Nha Trang is a fairly modern seaside resort with a lovely great big beach and numerous attractions to see. Whilst here we cycled to the aquarium, pagoda, giant seated Buddha, towers and the mud baths. The mud baths enabled us to relax for the afternoon whilst getting thoroughly cleansed in various mud baths and mineral pools.
We also spent one day out in a boat snorkelling which was really cool although at the last sight there were loads of tiny jelly fish that stung is while we were swimming back to the boat! The rest of our time in Nha Trang was spent lazing on the beach in the sun! Sadly we had to move on, and we decided to risk a 5 hour sleeping bus to our next stop, Mui Ne. The bus wasn't quite as bad as we thought it would be, although the beds are designed for much shorter people and we did get shaken about a fair bit!
We arrived in Mui Ne with expectations of a vast white beach (this is what lonely planet had told us!). Unfotunately these were not met as the area has been consumed by seaside resorts which back directly onto the waterfront meaning there is no public beach space on between to lie on. If you're into kite surfing then this is the place to go, if not, it's not somewhere we would recommend. We did however go to the red sandunes which were an amazing sight by the sea, and we even got to slide down some of the bigger ones on a plastic sled! We also visited the Fairy Stream which was really nice.
After only one full day in Mui Ne we left for Saigon ( Ho Chi Minh City). Having been told that this was even more hectic than Hanoi, we were dreading it! Luckily this turned out not to be the case and we were pleasantly surprised by the ability to walk on the pavements and enjoy some relaxation in the parks. On our first afternoon we manged to visit the war remnants museum, which displayed some harrowing pictures of the Vietnam War.
We then did a tour of the Mekong delta for 2 days. During this trip we visited a bee farm, with some delicious honey tea (a large spoonful of honey mixed with hot water!) and a coconut candy workshop; unfortunately we've finished the candy we bought already!! Our lunch was interesting as we were presented with a whole fish stood up in the table! The afternoon was spent taking a boat along the smaller canals back to our hotel via a fruit garden. In the evening we visited the local night market despite half the streets being flooded! The following day we took another boat to the floating market where people live, eat and sleep on the same boats from which they sell their products. To know what each boat is selling, they hang one of each of their products on a bamboo stick from their boat.
On our return to Saigon we went to the reunification palace, which was an amazing place to visit. We also manged to visit the history museum and Notre Dame cathedral which were ok but not as interesting as the other sights.
For our final day in Saigon we visited the Cu Chi tunnels which were really interesting, and a Cao Dai temple. This was really pretty inside and we got to see the beginning of mass. Cao Dai religion is interesting because it draws upon ethical precepts from Confucianism, occult practices from Taoism, theories of karma and rebirth from Buddhism, and a hierarchical organization (including a pope) from Roman Catholicism. Its pantheon of saints includes such diverse figures as the Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Pericles, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo, and Sun Yat-sen.
From Saigon we headed to Phnom Penh with our bus leaving at a rather early 6.30am! Now we've arrive for our whistle stop tour of Cambodia which you can read all about in about a weeks time!
Take care x x
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