so Khiem
suggested that we rent a motorbike and drive ourselves there. 
He asked the hotel receptionist about the rental and was told the motorbike
rented for 50,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND) per day. That's about $3.50 in
American money. So we rented a Honda 110 that would act as our Silver
Cloud, and rode to the boat dock just north of town.
We parked the motorbike with an attendant, as is the custom in Vietnam. You usually leave your bike with an attendant who gives you a number and protects your bike from theft for a small fee. Then, when you return, you get your bike back and tip the attendant. We're talking pennies here.
I asked Khiem what time we would be back on shore. I didn't want to spend
the entire day on a boat. He assured me that we would be back at the dock
by 2:00 p.m. So, we bought 2 tickets for $5.00 and boarded a tourist boat
along with 4 other people.
The two crewmen were very young and very friendly. We determined that
we would not have enough time to visit Monkey Island and return by 2:00
p.m., so we decided to go to Orchid Island instead. The island is famous
for it's beautiful waterfalls. I did not complain about the change in
plans because, after all, waterfalls don't bite.
We arrived at Orchid Island and I noticed that there was an abundance
of fruit trees and birdlife. I theorized that someone could live here
for quite sometime, living off the land and sea. There was plenty of food
and fresh water. Since we were docked on the leeward side of the island,
there was no breeze as we began our strenuous hike to the waterfalls.
Some of the other tourists began to slow down after awhile due to the
heat. Khiem and I went ahead and found the first waterfall.
We were in the
water, cooling off and enjoying ourselves for more than 10 minutes before
anyone else arrived. I guess, after 14 days in Vietnam, that the heat
was not bothering me anymore.
We hiked up to
the second waterfall which provided a spectacular view of the channel
between us and Nha Trang. We swam and enjoyed the jungle atmosphere for
awhile before heading back to the beach.
The small open-air
snack bar was open for business, even though there were only 6 tourists.
We found out that we could rent a shack on the island and spend the night
for only $4.00 per night. The shack was just one huge room, with toilet
facilities located around back in a separate building. It seemed like
something I might want to do next time I came to Nha Trang. After some
time to rest, it was time to head back to Nha Trang.
Khiem drove the motorbike back to town safely and we prepared to check
out and go back to Saigon. We departed Nha Trang, having spent a wonderful
weekend in a beautiful place, and spending less than $50.00.
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