So, it's taken a while but we've finally made some gifs of us jumping into the water off our boat in Halong Bay. It was loads of fun and an experience that everyone has to have if they go to Halong!
Sunday, 19 October 2014
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
Laser show
On Saturday night, we were invited to go and watch a laser show at the Reunification Palace. We had no idea what it was for, or about, but man were we in for a treat. We started the evening off with drinks and delicious food at a beer club down the road from the event. We then wondered over to The Palace and picked a spot to watch the show from. We thought it would just be a bunch of lasers projected onto the building, but there were amazing graphics as well as singers and dancers! We were all in awe by how well everything was executed.
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| Caramalized pork mini-pitas. |
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| Michael and Duyen |
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| Phil and Helen |
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| Awesome lights at the bar we went to after the show |
Sunday, 12 October 2014
National Day
Our bus arrived back in Ho Chi Minh earlier than we expected and we saw the sunrise here for the first time! As soon as the taxi dropped us off at home we went up to the roof of our apartment building and snapped some pics. Next, we decided that a nap was definitely in order! (The bus driver was a maniac, so not much sleep was achieved on this trip!) After our snooze, we headed to the gym - as we needed to stretch our muscles after the long bus trip and work off some of the junk we ate while we were away. The next item on our agenda was heading to the shops to pick up some much needed supplies.
Since we hadn't had one in a very long time, we decided to celebrate National Day by doing something from our home nation... braai! When Craig came back from South Africa, he brought some spices with him that were kindly sent to us by our lovely friend, Lyndall. We thought that braais were great before but now, with the added flavours, they are even better!
Friday, 3 October 2014
Nha Trang - Day 3
We slept in slightly on Monday morning and then ate another delicious breakfast at our hotel. We were thinking of going to Vinpearl Land, an amusement park, but it was quite expensive and we thought that another lazy day before a long bus ride home would be more inline with what we wanted to do. We checked out of our hotel, dropped our bags off at the bus station and made our way to the beach.
We wanted to rent deck chairs for the day, but our one requirement was that there had to be a shower so that we didn't get onto the bus all salty and sticky. We were thinking of going to The Sailing Club but, from the looks of it, we thought it would be very expensive. Instead, we inquired at the place just before The Sailing Club who told us 'yes we have a shower and a toilet'. Well, the toilet was a squat porterloo and the shower was a drum of water that you take scoops out of - no thanks! We decided to just inquire at The Sailing Club and, to our surprise and relief, the seats were only 30,000 Dong each - with a shower and clean toilets - score! The only downside was that they have their own bar and restaurant, so no food and drink was allowed. This meant that we had to be rather sneaky when trying to eat the bananas and water that we had brought with us. We did buy beers from them, so we didn't feel too bad about bringing our own food (their food is ridiculously expensive).
We spent the morning lounging under an umbrella, interrupted by intermittent dips in the warm ocean. After we felt sufficiently relaxed, (late) lunch was in order! We're creatures of habit and once we find something we like, we tend to stick to it. So back to Olivia's we went for some more delicious pizza. We definitely needed dessert after that so, after a quick Google search, we found a coffee shop that came highly recommended. Mel opted to just have tea, while Ross had a delicious coffee that was topped with ice-cream! The menu was amazing and so we just had to share (well Mel just had a sip) a blueberry and vanilla milkshake.
We decided against going for high-tea, as we really were not impressed by the rude Russian man who had greeted us the day before, and definitely did not want to give him any business. We still had time to kill so off to the beach we headed again, this time to people watch. There was a soccer game happening, as well as plenty of families enjoying the last few moments of the day. There were also a lot of Russians with a lot on display. It started to rain slightly so we headed back into town to wait out the last little bit before we had to be at the bus stop. Value for money is important to us, so we went back to the restaurant we visited the day before for extremely large beers. In hindsight, this was probably the worst idea as beer means drinking water which means needing the loo! In Vietnam, this is not ideal, especially when you are travelling on a bus and stopping at less than stellar bathrooms (not to mention the awful, extremely bumpy roads).
We wanted to rent deck chairs for the day, but our one requirement was that there had to be a shower so that we didn't get onto the bus all salty and sticky. We were thinking of going to The Sailing Club but, from the looks of it, we thought it would be very expensive. Instead, we inquired at the place just before The Sailing Club who told us 'yes we have a shower and a toilet'. Well, the toilet was a squat porterloo and the shower was a drum of water that you take scoops out of - no thanks! We decided to just inquire at The Sailing Club and, to our surprise and relief, the seats were only 30,000 Dong each - with a shower and clean toilets - score! The only downside was that they have their own bar and restaurant, so no food and drink was allowed. This meant that we had to be rather sneaky when trying to eat the bananas and water that we had brought with us. We did buy beers from them, so we didn't feel too bad about bringing our own food (their food is ridiculously expensive).
