Off to Nha Trang
Wednesday 18th January
It's been a while since we've been able to get into blogging, what with slow Vietnam connections and all that, so this post is detailing stuff that happened nearly a week ago.
So, Wednesday 18th January and Rita is going to tell you about how the day started:
(Is she now? Oh, ok then...). Mornin' All. Lets see, oh yes, we are leaving HCMC and catching the 6.15am Five Star Express train to Na Thrang, for a 6 hour journey up the East coast. We have opted to go first class as this section of the train is air conditioned. But the morning does not get off to a good start. We are told that we must arrive at the train station 30 minutes prior, so to be there by 5.45am. Thus, we are up at 4.30am and by 5am our taxi is summoned and his meter is ticking away outside our hotel whilst we are having a heated debate with the receptionist at the hotel. We are trying to check out but he refuses to handover our passports due to some extra cost of 35 US$ that we won't pay 'cos we do not agree to it. His grasp of English is about as good as our grasp of Vietnamese. Thus, all hand gestures and facial grimacing! Eventually with all the losses on our side (we have a train to catch) and none on his, we give him some money and leave. We are inside the taxi now and we show the young taxi driver our train tickets as evidence of our destination. He nods encouragingly. After 10 minutes or so, he pulls up outside a closed and grid-gated restaurant and signals for payment. I recognise the area as being about 2 minutes walk from our hotel. (The one we have just left). I shake my head and emphatically reproduce the train tickets again shoving them under his nose, for his kind perusal. This time he makes out that he really understands. We set off again. Several minutes later we arrive at what is clearly the Bus Station. I can tell this by the numerous stationary buses that are parked up side by side. My powers of discernment have not abandoned me, you see. I repeat the flag waving exercise with the train tickets. Whilst stationary I hop out the car and accost another taxi driver. I introduce him to our taxi driver via much gesticualtion. Accosted taxi driver examines the train tickets and then remonstrates loudly with our young lost taxi driver. I am now conspicously tapping the face of my watch with index finger - which I also place under our taxi driver's nose, and I observe Leigh slapping his thigh (his own, thankfully) in an expression of despairing incredulity, as it becomes increasingly apparent that our young taxi driver does not know where the train station is. After further conflab with remonstrating taxi driver, the light goes on in young taxi driver's eye and we set off again. I am now calculating the cost of missing the train and wondering if it had not been better if we had only booked standard class seats 'cos then our losses would have been reduces. Anyway, upshot is we make it - just in time. But it is a hair raising drive. He no longer drives defensively/evasively but very fast and aggressively. Whilst I admire his determination to make up lost time, I would rather arrive in one piece! Thankfully all other road users manage to get out of his way in time, helped no doubt by his continual hooting. We are ensconed in our first class seats and making the most of our relief. At 7am we go to the buffet bar for breakfast. We are presented with a menu. There are 3 choices on it. 1. Fried eggs and fresh cuts
2. Beef or chicken noodle soup or 3. Prepacked sandwiches
I request pre-packed sandwiches only to be told 'We don't do them anymore'. Too squeamish for greasy runny eggs (believe me they will be, its the Vietnamese way) and singularly suspect of the 'fresh cuts', we were to be found tucking into beef noodle soup and practising our clumsy chopstick manipulations. This brings a new twist to the saying, 'Many a slip between cup and lip' to 'Many a slip between chopstick and lip. Sounds clumsy? It was! But also so apt because we had assumed that the local taxi firm would be able to take us to the railway station without too much of a problem.
Arrived in Nah Trang in bright hot sunshine. The sea is turquoise and the beaches are golden. Shame that the beach is strewn with litter though. This town has a much greater Westernized feel about it; its slower and less traffic but still bustling and vibrant. I feel more relaxed here. We found a second hand book store and bought two books both of which were about the Khmer Rouge's activities in Cambodia. One is called 'Stay Alive My Son' by Pin Yathay and the other is 'Off the Rails in Phnom Penh by Amit Gilboa. Both have proved an informative and compelling read. This has made us more commited in our endeavours to get to Cambodia but we will not know until we arrive in Hanoi if we will be able to obtain the relevant visa.
Thanks Rita - I'm back, she's checking F9 mail - at long last we've managed to get into Blogger & Mail in same session. I'm just adding a wee picture which I took in our 'first class' toilet - it's very instructive, I'm sure that you'll agree.
