Hi again!
Our next stop in Vietnam was the beach resort of Nha Trang. We all had high hopes for this place after the disappointment of Hanoi, and well it didn't start great. The first evening, some of us went for a walk only to come across loads of rats! The beach didn't seem upto much, and there was still loads of filth and rubbish on all the streets. But we stumbled across a cool bar called 'The Sailing Club' and stayed there for the night.
The next few days then for myself and Emma were connected up to a drip in a kind of small hospital. Emma had an ear infection and acute tonsilitis & I had a bad dose of Tonsilitis. So well our Nha Trang experience wasn't the best. But the others had a great time. They went to a waterpark/themepark one day, on a small island, called Vinpearl. But well they said it was like a ghost town. The people there would turn on the rides especially for them!
Then they found a sort of paradise in Nha Trang - a place called Louisianna. It was a bar/restaurant with a pool and it's own private beach. So basically they just lived there until me and Emma were better, before we headed onto Ho Chi Minh City. Gillian did a wake-boarding lesson there one day and loved it!
Then it was onto Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam's second biggest city. We got an overnight bus for this, and we were well impressed with it, a proper sleeper bus. Then our first impressions of Ho Chi Minh (aka Saigon) were all good! It restored a bit of hope after Hanoi was such a let down. Here we checked out the markets. There were cool stuff here, but it's just so annoying how they all shout at you to buy stuff and they're in your face the whole time.
Then we did the Independence Palace, where the Vietnam War officially ended. It was where the President's office used be. And they had an underground kind of shelter for when they were attacked there. It's just so fascinating learning about the wars in Vietnam, mainly because they were just so recent. Our last stop this day was to the army museum. This was class. It had loads of war vehicles (fighter jets, army tanks) just like the one in Hanoi. And inside, it told the story of the war and when the Americans attacked. Also it told and showed of the devastation of when the Americans dropped Agent Orange on the Vietnamese people.
Our next day in Ho Chi Minh, we did a day trip. First stop was to the Cao Dai order. This is a religious group in Vietnam. They worship and pray according to most religions including Budhism, Catholicism and Hinduism. They pray everyday 4 times a day - 6am, 12 noon, 6pm and 12 midnight. We watched their noon ceremony. Was cool to see, but well it was kind of boring to be honest.. They just sat legs crossed and reflected to themselves, while some children sang and there was a kind of orchestra with guitars and banjo type instruments.
After this, it was onto the Cu Chi Tunnels. This is where Guerillas fighting for north vietnam against the Americans were camped. They were camped in tunnels a few feet under the ground. It was unbelievable how small these tunnels actually were. They'd literally crawl through them. But they were totally well hidden and disguised. They also told us how the Cu Chi Guerilla's used hunt down the Americans and the tools they used (as well as using guns of course)
Well next stop is Cambodia. Until next time...
Cathy x x
Our next stop in Vietnam was the beach resort of Nha Trang. We all had high hopes for this place after the disappointment of Hanoi, and well it didn't start great. The first evening, some of us went for a walk only to come across loads of rats! The beach didn't seem upto much, and there was still loads of filth and rubbish on all the streets. But we stumbled across a cool bar called 'The Sailing Club' and stayed there for the night.
The next few days then for myself and Emma were connected up to a drip in a kind of small hospital. Emma had an ear infection and acute tonsilitis & I had a bad dose of Tonsilitis. So well our Nha Trang experience wasn't the best. But the others had a great time. They went to a waterpark/themepark one day, on a small island, called Vinpearl. But well they said it was like a ghost town. The people there would turn on the rides especially for them!
Then they found a sort of paradise in Nha Trang - a place called Louisianna. It was a bar/restaurant with a pool and it's own private beach. So basically they just lived there until me and Emma were better, before we headed onto Ho Chi Minh City. Gillian did a wake-boarding lesson there one day and loved it!
Then it was onto Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam's second biggest city. We got an overnight bus for this, and we were well impressed with it, a proper sleeper bus. Then our first impressions of Ho Chi Minh (aka Saigon) were all good! It restored a bit of hope after Hanoi was such a let down. Here we checked out the markets. There were cool stuff here, but it's just so annoying how they all shout at you to buy stuff and they're in your face the whole time.
Then we did the Independence Palace, where the Vietnam War officially ended. It was where the President's office used be. And they had an underground kind of shelter for when they were attacked there. It's just so fascinating learning about the wars in Vietnam, mainly because they were just so recent. Our last stop this day was to the army museum. This was class. It had loads of war vehicles (fighter jets, army tanks) just like the one in Hanoi. And inside, it told the story of the war and when the Americans attacked. Also it told and showed of the devastation of when the Americans dropped Agent Orange on the Vietnamese people.
Our next day in Ho Chi Minh, we did a day trip. First stop was to the Cao Dai order. This is a religious group in Vietnam. They worship and pray according to most religions including Budhism, Catholicism and Hinduism. They pray everyday 4 times a day - 6am, 12 noon, 6pm and 12 midnight. We watched their noon ceremony. Was cool to see, but well it was kind of boring to be honest.. They just sat legs crossed and reflected to themselves, while some children sang and there was a kind of orchestra with guitars and banjo type instruments.
After this, it was onto the Cu Chi Tunnels. This is where Guerillas fighting for north vietnam against the Americans were camped. They were camped in tunnels a few feet under the ground. It was unbelievable how small these tunnels actually were. They'd literally crawl through them. But they were totally well hidden and disguised. They also told us how the Cu Chi Guerilla's used hunt down the Americans and the tools they used (as well as using guns of course)
Well next stop is Cambodia. Until next time...
Cathy x x
No comments:
Post a Comment