They say you can get "stuck in a rut" in Nha Trang...and our 6 block radius of fun did end up holding us there for about 5 days...when we'd originally planned for 2. I can't really explain it, but we met so many travelers who just ended up staying in Nha Trang - and we became, for only a brief chunk of time, part of this "locals" group. It was fabulous! We did the same thing each night with the same people at the same bars, danced to the same music, watched the same sunrise, and laid on the same beach each day to catch up on some sleep. The first night we were there, we strolled down the street and bumped into who seemed to be the local celebrity, Bin. He was promoting his pub, Red Apple, and encouraging us to go for a drink. Little did we know that our one drink would lead us to stay in Nha Trang, and cross two of our other coastal destinations off the itinerary. We had such a good time meeting people, that it became what we had to do for the next few nights. The first night, we retired early (about 2 a.m.) as we had already signed up for a 4-island boat trip in the morning, and didn't want to be out too late and risk getting sea sick on the boat.One of the classic stories of one of the travelers we met was a guy named Jason who is actually from Berkeley and was just traveling through Vietnam for 3.5 weeks. Well, that was 6 months ago, and he still hasn't left Nha Trang. In fact, he's just renewed his visa for another 6 months, and really has no plans of going back to the States any time soon. He told Lani and I that Nha Trang is his rut. Haha, I'd say!
Anyway, to make 5 long days short. We did a day out on the boat island hopping - and that was quite a fun time. Our tour guide, Dat, was a cheeseball - but I guess that was to be expected.
We ate fabulous and fresh lobster at one of the street-side restaurants at night. They grilled it right there on the bbq for us, and it was so tasty. It was huge! I think we're probably complete lobster snobs after that experience.
And then it was the same-same. Our nights out began. At Red Apple Bar we'd mingle with fellow travelers, play Jenga or Connect Four, shoot some pool and/or do a little dancing. Our friend, Bin, was always busy on the corner gathering more people to come on in for good times. Next, we'd head to Why Not? Bar and our nights were the same. We danced till dawn, went for street food at 4:30 a.m., where we'd sit in the streets at little plastic tables and on stools that kindergarten kids would sit in back home. Then we'd watch the streets fill with locals as they marched to the sea for early morning aerobics (and I mean early, because it was still dark outside), and then we'd watch the sun rise over the ocean. Not too shabby of a place to get "stuck in a rut" we decided.
We ate fabulous and fresh lobster at one of the street-side restaurants at night. They grilled it right there on the bbq for us, and it was so tasty. It was huge! I think we're probably complete lobster snobs after that experience.
And then it was the same-same. Our nights out began. At Red Apple Bar we'd mingle with fellow travelers, play Jenga or Connect Four, shoot some pool and/or do a little dancing. Our friend, Bin, was always busy on the corner gathering more people to come on in for good times. Next, we'd head to Why Not? Bar and our nights were the same. We danced till dawn, went for street food at 4:30 a.m., where we'd sit in the streets at little plastic tables and on stools that kindergarten kids would sit in back home. Then we'd watch the streets fill with locals as they marched to the sea for early morning aerobics (and I mean early, because it was still dark outside), and then we'd watch the sun rise over the ocean. Not too shabby of a place to get "stuck in a rut" we decided.
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