Vietnam: Saigon and Nha Trang, Part II

While in Dalat, we got in touch with a wildlife conservation group in Saigon that we wanted to meet. Note: Sam and I are working on a project to connect locally run environmental groups with resources/volunteers. Thus, we are technically on a working holiday - building our itineraries around organizations we can meet with. We decided it'd be worth it to circle back for the meeting in Saigon and then continue our journey up the coast. To make the most of our time, we opted for the night bus which departed at 1am and arrived at 6am. This driver was particularly "horn happy" and I wasn't the most pleasant person to be around come 6am when I didn't have any snacks or sleep all night. Sam is a saint for putting up with me, really.

Add this to the collection "Sam is too big for Asia."

Though I don't like to back track during our travels, one benefit of doing so is returning to a place that is already familiar. We checked into the same guesthouse we had stayed in the last time around and the owner was very happy to see us again, greeting us with her enthusiastic chuckle and repetitive "oooh my friend, very good, very good." After dropping our bags off, I immediately went to the fruit shake lady right outside our door. Her stand is tucked away in the alleys so her prices are cheap. Her shakes are the most delicious I've had in southeast Asia and she has a 3-year-old daughter with the most infectious/genuine smile who loves to play while her mom makes the shakes. We clapped our hands, counted "mot, hai, ba" (1,2,3) and whispered secrets to each other until my belly hurt from laughing so hard. By that time, the shakes were ready and my irritability had disappeared thanks to some play time and nutrients in my stomach.

Home away from home. Quy Mini Hotel
+ the shake stand just beyond.

We called Sam's friend, Phong, to meet up while we were back in town and were able to return the favor of his family hosting us for lunch by treating him to dinner. The only stipulation was that he take us someplace local, that we wouldn't go to on our own. The main dish was a broth with vegetables and pork patties that you pour over rice noodles called "bun cha Hang Manh." Bun = noodle, cha = pork, Hang Manh is the street this dish originates from. Many dishes here are associated with the place they're from, similar to the way we refer to "Chicago style pizza." The verdict? Delicious. It's so nice to have a local host to show you around, especially in Vietnam where tourists are pushed to remain in their designated spots. If you don't speak Vietnamese, it's hard to break away from the tourist scene and it was really nice to be removed from it for this meal with Phong.

Bun cha Hang Manh.

Sam + Phong.

After successful meetings in Saigon, we committed to two more nights of sleeping on a bus as we headed north. This time, we knew to ask for seats on the bottom row, in the middle of the bus - those are the most comfortable. We got lucky with the travel agent who booked our tickets, Duong. She was extremely patient and friendly in making sure we got good seats and assured us that we'd even have a bathroom on the bus - a real luxury. So, we boarded the bus which would take us up to Nha Trang, where we celebrated my birthday just a week prior. Again, it felt comforting to return to a place we knew and enjoyed.

The good seats - bottom row, middle of the bus.

We had a layover, if you will, from 7am to 8pm in Nha Trang. We found a guesthouse that gave us a cheap rate for half a day and dropped off our bags. Having gotten to know the tourist area on our last stay here, we opted to explore another area which was much more local. We ended up walking around most of the day, craving the movement considering all the time we already spent and would be spending on a bus.

Where the river meets the sea in Nha Trang.

Hazy day in Nha Trang.