Friday, November 14th, 2003 – Day 269
As I already know (I was part of it), Vietnam has been hit by lethal flooding. The report says deaths were also reported in the central coastal provinces of Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa, home to the beach resort of Nha Trang where I am going this morning!!!
At least 15 people have been killed and four are missing in floods that have swept central Vietnam in the last two days, according to officials.
The floods, which have been caused by several days of torrential rain, isolated several villages and caused the collapse of a number of houses in Ninh Thuan province and a gold mine in the central province of Quang Nam.
18 killed, four missing as severe flooding hits central Vietnam
I told them to wake me at 6.30am for my 7.00am bus but they did not. I had set my alarm anyway. Other people in the hotel were not so lucky. It seems they decided not to RING anybody. Just my luck has the weather had turned. It was a beautiful morning.
The bus was full (full of pissed off people). About half the people on the bus were on the same bus yesterday to Nha Trang. After about two-thirds of the way, due to a flooded road, they had to turn back, but the driver not tell any of the passengers. At about 3.00pm they pulled into what they thought was there destination, but turned out they were back to square one. They had spent 9 hours on the bus. Ouch.
Off we went again and the roads were in bad shape. It seems there was a bridge down on he road to Saigon and there was major traffic jams and full buses going no where. We were heading north, We stopped for 30 minutes at a old Cham religious site called Ve Tham quan di tich.
They are also called the Po Klong Garai Towers and are located west of Phan Rang near the Thap Cham railway station in Ninh Thuan province.
The consist of four towers, remainders of a group of six towers constructed during the 13th century. From the top of the hill where the towers were built, one can admire impressive views of the entire valley and surrounding countryside. The main tower was built to worship Po Klong Garai King, who, according to the legend, suffered from leprosy. Despite the passage of time, the 21-m tower has remained intact. During excavations of the tower, even recent ones, archaeologists found jewellery inside the towers.
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Dalat – Cham Towers. (14-11-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Dalat – Cham Towers. (14-11-2003)
We also stopped for lunch for 40 minutes where I met an Irish girl touring south East Asia for 6 months.
We were susposed to reach our destination at 12.30pm but it was 2.30pm when we arrived. Again we stopped at the Sinh Cafe Mafia branch with added hotel. I saw the rooms. They were fine. A fan room for 5 USD but I wanted to break with the tour mentality (fait acompli not) and walked to another hotel called HOTEL HA HUONG. It was a bit of a 20 minute walk as I got a bit lost. It was the same price but a nicer room and quieter area away from the beach and tourists. The receptionist wanted 6 USD but she admitted I was the only tourist. November and December are the LOW LOW season here as they get most of the rain fall during these months.
We passed flooded streets as we came into town and there were lots of emergency personnel about. As most people driver motor bikes, they are more liable to get stuck. We passed two roads where only buses and trucks could pass. People had their motor bikes ferried down roads on cyclos.
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Nha Trang – Floods on the streets. (14-11-2003)
I walked to the sea front. It looked rough and it was filthy brown. The floods and storm had brought tons of rubbish and wood onto the beach. Most locals were going through looking for valuables while emergency workers were started to clear the beach of it using diggers, trucks and manpower. The beach was wrecked. There were TV crews out and big crowds were watching the clean up. A fishing boat had been smashed up as well and was in bits on the beach.
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Nha Trang – Sea front. (14-11-2003)
Welcome to Vietnam’s Ocean City. The capital of Khanh Hoa Province, Nha Trang has a full-time population that stands at about 200,000 people, but it far exceeds that with the heavy local and international tourist influx, especially in the summer months. While it’s not a particularly charming town, its surf isn’t bad and the beach is a breathtaking setting, with views of the more than 20 surrounding islands. There are a few very nice places to stay, and dining is about good fresh seafood.
Unfortunately, far from becoming a gracious hideaway, Nha Trang is becoming raucous. With the development of water slide parks and more young folk out “cruisin’ the strip” of oceanside, palm-lined Tran Phu Street (on scooters, of course), it’s starting to look like a spring-break town and might as well just go ahead. If you accept it as such, it’s a fine place to spend 2 or 3 days frolicking in the surf, snorkeling and diving, or taking a cruise to the nearby islands.
Culturally, there are a few things to keep you occupied: The Pasteur Institute is here, offering glimpses into the life and work of one of Vietnam’s most famous expats; there also are the interesting Long Son Pagoda and the well-preserved Po Nagar Cham Temple.
Off season (Oct-Mar), the surf is far too rough for swimming and sports, and you might want to rethink stopping at Nha Trang at all.
The last point is interesting. I may stay for two days and watch the Rugby World cup semi-finals. After that , I plan to head back to the Highlands for good coffee.
I did little the rest of the day. I called into a ear cleaner and took some photos. He showed me his instruments and then showed me the ears of the client he was working on. They were spotless with no wax as far as I could see. I was VERY tempted but declined. I will get them cleaned soon.
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Nha Trang – Ear Cleaning (14-11-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Nha Trang – Ear Cleaning (14-11-2003)
I did not feel hitting the backpacker bars (not that there are many of them about), so I sat down on some plastic chairs close to my hotel for Bia Hoi. This is the home made stuff and it was good and only 3000 Dong (0.17 Euro) for a litre. It was 10.00pm and there were two guys to my left and the owners husband and son to the right. One of the guys had worked in Germany for 20 years and had good English and German. The husband and son were playing guitars. They played very well and strummed everything from the Land of the Rising Sun to local songs. They asked to play or sing lots of times but I could not. It is one of the main deficiencies of our family name. None of us can play an instrument or sing a song. I have often been asked in Wicklow and Kerry as well, but I know no song fully. I need to learn a party piece.
The owner kept on asking questions through my translator friend. The first question they ask here in Vietnam is your age and then your nationality. It was all good fun, She was asking why Europeans all had big noses etc. I stayed there until midnight and stumbled back.
As I said before there are few times, when you say to yourself – this is why I am traveling . I think this was one of them. The full moon was out, there was a cool breeze and the craic was good.