A long day!

Our bus journey was fine, the bus driver was a bit mental at times just swerving to avoid motorbikes or bumpy bits on the road, but I think that is just how they drive here.

We got to Nha Trang at 4.50am which is a ridiculous time, so we had to wander around in the dark looking for somewhere to stay. Everywhere was either shut, full or really expensive because of Tet. We rang the night bell of a nice looking place and an Australian guy answered who owned the guesthouse. He said everywhere would be about $30 instead of $10 dollars because of Tet, and he was full, but he gave us some advice on where to go. Eventually we found a place where the guy said we could get a room for $20 in a couple of hours time, and in the meantime we could use the internet. Two hours later the receptionist turned up and said we had to stay for two nights minimum and it was $30 so we wasted so much time! We decided to go back to the Australian guy for a coffee, and he said he had a double room which would be free in a few hours when his baby woke up who was asleep in there. It was really nice of him because he obviously wasn't planning to give the room away tonight.

The Vietnamese government have banned Facebook, which is why I haven't been able to upload any photos, but luckily the Australian owner has managed to get around the bans so we can go on Facebook here - I am currently trying to upload as many photos as possible before I fall asleep so have a look on my Facebook profile!

We sat on the internet for a couple of hours until the room was ready. His baby is only seven months old and is really sweet and half Vietnamese because his wife is Asian.

Once we had changed we went to find a travel agent to book our night bus to Ho Chi Minh City for tomorrow, but they said it was fully booked until the 9th, which seriously ruined our plans! We panicked for a bit about how to arrange our days, before going to check in another travel agent. They said it was full as well, but called to check availability on other days. As they called they were told there had been three cancellations so luckily we have managed to get on the night bus for tomorrow which is what we wanted! We were really stressed out and tired by then so it was nice to have it sorted and have some breakfast.

There isn't a lot culturally to see in Nha Trang, it is more of a beach resort, so we spent the day on the beach! It had white sand and blue warm sea, although the waves were quite big. It was just so nice to relax and listen to music in such a lovely setting. I put lots of suncream on but Doxycycline tablets for Malaria make skin photosensitive as a side effect, so I still burnt a bit on my front, but not too badly. It is a bit patchy though which is attractive. I have a tanned back though!

We weren't really hungry for lunch so we bought some pineapple from a lady selling fruit on the beach, she cut a whole one up in front of us and it was so juicy and refreshing. There were also ladies offering threading (a type of hair removal using cotton for the men reading this), so Vix got her legs threaded - hope she doesn't mind me saying that! I would have definitely got mine done but the lady said the hairs weren't long enough. I have seen eyebrow threading before but never leg - it takes a while but is very effective. Sorry if this is too much information, it was just quite interesting to see it being offered on a beach!

We came back to our hotel and I tried to upload some more photos before showering and getting ready for the evening. It was still quite early so we went to a bar to have a couple of drinks before we left. We got a rum and coke and a gin and tonic each for the equivalent of 63p! We had a game of pool (I surprised myself with my skills) and then went to find somewhere for dinner. We eventually decided on a place owned by a slightly drunk Australian guy which did a mixture of Vietnamese and Western food. We sat upstairs overlooking the road and shared three Asian dishes - sweet and sour chicken, lemongrass chicken and noodles with veggies. I, for some reason, thought it would be a good idea to eat a chilli. It was SO painful!! I had to run up to the waitress and ask her to bring me some milk, but it still took about 15 minutes for the pain to go and my tongue has definitely suffered.

After dinner we headed to Oasis, a bar opposite. We again had both a rum and coke and a mojito for 63p, and played some more pool. Vix and I played with the owner of the bar and the manager of the bar (who are brothers). They then gave us some brandy, and when Vicky mentioned that a fruit looked nice they sent a waitress off to cut it up for us! We thought we should probably go outside and meet some other people, so we met some guys outside and watched the football for a bit. The guys are English but are working in Hong Kong and are just here for a holiday.

Because we have been up for so long we didn't manage to stay out really late, but we had a good time! I am now trying to get some more photos uploaded but the internet is being a bit slow - keep checking my Facebook though! I am going to try and do up to Hue tonight and if I get time tomorrow I will attempt to do Hoi An and Nha Trang - I will feel better knowing my pics are on the internet. If I ever get super fast internet I will upload some albums onto this blog, but in the meantime take a look at my Facebook, I have made the albums open to everyone to see, just search Lottie Lizzie Linter!

xxx