It's been a wild day or two in Vietnam!
We left Ho Chi Minh City at 8pm on a train headed North.
We shared a 4 bunk soft-sleeper with an old drunken businessman and an older old lady.
I woke every two hours, and I don't know if it was from the rocking of the train, the constant air conditioner, or the fact that I was anxious about getting off at the right stop, but each time I awoke, my sore throat was so sore, and now it just hasn't gone away. Pollution in this country is extreme.
Did I tell you, there are 5 million motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh alone?
So we arrived at 5am in Nha Trang and that's where we are now.
Our Hostel host walked us up to the 5th floor with sheets and started stripping the bunks of two of the beds in the dorm rooms. he woke everyone up while we were standing there at 5am, apologizing and just wanting to crawl into bed and sleeeeeeeeeep!
Today has been so long I can't believe it's still our first day here. After our morning sleep, and aftert a cat and mouse game of wheres Nina? where's Sus? We went for breakfast at a food stall (18,00 VND for a plate of rice, veg and pork cutlet--thats a little over $1~) and then rented a motorbike.
We decided we would find the mudbath outdoor saunas, and soak a bit. It took a bit of getting used to; driving in Vietnam is tricky business, but once I got going I was ...well...going. It helped to hae Nina talking in my ear on the back of the bike, and crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh was great practice of having to make Left handed turns in a country where no one ever stops ever, you just go. So turning left is this: honk your horn and start to go. cars and bikes will usually slow down. yup. that's it. crazy! it took over 3 hours of driving around to find that darn place! We drove up alleys, dirt roads, and even one time this extremely narrow steep street (which actually turned out to be connected to the one we wanted) that was lined with houses on either side--those houses, incidentally, were covered with barbed wire. yup. I am proud to Say that neither Nina nor I have a single scratch.
We visited the baths as well as a gorgeous confucian temple. like seriously, Crystal, you're gonna love this place. I can't wait to show you pics.
Well I'm tired and there is a dive planned for 730 am tomorrow morning. Music is buzzling all around the hostel from local backpacker hangouts, and a little boy is bringing in everyone's shoes from the patio. It is bedtime.
Lots of love!
Sus
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