22.02 Day 38 Mui Ne to Nha Trang
Day 38 - Thursday 22nd February - Mui Ne to Nha Trang
Everything is easy after the first day, so after waking early I’m straight back to the market for bread, mangoes and iced coffee, all cheaper than yesterday, and walk back along the seafront and watch some of the fisherman coming in, pulling their nets ashore, laying them on the beach and lifting by hand their catch into baskets, that get a rinse in the sea before being hoisted on the shoulder and carried off the beach to be dropped in carrier bags, weighed on scales and taken to the market I’d just come from. It’s all very cottage industry and hopefully the fish stocks are such that it can continue.
Back at the room Seb is intrigued by what I’d seen so I bring him down to the beach to watch the last of the boats coming ashore. A downside to the quaintness (hopefully not patronising) of the cottage industry nature of the fishing is the mess that it creates either from discarded catch and also some of the plastics caught in the nets which are also strewn on the beach.
It's the accommodation and pool that has made this enjoyable as opposed to swimming on tropical beaches. After a morning spent in the pool, or in the dappled shade in the upstairs seating area writing this, we drag ourselves out by 11am before getting a taxi back past the giant dragon fruit in Phen Thiet back to the train station at Binh Thuan.
We don’t have tickets, but are relatively confident of catching the first train at 1pm based on how empty the last one was, and our luck holds after a station attendant, spotting out loitering at the ticket desk, shouts through the window at the ticket seller who was sleeping out the back.
We’d hoped to buy lunch before boarding, but the dead end road to the station has only a few informal convenience stores so all we have are ‘Stacks’ (fake Pringles) and Choco Pies (Wagon Wheels).
This time our carriage is even emptier with only three other passengers in the soft seats. As we roll away we continue to see millions of dragon fruit trees before they fade away, to be replaced with rice paddies and occasional solar and wind turbine farms.
After playing Phase 10 and getting through our snacks, the kids and I try to find the dining cart. Which is not in action - though there are trays and trays of baby guinea pigs under the benches - who knows their fate. Towards the end of the 4.5 hour journey, large hills loom up either side of us, with craggy rocks pushing through the red soiled earth.
We pulled into Nha Trang on time around 5pm. It looks like an easy enough 30 minute walk with our roller bags - that instantly also get loaded with Sienna and Seb’s rucksacks as well. The distance is fine, it’s the frequent avoiding holes in the pavement or shuffling into the road to avoid parked mopeds clogging the pavement that makes it about 10 minutes too far in the afternoon warmth.
Down a little alleyway and up to Aaron Boutique Hotel for 2 nights, our large clean room on the 5th floor only superseded by the pool on the rooftop (14th floor), which, as you can imagine we are soon in. Like the last place it too is heated.
Dinner comes from a bright pink corner cafe called ‘Banh Mi Space’, churning out Banh Mi’s breakfast, lunch and dinner. Soon enough we’re settling into our adjoining queen beds for an early night for the adults, but late enough for the kids.
