Hitting the skyway again, this time heading for Chiang Mai, Thailand. Once again, I’m a little sad to be leaving but happy to be moving on to the next place. Vietnam has been a lot of fun and I know there’s so much more to explore here; I’ve barely scratched the surface!
First, a catchup since the last post. Most of my free time this past week has been spent wandering the beach and streets of Nha Trang; sampling street food, taking in the sights, and indulging in the occasional $10 60 minute massage. Monday was my last big tour day here when I took a cable car ride out to visit Vinpearl Land, a theme park located on an island across from Nha Trang. The place was massive and I didn’t quite get to everything they had to offer.
On the cable car ride out I made friends with a couple more Aussies, Tom and Xavier. For the first part of the day, we did the roller coaster and amusement ride circuit. First up was a massive alpine coaster that took you up the side of the hill by the “VINPEARL” sign on a cable. The track then gently meandered back down providing spectacular views of Nha Trang and the park below. We road a couple more coasters, a small vertical drop ride, and a ride that spun you around and flipped you upside down. The rides were all fun and I felt quite safe with their construction and operation. They weren’t as intense as many of the coasters in the states; certainly nowhere near as intense as some of the drops that you’d find at a big theme park. They were more like big carnival rides.
After the coaster rides, Tom, Xavier, and I hit up the water park. First we went and played on a large inflatable playground out on the beach, apparently the largest of it’s kind in the world. It was fun but a lot of work. There were some fun jump-off points and a lot of monkey bars and slippery climb-over sections. I certainly got a bit of a workout there!
That workout was only just beginning though; next up were all the stairs we had to climb to get to the water slides! The Vinpearl Land water park had plenty of them. My favorite was their rainbow slide where you would slide down face-first on a mat over several drops. By the end of the day, I was able to pick up some good speed down the slide and would frequently make it all the way to the very end of the trough at the bottom. It was a lot of fun! They had several other kinds of slides, some you would just slide down without any kind of mat or raft. Others you would need a raft to ride. One slide, the “Family Slide”, you needed at least four people in a giant raft to ride down. Tom, Xavier, and I ended up inviting some strangers with us since we couldn’t ride it with just the three of us. Our new Asian friends didn’t speak a word of English which made for an entertaining ride as the six of us went laughing down the Family Slide together. Tom and Xavier ended up leaving earlier than I wanted to so I kept enjoying the water park on my own for a bit then I returned to the roller coasters. Around sun set I made I way back to the alpine coaster so I could get a good view of Nha Trang and Vinpearl Land as the lights came on. It’s hard to take pictures and pilot an alpine coaster at the same time so I kept my attention on breaking the cart. Unfortunately no photos from that ride but the views were pretty stunning.
I closed my day at Vinpearl Land by going to a fountain show. Lights, lasers, and water jets were choreographed to a variety of music. If you’ve ever attended “World of Color” at Disneyland, it was similar to that although not quite as extravagant which really is how I would classify all of Vinpearl Land; reminiscent of Disneyland but not quite. The show was enjoyable though and afterwards I climbed back into a cable car to return to the mainland.
In the remainder of the week, storm clouds rolled in and I was treated to several thunderstorms and intense rain showers. The window of my hotel room got a good washing and at one point a little water seeped in under the floor boards of my room. It didn’t cause any problems but did make me stop to scratch my head a bit. Between cloud bursts I ventured out and roamed the beach and nearby streets. One of my favorite street treats in Vietnam was rolled ice cream. Vendors had carts with a cold plate on which they would put whatever flavor you wanted (my choice typically was Oreo with some kind of fruit), pour a cream mix on top, then chop it all together with a couple putty knife type things. They’d start mixing and folding the blend as the cream solidified on the cold surface. At the end they’d spread it out over the plate and scrape the ice cream off into rolls that would be picked up and placed in a cup for you to enjoy. All for about $1.50!
On my final night, I met someone I wish I had met earlier in the week. His name was Phúc (pronounced “Foo” and means “lucky/happy”) and he was itching to be my friend and private tour guide. I met him on the beach as he came up to me, excited that I could speak English since most white foreigners in Nha Trang are Russian. A native to Nha Trang, he spoke good English, certainly the best English I had heard from a local in a long time and I was happy to have a local I could talk with. He wanted to grab a drink with me at his friend’s family’s restaurant and I could tell he was looking to drum up a little business for himself as well. I was cautious at first but ultimately I was excited to chat and figured I would see where this adventure lead.
We ended up at his friend’s restaurant and I treated him to some sauteed squid and some Tigers (a Vietnamese lager) as we talked. I discovered he enjoys swimming, cycling, fishing, and Jazz. I learned in Vietnam you toast with a “yo!” instead of “cheers!”. Phúc has a number of skills but primarily works as a tour guide. He wanted to give me a private tour of Nha Trang which I am sure would have been quite the inside tour. If I had more days left in Vietnam, I would have gladly taken him up on his offer. I did get his phone number though and promised I would drop him a line when I return to Vietnam.
I do hope I get the opportunity to return. There is a lot more of Vietnam to explore and I had a great experience this time. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and the scenery is nice (for having stayed mostly in the city). Having grown up mostly hearing of the war in Vietnam, it was refreshing to get a perspective of how it is today. Scars of the conflict are still there but for the most part (on the surface of things) it appears the people of Vietnam have picked up and moved on with life. The fact that I was American never seemed to bother anybody and I was surprised how comfortable I felt there by the end of the trip.
Made it to Chiang Mai!
My flight got in around 1:50pm this afternoon. I’ve settled into my AirBnb apartment and took a small stroll around. The mountains are right nearby where I’m staying so I’m hoping to venture out for a longer hike tomorrow. Haven’t explored too much but everything looks lush and green. I’m sure the jungle will have a lot to offer!