Nha Trang

After saying a fond farewell to Hoi An (and promising the staff that Caitlin would come back one day!), we headed up to Danang, for our flight to Nha Trang. We watched a nice shiny Boeing 777 take off for Hanoi, and wondered where they had put our plane, as there was nothing left on the runway except for an ancient looking twin turbo-prop.... (An ATR-72, not sure if it's US or Russian built???)

Anyway, we made it! After being picked up by our new guide, Lee (who is the same age as Rach and I), we went for a wander along the beach. Nha Trang bay really is beautiful, and a pleasant surprise all round. There are a couple of great restaurant/bars along the beach - our pick is the Louisiane Brewhouse... Mmmm a brewery on the beach... Rachel suggested to me that we should build a pool area like the one at Louisiane - nice thatched bungalow style and big white stones around the pool - I'd include the big stainless steel brewing vats too! We've also managed to get out to a couple of bars at night, while Grandma and Caitlin hung out at the hotel... Crazy Kim's is across the road from our Hotel (Asia Paradise), run by a Vietnamese/Canadian lady and dedicated to educating local kids and stamping out abuse. 2 for 1 cocktails for $2 AUS was an offer too good to refuse! We also checked out the nearby Guava lounge, which was full of beautiful people - so we fitted in just fine!

Lee took us along to the local Mineral Spa, where we were treated to a soothing mud bath and 38-degree-plus swim :-)
We also checked out the Oceanographic Institute, where we found that most of the ocean life here is very similar to what we get in Northern Australia, albeit dwindling due to a complete lack of adequate policing and management. Still, you can't really argue with someone over minimum size restrictions when they earn less than $10US a month and need to feed their family...

We're having a quiet day in Nha Trang today, then setting off in the morning for Dalat.

Love to all,

Steve, Rach, Yvonne and Caitlin