Nha Trang, No Thanks...But Doc Let, No Problem!

The sleeper bus (this was unlike any bus I'd seen before; 3 rows of 'bunk' beds occupied the body of the bus, in a scene akin to a Japanese capsule hotel) pulled into Nha Trang in the early twilight hours, but it could have been pulling into anywhere. Or more specifically, fill in the blank with whatever over-touristed beach resort you like. The only reason I knew I was still in Vietnam was the constant harassing from xe om (moto taxi ) drivers and the fact that yeah, some places will still accept Vietnamese Dong.

Now, I don't want to be too hard on the place, cos after all, there must have been a reason for going there, other than the fact it was a perfectly placed stop between Hoi An and Saigon? But really..it did seem more like a plastic Miami beach type resort.

OK, OK, some pluses - I did get some of the cheapest accom of the trip here, and from what I gatehered, quite possibly the cheapest room in the city. It was a small guesthouse called 'Sao Mai' located on Nguyen Thien Thuat, a few blocks up from the beach. nothing special about the room really, it was your basic twin but had hot water and wasn't too noisy at night. The people running it were a friendly enough lot as well, and the location is good, you have many restaurants and whatnot around.

The beach was, well, a city beach; from any angle one could have a view of building developments, or the hollywood-esque 'Vin Pearl' sign, marking the entertainment complex on an 'island' - connected by cable car to the mainland. It did suffice however for wiling away an afternoon when one feels lazy from a night bus ride. And if its cocktails by the sea in one of the beach bars you're after, you'll probably take to the place a bit more. I will also say, there is some nice food to be had there at what are still fairly reasonable prices. One night I was out a with a group and we did splurge on a buffet (100,000 Dong), but knowing that part it would go to a good cause helped. This was at Crazy Kim's bar on Biet Thu, and the good cause was the program the owner runs for street and/or otherwise compromised children called 'Hands off the Kids!' , and included a classroom at the back of her establishment. Volunteering to teach English there would be my only motivation for going back to this Nha Trang, should I land in the area there. On another note, she also owns a gym..just a few metres down from the bar, which I took advantage of and was quite happy to do that. The gym is small, but spacious and modern at the same time with a balcony. They have various fees, from one time drop in to one year. They'll even supply the soap and shampoo (thank god, as i'd forgotten mine at the guesthouse!)

One thing that many people do here are boat tours around the islands. There are a great many of them on offer, Mama Linh's being the most famous. So I decided, not. I ended up on a slightly cheaper one, but I can't recall the name. something brother's cafe, i'd booked it through Sao Mai. and really, for $6 US, there's no risk there. However, I will say, not to have great expectations for the other islands and scenery, be it above land or below sea. the beaches were rocky, the marine life almost non-existent, and most corals bleached or dead. So if you go, go with intent to have a good time, and meet people. The tour leader was pretty funny, they did their own boy band rendition, which included 'La Bamba', something most entertaining for the 2 Chileans, Daniel and Uri. Lunch was fantastic (that alone was worth the $6, we got a lot of food), and the floating bar is pretty hilarious too, I won't spoil it though by giving away details ;-). We also had crap weather, but managed to have a good time nonetheless. And it was Uri and Daniel who ended up being good company in the evening along with their friends at Crazy Kim's and the Sailing Club, so it was overall a worthwhile endeavor for me.

However, after 2 nights I was ready to leave. And I don't know, but something about the nightlife..the vibe was just off. The sailing club is as nice as place as any, stylish even, making me wish Matt had been there, but the crowd...maybe pretentious is a word to use. So I was glad to head on out the next day. My initial intention had been anyway to find a more remote beach, or to spend at least a small amount of time in a place that people might ask 'where?'. ie, somewhere not Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Dalat or Saigon (ie, the tourist bus stops). Feeling a little burnt out from always worrying about rip offs - one side note, Nha Trang is notorious for pickpocketing and theft. So I was more than wary, and well, I was fine. However stories I'd heard also stemmed from people taking heaps of cash on a big night out - and thats just failing to use a little common sense. Taking a gangsta wad of cash with you to get totally wasted in a town notorious for theft...one shouldn't expect to hang on to it.

Of course anyone can be in the wrong place at the wrong time, regardless of how careful you are, but practicing a bit of caution could save you a lot of trouble. I left my valuables in the hotel safe; not entirely failsafe, but they are then responsible for it. If you leave it in the room, not so. When going out, I took only what I intended to spend that evening, and my room key, leaving all else in the safe. I had no problems there at all.

However, this burnout also lead me to suspicion about my transport to Doc Let - one of the people there insisted on me using their friend's moto taxi to get there, cos well, they all have friends in something don't they? hahah. However the price was right, so I agreed to it, confirming it on more than one occasion. And was pleasantly surprised. The driver expected no more, and did extra things such as checking if i needed to use the toilet, giving a break for stretching, giving me some information about the surrounding area, and then not realising I had a reservation at Doc Let resort, waited to shuttle me elsehwere in case there was a problem, but did not want any extra money. So once again, this is another service I suggest using if staying at Sao Mai.

So yes, where I ended up - Doc Let (pronounced 'Yop Lek'). At a resort frequented by mainly domestic tourists called 'Doc Let Resort', oddly enough, along a very pretty stretch of beach about 45 kms north of Nha Trang, but in feeling, about 1000kms from there. I had a nice little bungalow, though the rest of the place..could use a decorator. Or at least a non-soviet era one. However, if one avoids that area..which I would advise doing anyway during the day as there are heaps of tourists, and at night its eerily quiet..it can be quite nice. Wander down the beach in either direction, and expect a stretch of it to yourself. The only person I saw during my time in
'my spot' was a local fisherman with his bike, who seemed to think it of the utmost importance to immediately wrap the bike in cling film...(despite it being clear blue skies)? I had long stopped asking questions by this point. the food was also good and very cheap. I was in shock about prices once I reached Saigon!!

It was nice having a full lenght pool to myself for sport purposes, but after later discovering the Paradise Resort - run by a Frenchman and his family - 2kms down the beach, I reckon that might have been the nicer choice. They had some old school style bungalows in a very pretty setting right along the beach. also, meals are included, and likely taken with a group which would have been nice. It also gave access to a nearby town called Dom Ha, which seems quite underexplored by foreigners...I am not joking when I had people literally stop their activity as I walked by, or in some cases, laughing. ok, well, so the latter one should be nothing new for me actually.

The other place I didn't make it to but heard rave reviews about was called Jungle Beach Resort. This one needs to be booked far ahead though I think, as its quite small and popular. I was mistaken about the price on the internet, and later informed by a friend that she had paid just $22 US a night (not the $54 i saw advertised), including full board, and free tea and water all day. And she loved it. Ahhh, had I more time...It's about 60kms out of Nha Trang. If you stay at Sao Mai in Nha Trang, they have the contact details there for you.

Getting away...being off the tourist route meant also being off the fancy sleeper bus route. Since I was collected in the nearby village of Ninh Hoa, I was on the local bus and was the only whitie. So my bus wasn't quite as nice for the stretch down to Saigon, but for half the price (it was $10 US for a 10 hr journey), I coudln't complain. Realising this of course, after I'd tried telling them it was the wrong bus (!).