Vodka & Lobsters
Trip Start
Mar 09, 2010
1
13
38
Trip End
Apr 21, 2010
Nha Trang, Vietnam
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Let's start with the first site we see as we sail in. There is a man in, what can only be described as a straw rice bowl, rowing right beside our boat. We find out later that this is a small craft that fishermen keep on the back of their boat that allows them to move from fishing boat to fishing boat. They will use this 100’s of mile out at sea. Then, as we round the last corner into the harbour, there are beaches everywhere you look.
We dock about 10 miles out of town and await our tour for the day. We have chosen to tour of the Po Nagar Temple, Long Son pagoda (to see a giant white Buddha), the Dam market, an ocean swim from one of the beaches and finally a visit to XQ embroidery workshop. As we start off in our bus, let me take you back a couple of days to Ha Long Bay and the discussion on scooters. Take the number in Ha Long Bay and multiply that by 200% and with no lines on the road, stop lights, or rules of the road, it is controlled chaos. It is actually like a wonderful symphony of vehicles and people.
The other really neat things about Na Trang are: 1) it is very safe, and 2) the people are very friendly. No matter where you go, everybody is smiling. Our tour guide Thao was a prime example. Since they opened Vietnam to commerce 15 years ago, you can tell they really understand the value of tourists. With the history of conflict in this region, dating back centuries, it is amazing that they can smile at all. The only people that Thao seems to have trouble with are the Russian. They stepped into Vietnam after the American's were defeated and this became a resort town for them. From what Thao says, all they wanted was vodka and lobsters, so they are refered to as the "vodka lobsters" in this area.
Our first stop at the temple was great. Po Nagar is a Cham temple tower founded sometime before 781 A.D. You have to hike up several steps and are rewarded with a beautiful view of the city and a spectacular shrine. There were also some traditional Cham dancers. Be warned, if you want to enter the Temple, you must take off your shoes. This is actually quite funny, because there must be 100 pairs of shoes outside the Temple door and as people come in, they just step on all the shoes and deposit theirs. Nobody seems to go home bare footed.
The next stop was at Long Son pagoda. This pagoda was built in the late 1800’s and it big claim to fame is that the monk that ran it was the first one to set himself ablaze to protest the government 1963. It has an amazing "reclining" Buddha that is about 40 feet long and a giant white Buddha at the top of the pagoda area. Two words of warning at this site: 1) as soon as you arrive, you are swarmed by young children trying to sell you all sorts of junk, and 2) you need to climb several steps to see the white Buddha.
After all the true religion (Tracey’s note: Source True Religion jeans when I get home … I’m finding a greater connection to them), we went to the Dam market in the center of town. It is a circular market with all the food vendors, which are uncovered, on the outer ring and clothing in a building inside the middle. The food portion is for locals, so you have meat fish and lots of fresh veggies. It appeared that the way they kept the meat and fish cool was by having it under an awning. It was 85F, so not sure I would really want any of this. One really good thing was the 1.5l Heineken for $1USD. Now that is a good value.
We were then brought to a beachside restaurant for some fresh coconut juice (right from the coconut). The restaurant had its own pool, which is very unique. Right off the pool is the beach. It must have gone for about 1 mile in each direction. Although the beach was light in color, the sand was some hot! Both Tracey and I burned the bottoms of our feet on it and that was only taking 5 or 6 steps.
Back onto the bus and away we went to an embroidery production center. Here young (not too young, so don’t think child labour) Vietnamese women work on very intricate pieces of art. The same women work on one piece from beginning to end. You had better like the people you work with, because you may sit right across a table for up to 1 year (Tracey’s note: I was searching out any HR issues that may be prevalent but it’s been a week and I don’t remember any).
This is one city that I would definitely come back to and recommend to any traveler.
Back on the ship relaxed for the afternoon and then had dinner with the ship’s General Manager, Michael Coughlin. Small world. He is from Sudbury, Ontario. He has a good friend that lives 2 blocks from us back home. He is the same age as Tracey and I and he was working in the hospitality trade in Vancouver at the same time I was. Although our paths never crossed there, it is amazing that they didn’t. We had a wonderful evening with him, his wife Stephanie Baldwin (a former Miss California), her parents, and Denise and Joe. And although we were heading out to sea, Tracey did not get sea sick. The double sea sick bands appear to be working.
Comments
Okay, during my March Break, when the weather was warm and sunny, I was full of benevolence, hoping you were having the time of your lives. The photos and wonderful travelogue were all confirmations that you are having a 10 out of 10 time and I was sincerely happy for you. Now, however, I am looking out my office window at the cold drizzle falling, thinking fitfullyabout the pile of work I am avoiding as I gaze at the photos of your journey. I am not feeling so benevolent any more, you two. I have moved to a state somewhere between jealousy and downright hostility . Buddha would not approve.
Still, I can live vicariously through you, can feel the heat, see the sights and imagine the expeditions to great locations.
Keep my bubble intact and write on!