We spent the morning lounging under an umbrella, interrupted by intermittent dips in the warm ocean. After we felt sufficiently relaxed, (late) lunch was in order! We're creatures of habit and once we find something we like, we tend to stick to it. So back to Olivia's we went for some more delicious pizza. We definitely needed dessert after that so, after a quick Google search, we found a coffee shop that came highly recommended. Mel opted to just have tea, while Ross had a delicious coffee that was topped with ice-cream! The menu was amazing and so we just had to share (well Mel just had a sip) a blueberry and vanilla milkshake.
We decided against going for high-tea, as we really were not impressed by the rude Russian man who had greeted us the day before, and definitely did not want to give him any business. We still had time to kill so off to the beach we headed again, this time to people watch. There was a soccer game happening, as well as plenty of families enjoying the last few moments of the day. There were also a lot of Russians with a lot on display. It started to rain slightly so we headed back into town to wait out the last little bit before we had to be at the bus stop. Value for money is important to us, so we went back to the restaurant we visited the day before for extremely large beers. In hindsight, this was probably the worst idea as beer means drinking water which means needing the loo! In Vietnam, this is not ideal, especially when you are travelling on a bus and stopping at less than stellar bathrooms (not to mention the awful, extremely bumpy roads).
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| On a swing, at a bar, on the beach! |
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| Sitting under our umbrella for the day. |
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| Coffee and ice-cream - mmm... |
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| A very serious game of beach soccer. |
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| If the opposition scored a goal, the conceding team had to do push-ups. |
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| Fabio showing off his six-pack. |
Thursday, 2 October 2014
Nha Trang - Day 2
Day two of our trip saw us get up bright and early in order to grab a bite of breakfast, before heading out to dive. Usually breakfast at Vietnamese hotels comprises of a Banh Mi (mini baguette) and an omelette, or fried eggs, so we were very pleasantly surprised when there was a menu with a variety of wonderful options to choose from at Green Peace Hotel. After gobbling our breakfasts down, we were picked up by the dive school to take us to the docks. We jumped on the boat and off we went out to the islands around Nha Trang.
There were two other divers in our party, as well as one snorkeler. One of the divers was also doing the 'discover diving' experience, but her instructor did not wake up (after a big night out) so she had to join in with Mel and her instructor. This girl was Russian with very limited English, which made things rather tricky. When we arrived at the dive site, we suited up and jumped in the water. Ross went diving with an Italian guy and an instructor. They went on their way while the beginners practiced some skills. Unfortunately the Russian girl was not very confident, so Mels' party had to come up to the surface twice! The instructor then told her to stay on the boat and try again later. Mel and the instructor then enjoyed a wonderful 20 minutes underwater!
When everyone surfaced, we were given loads of fruit and pastries (some were great, others we knew not to touch!). After a short boat trip we arrived at our second dive spot. The break between dives was far too short, and Ross really didn't feel well after his first dive but he soldiered on and went for the second dive. The Russian girl decided to give up all hopes of becoming a diver and stayed on the boat, so it was just Mel and the instructor again. The parties went in two different directions and twenty minutes later everyone resurfaced to share tales of what we saw. Mel managed to find Nemo and Ross was attacked by some territorial clown fish, but other than that, just some pretty coral and little fish were seen. It was an incredible experience for Mel who has never dived before. The bug has definitely bitten and she'll definitely do a dive course at some point.
With everyone out of the water, we took off our wet suits and made our way back to shore. We were knackered after a morning of diving, so we walked back to our hotel and slept for a couple of hours! When we had a little bit of our energy back, we decided that we needed more energy and the best way to get it would be to eat waffles (which unfortunately weren't very good). We then decided to explore Nha Trang a little bit more and we wondered in the direction of where all of the fancy hotels in the city are. On the way, we passed some very interesting buildings that could only be Vietnamese! A friend of ours had told us that the Intercontinental Hotel has an all-you-can-eat sandwich and cake buffet, so we thought we would check it out. On arrival, we were greeted by a very snooty Russian man who very unwillingly told us that we were talking about the high-tea that they serve every day. We arrived at 4.30 and the tea finished at 5, so there was no way that we could maximize on the cakes and we thought we would leave it for Monday instead.
We made our way back to our side of town slowly, all the while looking out for a place to have dinner. We looked at all of the special boards and found a place that had alright food and cheap beers, so we went in for the beer but didn't end up ordering food. For dinner, we went to a lovely looking English style pub near our hotel, which was filled with old Australian men. It's always great hearing so much English!
