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December 2012 to January 2013
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26th January 2013
My
Honda Wave Motorbike has behaved so well since
I bought it that I decided to reward it with a trip out of town. The
manager of a local hotel asked me if I had visited
Hon Ba (I had
not even heard of it - thinking Hon meant island - it apparently
means hill or mountain as well). He told me it was a high mountain
not far from Nha Trang and always cold like Dalat - I showed him my
map and he pointed it out to me - it's more than 1500 metres high
(5,000 feet) and only about 50 kilometres from Nha Trang.
I checked the weather forecast for today and it said mostly clear
(information I found on the internet said Hon Ba was almost always
covered with cloud) so I left home around 7 am and headed South. It
was a good thing I had an idea where the turn off was as I did not
see any sign, although once on the correct road there were clear
signs all the way. The road was a bit rough with many area of loose
gravel (not good on a motorbike). Along the way I stopped a couple
of times to take photos and by the time I got near the top my bike
started to struggle - I think it was a combination of the steep
climb and the thin air.
At the top I was greeted by a couple of barking dogs and a guy ready
to sell me a ticket (it costs 30,000 Dong to enter the reserve at
the top). The main attraction, other than the view, is the
house of Dr. Yersin who set up a centre here to grow quinquina in an
attempt to create a vaccine for bubonic plague (he failed). The
house was built in 1903 and is still in good order.
It was not as cold at the top as I had expected - it was just above
14C - and quite pleasant as the day was sunny and without any wind.
After a good look around taking photos I had a cup of coffee in the
restaurant and drove back home - a good day out.
Dau River
Dr Yersin's House
The Road to Hon Ba
Honda Wave on Hon Ba
Hon Ba Photo Gallery
----
23rd January 2013
Today Harry (the manager of the apartments) took me to the local
traffic office to apply for my Vietnamese car licence (he had
previously taken my Australian drivers licence and had it translated
into Vietnamese). I was surprised how quick and easy it was - we
spent no more than five minutes in the place. I now have to return
on 30th January to pick up the licence. Once I have my Vietnamese
car licence I can apply for a motorbike licence (I will have to take
a driving test) and become a legal motorbike rider.
Cheaper than Thailand - Earlier today I went to my local market, Cho
Vinh Hai to buy some tomatoes and bananas - the tomatoes cost 35
cents (in Thailand would have been about $3) and a bunch of bananas
(14) cost 50 cents (in Thailand about $2.50)
----
22nd January 2013
Alan, a friend of mine from Jomtien, has come for a visit to Vietnam
(his first) and is in
Nha Trang at the moment. He arrived
on Monday morning on the overnight train from
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh). That evening
we went out and explored the restaurants and bars.
Today I got adventurous and gave him a quick tour of Nha Trang on
the back of my motorbike (I think he has travel insurance). I
started by taking him out to the
Five Continent's House Apartments
where I live, followed by a visit to Dam Market (the main and
largest market in Nha Trang) where he bought a pair of sunglasses
and a couple of T shirts. We then went to
Long Son Pagoda and climbed to the
top for the view of Nha Trang and to see the
large white Buddha statue. After
Long Son Pagoda we stopped at the railway station so that Alan could
check train times for his return to
Ho Chi Minh City. I then took him
to the harbour area of
Nha Trang where the cable car to
Vinepearl starts. We were exhausted after this high speed tour and
went to the beach in front of
Louisiane Brewhouse and had a BBQ
lobster and prawns plus a few beers (not from Louisiane but from the
beach vendors - $5 each for lobster and $1 per beer).
----
18th January 2013
Today it rained lightly for an hour or so and I realised that it is
the first time I have struck rain in Nha Trang (this is my fifth or
sixth visit). I checked the weather forecast and there is a chance
of rain over the next few days. The time that I will be in Nha Trang
(January, February and March) are the coolest and driest months of
the year with rain on five or six days per month and average
maximium temperatures below 30C.
----
16th January 2013
This morning I went out with Dave, Loan and Harry (the manager of
Five Continent's) to rent a
motorcycle. The place we went to wanted 2 million Dong per month
(around $100) and after some haggling this came down to 1.7 million
per month. We decided that was too expensive and went to see about
buying a second hand bike.
After visiting two places I found one that looked like a good deal
to me so after a trial ride that showed it worked OK I bought it.
The owner wanted 4.5 million Dong, I offered 4 million, he then came
down to 4.2 million Dong (around $200) that I agreed to as long as
he added a second mirror, which he did. So for a price not much more
than two months rental I now own a motorbike - a Honda Wave 110cc.
----
15th January 2013
Today I cycled into
Nha Trang and back and I am now
quite tired (I have not cycled anywhere for years). I am looking
forward to getting a motorbike. I am planning to rent a motorbike
for a week whilst I decide if I will buy one or just keep renting.
On the way back from Nha Trang I stopped at Cho Vinh Hai (the local
market) to buy some vegetables - I got a whole cauliflower, a
quarter of a pumpkin, a large carrot, an onion, a handfull of beans
and a bunch of spring onions - all up cost 32,000 Dong ($1.60).
----
13th
January 2013
The location of my apartment is great - The
Five Continent's House Apartments
are about five kilometres North of
Nha
Trang,
Vietnam in a semi rural
area. They are set amongst market gardens, rice growers etc. surrounded
by mountains and it is very quiet and relaxing. The day after I arrived
I went for a long walk around the local area and found the locals to
be extremely
friendly (I had at least fifty people say hello to me).
There is a small shop directly in front of the apartments where they
sell all the "Day to Day" essentials (Beer and water) - I bought a
crate of twenty bottles of Saigon Red beer for 140,000 Dong (about
$7).
I have made several trips to the local market (Cho Vinh Hai - No
tourists here) where you can buy most things. I have also been to
Nha Trang Center to get the few things that I could not find at the market.
I was at the beach a couple of days ago and it was the most crowded
I have ever seen (this is the "High Season" for tourists) but it is
a big beach and there is always plenty of space.
Last night I went into Nha Trang and was surprised at how busy it
was - When I was here last October and it was almost deserted.
Swimming Pool
View From My Bedroom
View From My Dining Room
----
18th
December 2012
There is now only three weeks until I move to
Vietnam (Vietnam
Photo Gallery) after four years living in
Thailand (Thailand
Photo Gallery) - during my time here I
have travelled all over
Thailand, most of
Cambodia (Cambodia
Photo Gallery), Laos (Laos
Photo Gallery) and
Vietnam (Vietnam
Photo Gallery). I have also been to
China (China
Photo Gallery), Manilla and Boracay in The Philippines (Philippines
Photo Gallery), Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka
Photo Gallery), Borneo (Borneo
Photo Gallery), Bali (Bali
Photo Gallery), Australia (Australia
Photo Gallery), Penang, Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur
Photo Gallery) and Myanmar (Burma). I
have enjoyed my time in Thailand but I am looking forward to a
change.
I have just got a new passport (British) as the old one was full -
the process to do this from Thailand is now harder than before. The
local British Consular office in Jomtien has been closed and the
British Embassy in Bangkok no longer handles passports. I had to
post my old passport to the British Embassy in Hong Kong who then
sent it on to the UK. My new passport came by courier from the UK
(after four weeks) and I had to wait another week for the original
to be returned from Hong Kong.
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