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Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Dalat, Nha Trang, and Mui Ne.
Hello all,
I have been travelling a ton the past six weeks, having Hue to much fun to blog. But now i have finished my travels, so its time to write!
I finished up teaching at the University the third week in November. I spent the next two weeks grading papers, teaching two nights a week, and travelling. The weekend after my previously mentioned trip to Tra Vinh, i went to Dalat with Isabel.
Dalat is a gorgeous town in the central highlands of Vietnam. The town was originally founded by the French as a mountain outpost. The town retains much of its colonial charm, complete with beautiful french villas, narrow streets, and great food. Isabel and I took the night bus from HCMC to Dalat, it took about six hours. We were lucky enough to arrive in Dalat right at sunrise, it was gorgeous! For a moment i felt like i was back in the Southwest. Watching the orange sun filter through the pine tree-dotted foothills, along with the crisp morning air; it all reminded me of a fall morning in Albuquerque.
Isabel and I spent the weekend in Dalat with the family of Isabel's mother's nail lady. Thanh(isabel's mom's nail lady's niece) was our tour guide for our trip. Thanh did a great job. She showed us the bustling Dalat market, the very crazy Crazy House, a beautiful mountain theme park, and the famous Dalat flower gardens. We also had several great meals at local eateries, and enjoyed exploring the bustling night market. Dalat is a city known for flowers, and residents were busy preparing for the annual Dalat Flower Festival, which is taking place right now. Exploring the steep, windy streets of Dalat, it was easy to think i was in the Swiss alps. Isabel and I were also able to meet up with two other volunteers from my program, who are teaching at Dalat University.
After Dalat Isabel returned to HCMC for work, and i took the five hour bus ride down from the mountains to the famous beach town of Nha Trang. Nha Trang is touristy to the max! It was not my favorite stop on my trip, mostly because the tourism there had an aggressive edge. I expect to pay too much money when i am in touristy beach towns, but the locals in Nha Trang seemed not as friendly as elsewhere. There were tons and tons of Russian tourists everywhere, so that might have contributed to my bad impression of the town. I did meet some great fellow travelers from the UK and New York, and we had a great time exploring some ruins, a giant Buddha statue, and the beach.
After two nights in Nha Trang i hopped on a bus to Mui Ne, another popular beach town. I had a much better time at Mui Ne, the windsurfing and kite-boarding capital of Vietnam. The town was just so relaxed and friendly. I stayed at a cheap little place right on the beach, complete with lounge chairs and a pool, for 8 bucks a night. The first day i got into town was very windy, and i counted upwards of 150 wind surfers and kite boarders on the water. I would have liked to try windsurfing if i had had more time, and money. I was able to spend some time working on my tan, eating great Indian food, and slurping down cold beer on the beach.
After two nights in Mui Ne i took a bus back to HCMC, just in time to greet my father at the Airport.
I have a bunch of pictures from this trip, but they are all on Isabel's computer, so i will add them i a week or two. My next post will focus on the part of my trip with my parents, for which i have a ton of photos!
I have been travelling a ton the past six weeks, having Hue to much fun to blog. But now i have finished my travels, so its time to write!
I finished up teaching at the University the third week in November. I spent the next two weeks grading papers, teaching two nights a week, and travelling. The weekend after my previously mentioned trip to Tra Vinh, i went to Dalat with Isabel.
Dalat is a gorgeous town in the central highlands of Vietnam. The town was originally founded by the French as a mountain outpost. The town retains much of its colonial charm, complete with beautiful french villas, narrow streets, and great food. Isabel and I took the night bus from HCMC to Dalat, it took about six hours. We were lucky enough to arrive in Dalat right at sunrise, it was gorgeous! For a moment i felt like i was back in the Southwest. Watching the orange sun filter through the pine tree-dotted foothills, along with the crisp morning air; it all reminded me of a fall morning in Albuquerque.
Isabel and I spent the weekend in Dalat with the family of Isabel's mother's nail lady. Thanh(isabel's mom's nail lady's niece) was our tour guide for our trip. Thanh did a great job. She showed us the bustling Dalat market, the very crazy Crazy House, a beautiful mountain theme park, and the famous Dalat flower gardens. We also had several great meals at local eateries, and enjoyed exploring the bustling night market. Dalat is a city known for flowers, and residents were busy preparing for the annual Dalat Flower Festival, which is taking place right now. Exploring the steep, windy streets of Dalat, it was easy to think i was in the Swiss alps. Isabel and I were also able to meet up with two other volunteers from my program, who are teaching at Dalat University.
After Dalat Isabel returned to HCMC for work, and i took the five hour bus ride down from the mountains to the famous beach town of Nha Trang. Nha Trang is touristy to the max! It was not my favorite stop on my trip, mostly because the tourism there had an aggressive edge. I expect to pay too much money when i am in touristy beach towns, but the locals in Nha Trang seemed not as friendly as elsewhere. There were tons and tons of Russian tourists everywhere, so that might have contributed to my bad impression of the town. I did meet some great fellow travelers from the UK and New York, and we had a great time exploring some ruins, a giant Buddha statue, and the beach.
After two nights in Nha Trang i hopped on a bus to Mui Ne, another popular beach town. I had a much better time at Mui Ne, the windsurfing and kite-boarding capital of Vietnam. The town was just so relaxed and friendly. I stayed at a cheap little place right on the beach, complete with lounge chairs and a pool, for 8 bucks a night. The first day i got into town was very windy, and i counted upwards of 150 wind surfers and kite boarders on the water. I would have liked to try windsurfing if i had had more time, and money. I was able to spend some time working on my tan, eating great Indian food, and slurping down cold beer on the beach.
After two nights in Mui Ne i took a bus back to HCMC, just in time to greet my father at the Airport.
I have a bunch of pictures from this trip, but they are all on Isabel's computer, so i will add them i a week or two. My next post will focus on the part of my trip with my parents, for which i have a ton of photos!
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