Nha Trang sits on the south central coast, right on the South China Sea. I didn't plan to spend much time there, but ended up staying a few days. It's a lazy place with a moderate traveler scene.Aside from sunbathing and braving the choppy waves, I explored the surrounding area on foot and bicycle, taking in the Giant Seated Buddha,
the Giant Reclining Buddha, 
the Cham Hindu temple, 
the rocky beach north of the city,
...and the aquarium where I saw a fully assembled whale skeleton, small sharks and rows upon rows of preserved sea creatures unceremoniously stuffed into jars. 
I met up with James-from-Texas, who I travelled with in Laos. We set off to the Mekong Delta. Ben Tre is known for it's thriving coconut candy business and we stopped in a factory before hopping on a boat to tour the delta. 
We floated through tiny waterways and stopped on a marshy island that felt like a true jungle. 
We admired the beautiful flowers, durian fruit trees 
and water coconuts- a brown, spiky coconut that grows at the base of palm fronds. Apparently, it's only worth eating with ice and sugar.
We didn't see any tourists in Ben Tre and rarely came across English-speakers. I bid goodbye to James and headed deeper into the detla, staying in Can Tho for 2 nights. 
I took in the bustling riverside night life (complete with a giant statue of Ho Chi Minh) and woke at 5am to hop on a boat headed for the floating markets. The markets were a bit anti-climactic, but full of busy commerce and beautiful wooden boats.
We stopped on a small island for breakfast, and walked around looking at the passionfruit, papaya and lemon trees.
My final stop in Vietnam was Saigon... coming up next!
If you missed my adventures in central Vietnam, click HERE.
And if you like pretty things, click below.
 |
| Flowers of Vietnam |
No comments:
Post a Comment