It's been a while since we've been able to get into blogging, what with slow Vietnam connections and all that, so this post is detailing stuff that happened nearly a week ago.
So, Wednesday 18th January and Rita is going to tell you about how the day started:
(Is she now? Oh, ok then...). Mornin' All. Lets see, oh yes, we are leaving HCMC and catching the 6.15am Five Star Express train to Na Thrang, for a 6 hour journey up the East coast. We have opted to go first class as this section of the train is air conditioned. But the morning does not get off to a good start. We are told that we must arrive at the train station 30 minutes prior, so to be there by 5.45am. Thus, we are up at 4.30am and by 5am our taxi is summoned and his meter is ticking away outside our hotel whilst we are having a heated debate with the receptionist at the hotel. We are trying to check out but he refuses to handover our passports due to some extra cost of 35 US$ that we won't pay 'cos we do not agree to it. His grasp of English is about as good as our grasp of Vietnamese. Thus, all hand gestures and facial grimacing! Eventually with all the losses on our side (we have a train to catch) and none on his, we give him some money and leave. We are inside the taxi now and we show the young taxi driver our train tickets as evidence of our destination. He nods encouragingly. After 10 minutes or so, he pulls up outside a closed and grid-gated restaurant and signals for payment. I recognise the area as being about 2 minutes walk from our hotel. (The one we have just left). I shake my head and emphatically reproduce the train tickets again shoving them under his nose, for his kind perusal. This time he makes out that he really understands. We set off again. Several minutes later we arrive at what is clearly the Bus Station. I can tell this by the numerous stationary buses that are parked up side by side. My powers of discernment have not abandoned me, you see. I repeat the flag waving exercise with the train tickets. Whilst stationary I hop out the car and accost another taxi driver. I introduce him to our taxi driver via much gesticualtion. Accosted taxi driver examines the train tickets and then remonstrates loudly with our young lost taxi driver. I am now conspicously tapping the face of my watch with index finger - which I also place under our taxi driver's nose, and I observe Leigh slapping his thigh (his own, thankfully) in an expression of despairing incredulity, as it becomes increasingly apparent that our young taxi driver does not know where the train station is. After further conflab with remonstrating taxi driver, the light goes on in young taxi driver's eye and we set off again. I am now calculating the cost of missing the train and wondering if it had not been better if we had only booked standard class seats 'cos then our losses would have been reduces. Anyway, upshot is we make it - just in time. But it is a hair raising drive. He no longer drives defensively/evasively but very fast and aggressively. Whilst I admire his determination to make up lost time, I would rather arrive in one piece! Thankfully all other road users manage to get out of his way in time, helped no doubt by his continual hooting. We are ensconed in our first class seats and making the most of our relief. At 7am we go to the buffet bar for breakfast. We are presented with a menu. There are 3 choices on it. 1. Fried eggs and fresh cuts
2. Beef or chicken noodle soup or 3. Prepacked sandwiches
I request pre-packed sandwiches only to be told 'We don't do them anymore'. Too squeamish for greasy runny eggs (believe me they will be, its the Vietnamese way) and singularly suspect of the 'fresh cuts', we were to be found tucking into beef noodle soup and practising our clumsy chopstick manipulations. This brings a new twist to the saying, 'Many a slip between cup and lip' to 'Many a slip between chopstick and lip. Sounds clumsy? It was! But also so apt because we had assumed that the local taxi firm would be able to take us to the railway station without too much of a problem.
Arrived in Nah Trang in bright hot sunshine. The sea is turquoise and the beaches are golden. Shame that the beach is strewn with litter though. This town has a much greater Westernized feel about it; its slower and less traffic but still bustling and vibrant. I feel more relaxed here. We found a second hand book store and bought two books both of which were about the Khmer Rouge's activities in Cambodia. One is called 'Stay Alive My Son' by Pin Yathay and the other is 'Off the Rails in Phnom Penh by Amit Gilboa. Both have proved an informative and compelling read. This has made us more commited in our endeavours to get to Cambodia but we will not know until we arrive in Hanoi if we will be able to obtain the relevant visa.
Thanks Rita - I'm back, she's checking F9 mail - at long last we've managed to get into Blogger & Mail in same session. I'm just adding a wee picture which I took in our 'first class' toilet - it's very instructive, I'm sure that you'll agree.
posted by Leon Trotsky | 6:37 am
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