There were two other divers in our party, as well as one snorkeler. One of the divers was also doing the 'discover diving' experience, but her instructor did not wake up (after a big night out) so she had to join in with Mel and her instructor. This girl was Russian with very limited English, which made things rather tricky. When we arrived at the dive site, we suited up and jumped in the water. Ross went diving with an Italian guy and an instructor. They went on their way while the beginners practiced some skills. Unfortunately the Russian girl was not very confident, so Mels' party had to come up to the surface twice! The instructor then told her to stay on the boat and try again later. Mel and the instructor then enjoyed a wonderful 20 minutes underwater!
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| On the boat, in the harbour. |
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| Kitted-up and ready to go! |
When everyone surfaced, we were given loads of fruit and pastries (some were great, others we knew not to touch!). After a short boat trip we arrived at our second dive spot. The break between dives was far too short, and Ross really didn't feel well after his first dive but he soldiered on and went for the second dive. The Russian girl decided to give up all hopes of becoming a diver and stayed on the boat, so it was just Mel and the instructor again. The parties went in two different directions and twenty minutes later everyone resurfaced to share tales of what we saw. Mel managed to find Nemo and Ross was attacked by some territorial clown fish, but other than that, just some pretty coral and little fish were seen. It was an incredible experience for Mel who has never dived before. The bug has definitely bitten and she'll definitely do a dive course at some point.
With everyone out of the water, we took off our wet suits and made our way back to shore. We were knackered after a morning of diving, so we walked back to our hotel and slept for a couple of hours! When we had a little bit of our energy back, we decided that we needed more energy and the best way to get it would be to eat waffles (which unfortunately weren't very good). We then decided to explore Nha Trang a little bit more and we wondered in the direction of where all of the fancy hotels in the city are. On the way, we passed some very interesting buildings that could only be Vietnamese! A friend of ours had told us that the Intercontinental Hotel has an all-you-can-eat sandwich and cake buffet, so we thought we would check it out. On arrival, we were greeted by a very snooty Russian man who very unwillingly told us that we were talking about the high-tea that they serve every day. We arrived at 4.30 and the tea finished at 5, so there was no way that we could maximize on the cakes and we thought we would leave it for Monday instead.
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| The waffles which definitely looked better than they tasted |
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| A lotus building, maybe? |
We made our way back to our side of town slowly, all the while looking out for a place to have dinner. We looked at all of the special boards and found a place that had alright food and cheap beers, so we went in for the beer but didn't end up ordering food. For dinner, we went to a lovely looking English style pub near our hotel, which was filled with old Australian men. It's always great hearing so much English!
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| That beer was bigger than we expected! |
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Nha Trang - Day 1
Tuesday the 2nd of September is National Day here in Vietnam and we were lucky enough that our school gave us Monday and Tuesday off! We decided to take advantage of this mini break (since we do not have another holiday until November) and head up to a popular costal town called Nha Trang. So on Friday night, we rushed home from work, picked up our bags and started our trip by having drinks with two of Mel's sister's friends who were visiting Vietnam from South Korea. It was so great to see some familiar faces and hear some lovely South African accents.
After drinks, we caught our overnight bus. This time we came prepared, we made sure that we had our eye-masks and travel pillows, both of which we forgot last time we went on an overnight bus. Luckily the trip was largely uneventful and we managed to get quite a bit of sleep, well that was until 6.30am when the bus driver started BLASTING Vietnamese music! We were not amused, but luckily it was turned down slightly for the remainder of the trip.
When we arrived, we went in hunt of a good breakfast. After eating our full, we walked through the streets and found our hotel. We wanted to see if we could just leave our bags there, however we were pleasantly surprised when we were allowed to check in early. At first glance our hotel room seemed tiny but, after we felt the pillows (which were soft for the first time in Vietnam) and saw the awesome shower, we decided that the room was actually perfect.
Our next stop was to go and price diving and see what the options were, especially since Mel is not qualified. We found a 'discover diving' option, which allowed Mel to do some skills training in a pool, before testing out those newly learnt skills in the open water. After booking the dives, we went and spent some time being lazy bums on the beach. We rented some deck chairs and that was that - until it was time to head to the pool.
At the pool, Mel was kitted out with all of her gear and was given a run-down, on land, of the skills she would be practicing in the water. Then it was time to put theory into practice. While Mel was busy practicing, Ross was testing out the new 'Go-Pro-like' camera that Mike sent us from South Africa. We were a bit weary of just jumping in the water with it straight up, so Ross tested the housing in the pool to make sure that it stayed bone dry inside.
