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We both really liked Nha Trang probably because after moving constantly since 4000 Islands in Laos it was nice to just put our bags down for more than 2 days. It is a developed beach resort with quite a bit of Ukranian investment in the area.
Most people appear to go to either the Sailing Club or the Louisianna Brewery during the day - these are beachside places which rent out really comfortable sun loungers and have great bars and restaurants. This may seem a tad extravagent when we are on a shoestring budget but the sand is really coarse and not the most comfortable to lie on - honestly!
The other thing about the Louisiana Brewery is that, as it's name suggests, it is a micro brewery - David was in his absolute element!!! In fact one of the reasons we had to frequent the place so often was so that he could sample all the home brews on the menu - to his bitter disappointment he failed his task as the day he asked for the final beer it was unavailable!
After 2 days chilling out on the beach we decided to go on a boat trip unfortunately this turned out to be a bit too much like organised fun for me plus there was an extremely gobby father and son S African (now referred to as SA) double act who got completely on our nerves. I was under the impression that we were supposed to be sailing around 4 local islands but we in fact only sailed round one island stopping 4 times! After lunch they made us have a sing song with forced involvement from the passengers David got up and did a turn which was so out of tune he got a massive round of applause!!
On the way back to town from the port the bus got pulled over by the police using the usual pay us some money and we'll let you go tactics - this is common in Vietnam, the police stand outside of town pulling over vehicles for minor misdemaenours but for a bribe will let the vehicle continue with its journey, failure to settle the bribe then leads to a more costly official booking. After say 10 minutes the SA team stood at the front of the bus and did a rousing speech rallying us all to get off the bus and stand menacingly by the police but not to speak. Some followed, some stayed put and a few of us made the decision to just walk back into town as we were nearly there anyway. As we passed the group both the SA guys were going against everything they'd just preached and were shouting at the police asking them if they wanted money, because if they did, they had money. Deciding that we didn't want a night in a Vietnamese jail we disassociated ourselves from the group - I'm sorry but travelling for 12 months is challenging enough without that kind of lunacy. This is the way things are done over here, you may not like it but standing in the street shouting the odds is completely pointless!
On our final day we hired bicycles and cycled out of town to the Thap Bo hot spring centre which offers mud baths followed by mineral baths. Being on a budget (see we do scrimp on some things!) we opted for a cheaper communal bath of cold thermal mud which turned out to be a good move as we were put into a small bath for say 4 and no-one else joined us. After the cold mud bath you have a quick stint in a mineral jet shower before moving into a hot mineral bath (which was shaped like a heart - how romantic!!) for say 30 minutes. By this time your skin is nicely puckered but it's not over yet, oh no, you then go and swim in the 38 degree mineral swimming pool. It was a really enjoyable afternoon and made all the better for the bike ride over there which gives you a chance to see the real Vietnam.
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