Welcome to Nha Trang

Nha Trang, Vietnam - city beach is a lovely spot as you can see. Though ready to pounce at any time are the beach side entrepreneurs selling everything from sunglasses to food. Though for 20,000 dong you can rent your self a little covered shelter which gives you a comfy spot where the vendors are less active.









The city beach is lined with palm trees like this with a green way between it and Tran Phu Boulevard. All the hotels and such are located either across the road or at the far ends of the beach. Though their are a few spiffy restaurants and bars like The Sailing Club along the beach, most places to eat and drink are located inland a few blocks away.

My last visit to Nha Trang was about 5 years ago and while the city its self hasn't changed much, the beach area sure has. The park that backs up the main beach has been transformed from a scrubby no man's land to a place as beautiful as the beach. Back in the day, the shadows of the palm trees at night were known to house ladies for rent who supplemented their rental fees by histing customers money before the rental agreement could be consummated. Tourist police and the new park design have made it harder for this things like this to happen but solo guys should still be wary.

I did some research on the Internet and decided on a double room at Perfume Grass Inn (Khach San Que Thao), 4A Biet Thu Street. A block or so from the beach and smack dab in the middle of all the tourist action so I wouldn't go hungry or get to thirsty. Along with that the reviews I read on line made it sound like it was a step above your basic guest house and all for $25 .00 a night, including breakfast and Internet access in the lobby. The place could have been great but it was chaos, the lobby filled with backpackers coming and going, front desk trying to converse in Vietnamese, English, Korean, Japanese and numerous European languages. Along with the numerous live in staff and there family's, including Grandma and kids living and eating in a couple rooms off the reception area. After we had the cigarette smoke flavored towels replaced on the first day and a day later they got the AC working properly and the frig. frigerating I was sad to leave because things were really starting to come together. That is except for the mildew around in the bath room and it was beyond repair. However, the room was nicely furnished and decorated, rustic wood floors and paneled walls with traditional Vietnamese wood furnishings. I feel in love with the wooden chase and am still trying to figure how to get one back to the states.

I had some time to kill on the day I was to head back to Saigon so I took a look at some other mini hotels. About a block away there is an alley off of Tran Phu Blvd. (64B). I looked at rooms in the Song Linh Hotel at 64B/15 Tran Phu - phone 0914014758 and the Hotel An Hoa 64B/6 Tran Phu, e-mail anhoahotel@yahoo.com both were very nice, supper clean especially the An Hoa and the managers were very friendly. Room rates were 8 - 10 dollars including breakfast and use of a computer in the lobby. Down this alley their is probably a half a dozen brand new places like these two.

OK, lets make sure I've got this right, the train leaves at 06:15 and that's morning, right? You want me at the station a half hour early for boarding so now we're talking 05:45. Yikes, means getting up around 04:00, do taxi's even operate at that hour of the night? Just to make sure I stopped in to see the friendly neighborhood motorbike taxi guy. Sure enough the day of the trip at 05:25 he was ringing for me as I scrambled to get my pack together and downstairs to mount up on the back of his bike.

This trip I'm trying out the new 5 Star travel train operating between Ho Chi Minh city and Nha Trang via Phan Theit and Phang Rang. A joint venture of the Vietnam Railroads Corporation and private investors. Their are four levels of service running out of Ho Chi Minh City and return from Nha Trang, business class at 2,400,000 dong (ow) for a four person cabin, 5 star Club 450,000 dong (ow) and the one I chose, deluxe at 330,000 dong(ow) and standard at 220,000 dong (ow).

I took a peak at the business class cabins, very nice, wood interiors, nice couches and good sound proofing. My 5 star cub pick was OK, while the interior looked rather home made-ish with being bench seats out of laminate and cushions set on top. The staff, while not un friendly, didn't talk to me other than a few words it took to show me my seat and during the giving of the mini bottle of mineral water and the treasured cellophane wrapped, moist paper towels. Mostly during the trip they stayed pretty busy talking among them selves, napping and planning out how to be first off the train.

Good scenery along the way, from the back streets of Ho Chi Minh City to rural farm scape's and a bit of the coast, along with lots of varied country side. It's about an 8 hour trip so you have plenty of time to look out the window.