When we were finished at the pool, we went back to our hotel and showered before heading out for a drink and then dinner. A friend of ours had told us about a really nice bar that is right on the beach, so we decided to check it out. We needed to draw money on the way, so we went in search of a Vietcombank ATM. Vietcom is meant to be one of the biggest banks in Vietnam but, for some reason, we can never find ATMs. We always see plenty of them when don't need them but, as soon as we do, poof, they seem to vanish! We were pointed in the direction of one, and walked for a while, but couldn't find it. Ross was convinced that he had seen one earlier, so we retraced most of our steps but still couldn't find it. Eventually we just drew money from another ATM and headed to the Sailing Club.
Now this is quite a 'larny' bar, so we expected high prices. And that is exactly what we were met with. The setting is great though, so for one drink - no problem! However, much to our delight, they were setting up for a beach party that was happening there that night. As is about right with our timing, it was sound check time. So, for the second time on Saturday, we were blasted with very loud music. Then came the rain! And boy did it rain. We had to move under shelter and nurse our second drinks until it finally let-up enough for us to leave.
Dinner was the next thing on our list, so we did some googling to get some ideas of where to go. As we were walking down one of the streets, Ross looked up and saw a sign for the restaurant 'Olivia's' which he had read about online. In we went and we had some absolutely delicious pizza. Because of the rain, the roads were all really, really flooded. Luckily, by the time we wanted to leave, most of the water had drained away, as we were not too keen on the prospect of wading through gross, Vietnam drain water. Most of our walk back to the hotel was dry but, of course, the last few steps that would take us into our hotel were covered with water. So, in the end, we had to risk it and wade through the water - gross.
After drinks, we caught our overnight bus. This time we came prepared, we made sure that we had our eye-masks and travel pillows, both of which we forgot last time we went on an overnight bus. Luckily the trip was largely uneventful and we managed to get quite a bit of sleep, well that was until 6.30am when the bus driver started BLASTING Vietnamese music! We were not amused, but luckily it was turned down slightly for the remainder of the trip.
When we arrived, we went in hunt of a good breakfast. After eating our full, we walked through the streets and found our hotel. We wanted to see if we could just leave our bags there, however we were pleasantly surprised when we were allowed to check in early. At first glance our hotel room seemed tiny but, after we felt the pillows (which were soft for the first time in Vietnam) and saw the awesome shower, we decided that the room was actually perfect.
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| Our 'city' view |
Our next stop was to go and price diving and see what the options were, especially since Mel is not qualified. We found a 'discover diving' option, which allowed Mel to do some skills training in a pool, before testing out those newly learnt skills in the open water. After booking the dives, we went and spent some time being lazy bums on the beach. We rented some deck chairs and that was that - until it was time to head to the pool.
At the pool, Mel was kitted out with all of her gear and was given a run-down, on land, of the skills she would be practicing in the water. Then it was time to put theory into practice. While Mel was busy practicing, Ross was testing out the new 'Go-Pro-like' camera that Mike sent us from South Africa. We were a bit weary of just jumping in the water with it straight up, so Ross tested the housing in the pool to make sure that it stayed bone dry inside.
When we were finished at the pool, we went back to our hotel and showered before heading out for a drink and then dinner. A friend of ours had told us about a really nice bar that is right on the beach, so we decided to check it out. We needed to draw money on the way, so we went in search of a Vietcombank ATM. Vietcom is meant to be one of the biggest banks in Vietnam but, for some reason, we can never find ATMs. We always see plenty of them when don't need them but, as soon as we do, poof, they seem to vanish! We were pointed in the direction of one, and walked for a while, but couldn't find it. Ross was convinced that he had seen one earlier, so we retraced most of our steps but still couldn't find it. Eventually we just drew money from another ATM and headed to the Sailing Club.
Now this is quite a 'larny' bar, so we expected high prices. And that is exactly what we were met with. The setting is great though, so for one drink - no problem! However, much to our delight, they were setting up for a beach party that was happening there that night. As is about right with our timing, it was sound check time. So, for the second time on Saturday, we were blasted with very loud music. Then came the rain! And boy did it rain. We had to move under shelter and nurse our second drinks until it finally let-up enough for us to leave.
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| The storm rolling in |
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| Russian dancers practicing |
Dinner was the next thing on our list, so we did some googling to get some ideas of where to go. As we were walking down one of the streets, Ross looked up and saw a sign for the restaurant 'Olivia's' which he had read about online. In we went and we had some absolutely delicious pizza. Because of the rain, the roads were all really, really flooded. Luckily, by the time we wanted to leave, most of the water had drained away, as we were not too keen on the prospect of wading through gross, Vietnam drain water. Most of our walk back to the hotel was dry but, of course, the last few steps that would take us into our hotel were covered with water. So, in the end, we had to risk it and wade through the water - gross.
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