Noisy!

That's the best way I can describe our 8 hour train journey to Nha Trang.

We can officially confirm that we have totally mastered the art of packing and carrying our back packs and it is second nature to us now; everything has its special place or pocket so that we are not constantly rummaging and losing things and we now sling the packs on our backs and stride off like seasoned travellers; no more top heavy wobbling about like a couple of old soaks.

We arrived at the Train station far too early, which gave me a chance to start a book I picked up in one of the guest houses. Its called catfish and Mandala by Andrew X.Pham 'A two wheeled Voyage through the landscape and memory of Vietnam''An' was born in Vietnam but fled to California, as a child, aboard a small fishing boat with his family during the war. He has returned to his homeland and is cycling the length of Vietnam. He re-tells his fascinating story interspersed with vivid descriptions of the life and culture in Vietnam during his childhood, the war and more recently. It's great to be reading the book as we travel around as it gives us further food for thought, an extra dimension to our travels and a better understanding of and fascination for such a resilient people

Back to our train journey: We settled into seats 6 and 7 as indicated on our tickets but after a while the carriage became really hot and airless, Dave asked a passing guard if the window could be opened and he put his finger to his lips, made a shushing sound and moved us into the first class carriage with air con!!! Luxury; until the T.V went on, and stayed on, full blast, for the entire journey. Vietnamese sit coms, Vietnamese Tom and Jerry and Vietnamese music for 8 hours. No-one watching the T.V it was just on and very loud. But I managed to continue reading my book and in between we watch the landscape; ever-changing, from rice fields, to mountains to villages, towns and the sea. Time soon passed and we are now in guest house number God knows what, Dave is watching Man U beat Arsenal 1-3 and I'm on here writing our memoirs.

We have heard mixed reports of Nha Trang, Laura our daughter loved it [Party time!] and has given us a list of places to go things to do and places to eat. Dave is looking forward to snorkelling; and me? I'll just take it as it comes. Everywhere I have been so far, I haven't wanted to leave. Everywhere is so vibrant, so full of life, so much to see, do, taste and feel. So we will see.........

Day 1

Noisy!

I woke early, 6am after only 4 hours sleep, not enough for me, I'm an 8 hour girl but, it was hot and stuffy in our room and I couldn't find the remote control for the air con. I opened the double doors out onto our balcony and there it was, Nha Trang, already up and at work. The sun was just rising but already there was the loud roar of motor bikes, the honking of horns and banging and drilling coming from the building site which seems to follow us wherever we are in the world. And a woman shouting across a load speaker, Very persistent she is too, she's still at it now. Someone told us that there are mantra's sounding in the mornings to get people up and out to work, encouraging everyone to do the work of two people. We haven't heard it before and we don't know if it's true but maybe that's what this woman is all about. Anyway, its noisy and we are up now, about to shower and go find out what Nha Trang has to offer a couple of old age travellers...

A gorgeous beach which goes on as far as the eye can see, lovely peaceful atmosphere, luxurious sunbeds 75p a day each [Are you taking note, Cyprus!!!!!] Ladies on the beach selling fruit and sea food 'very cheap' and Vin Pearl island which can be accessed by boat or cable car. We decided to go by cable car and, as it didn't look very far away, we thought we would walk it. Dave had a dip in the sea and we set off on our journey. Well, we walked and we walked but the cable car wasn't getting any closer. We were getting hotter and hotter. We stopped for a cold drink and the staff couldn't find the key to the fridge!!!! So on and on we walked, tired, hot and thirsty. A taxi drew up and we decided to go back to our cosy sunbeds on the beach. There is a lot to see on Vin Pearl Island and time was getting on so it will have to wait for another day. We are ticking the recommended eating places off laura's list and we have booked a boat trip for tomorrow so Dave can play Jack Cousteau.

During the evening we decided to go in pursuit of some of the places Laura had recommended and raved about when she was in Vietnam. We called into the Rainbow divers bar where they serve the 'Best beans on toast with cheese and bacon ever' and chuckled when we saw it advertised on the board, alongside chips cheese and gravy??? We went to the Red Apple Club where the music was so loud we couldn't hear our selves think and it was only 8 O'clock. Laura and her friends stayed in Nha Trang 18 months ago, became friendly with the people who own the club and helped them with their 'marketing' [Driving down to the port in a jeep and touting the club to innocent and unsuspecting travelers pouring off the boats]They had a whale of a time and met lots of the local people and their families through their connections. The walls of the club are plastered with names of thousands of people who have passed through but they remembered Laura and her friends, showed us where she had written her name [who's Sam?] and one girl said 'Tell her to come back, we love her'. I'm just hoping it's not like nursery; you always remember the naughty ones!

There is a seedier side to Vietnam, one which I have been trying to turn a blind eye to. There is awful poverty, many jobs are poorly paid and there are no pensions or benefits for those unable to work. Children are out on the streets late at night begging or selling trinkets [You are advised not to give directly to them, they don't get to keep the money is encourages the practice]. We are stuffing ourselves with 3 meals a day and boasting how cheap everything is whilst families go hungry, sick and without adequate shelter and children are exploited. I have been asking myself, what can you do, where do you start, ever since we went to Cairo and Morocco and saw the slums there, and again, during this trip you feel so helpless, If you give money you never know if it gets to the very people you want to help, there is a lot of corruption here, you hear words like mafia and police bribes, see women and young girls with their pimps plying their trade. We called into a bar called Krazy Kims and there we were faced with the awful truth of Pedophilia. 'Krazy Kims' advertise their work with vulnerable children. They have had thousands of t.shirts printed bearing the slogan 'Hands off our kids' and given them out to the street children, the staff wear them and they sell them to their punters. They have started a school for street kids in their garden and they take them out for trips once a month. There are many charities operating in Vietnam but the stark truth is that this one is trying to protect their children from travelling Westerners!!!

I left Krazy Kims with a troubled mind.........