There are numerous prerecorded verbose announcements mostly as a station is passed or at the start or at the end of the journey. They are in both Vietnamese and very condescending sounding England type English or maybe it's not really condescending but just their way.

They have a dinning car serving breakfast and dinner. A bit pricey and disappointing that it was mostly western fair, including Lipton tea and even more strange strange because no one spoke much English. They also had a long list of unknown expensive wines to choose from and limited selection of beer which mine was served in a paper cup.

Had an omelet for breakfast, with iced Vietnamese coffee on the trip out, tab of 65,000 dong, Returning to Saigon I debated between deep fried tuna at 60,000 dong and steak with mustard sauce and fries at 160,000 dong. Ended up with the steak, it looked a bit strange but was tender and tasty, the mustard sauce turned out to be a side of mustard. With a Heineken to wash it down down my total tab was 160,000 dong.

The best part of the trip for me but probably not for the company was that I was one of 9 passengers aboard the 3 cars. I rearranged the cushions on my couch, stretched out with my book as the clackaty clack and the chugging of the engine lulled me away.

A couple inches can mean a lot, no not that, aircraft seating. As in most things all seats are not created equal.

Which is more roomy aircraft Airbus or Boeing or does it make a difference? Why is it that some airplane seats seem to have more room, because they do. Maybe its not the manufacture that creates this difference but the way the airline has the cabin configured. http://www.smarttravelasia.com/economy.htm

Back in Saigon and my new place:
I always get the same sensation as I pear out of the back seat of my taxi heading away from the Tan Son Nhat its that somehow it this all doesn't seem real. Maybe its such a sharp contrast of the motorbike, bus, truck and car clogged roadway, noise - blaring horns, load exhausts, from the comparatively well organized even though crowed freeways of California I just left. Here in Saigon not only are the roads jam packed but the sidewalk and edges of the road are filled with people doing their thing. Street side sellers, folks just lounging or even sleeping on there motorbikes, people walking or pushing carts and then the sidewalks are all filled with parked motorbikes or motorbikes being piloted around the jammed traffic on the road and maneuvering around hastily created shops of street sellers set up for the day or the evening.

It probably isn't that far in kilometers from the airport to the city center in district 1, but with the traffic and all its takes about a half hour in a taxi. A couple years ago I stated staying in guest houses instead of hotels. A guest house is a much cheaper alternative to a hotel, while a decent hotel price starts around $35.00 a night, a guest house starts around $300.00 a month. Most guest houses outside of the touristy areas rent out their rooms on a monthly basis but, say like in Pham Nu Lao backpackers area here in Saigon and where I am now you can rent a spot to sling your back pack and lay your head on a daily basis. A guest house is basically a home where they rent out some bedrooms, anyway that is what it was but now you'll find guest House that are more like family run, very basic mini hotels. The past couple years I had been staying in one that was a family's home where they had added on a few extra rooms they rented out. It was little to constricting for my taste, when I came in I had to walk through their living room and dinning room to get up to my room. Though some might like this as it offers an up close and personal look at Vietnamese home life and even become a surrogate member of the family.

This year I'm staying at a new place Gia My found for me, located down an alley, off a main road in district 1. A row house with 8 rooms, renting, mostly to long stay foreigners and run by a very sweat Vietnamese lady, Miss Thao and her lovely helper, Miss Hanh. It is set up more like a no frills family run hotel than the family's home I had been using. I like this new place, small balcony with plants, no view but allowing place to step outside, new traditional lacquer finish Vietnamese bedroom furniture, hot water in the bathroom (shower and sink) cable TV and decent TV, DSL connection 24/7, comfy king sized bed. an AC unit that can turn the place into a meat locker and included in the price is a fantastic 1 day turn around laundry service that even irons my boxer shorts. The only downside is that its a through alley and there are speeding motor bikes using it to beat the traffic light on the corner so its a might noisy at times. Rooms for Rent - 36/21 Le Thi Rieng Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist. 1, HCMC Miss Thao's e-mail address thanhthao775@yahoo.com Phone number: dial 84(country code) 8(city code) 925-3278 (number) In Saigon just dial 925-3278

Tip: also needed is the country code your dialing from - example: US 011, GB 00, Austrilia 0011 and Japan 010. A complete number, USA to Saigon 011-84-8-925-3278