We found the lobster ladies!

So we arrived into Nha Trang early this morning on the SE4 from Saigon. Leaving Saigon we had another taxi meter scam on our way to train station. Spotted early on, a angryish (well half) debating convo negotiated it down to a more acceptable rate. No way in hell I was going to pay the equivalent of about $9 AUD for a 3KM journey that should’ve been around $2-3 AUD. Though when we paid and hopped out I told the dude not to rip people of… karma comes back… lol. Dad reckons I’m too harsh. But I figure if they wanna scam us, then I should be able to equally give it back. Saw a few tourists in Saigon too taking the same approach especially when one store quotes 3 times the amount that the one around the corner for the same thing.

Anyways back to Nha Trang, had a wander and some food in the morning then headed back to the hotel to sleep for a few hours. I’ve got a mild cold (again!!!) and every now and then I feel just a little bit sick. Cold air-con on train probably didn’t help.

So once we woke up, we headed out planning to visit the Po Nagar Cham Towers and Thap Ba Hot Spring Center. Was planning on pedal powering it out, but in the end got two guys to ride us out. Good choice, as I don’t think I would’ve made it there and back… not with the cold making my head funny.

Hot Spring Center was good fun. Mud baths, mineral baths and a 38 degree heated pool. And is it wrong to say I shared a mud bath with my dad? The choice was 100,00 VND each for public/communal cold mud, or 200,000 VND each for a private bath with warm mud. We chose the latter option.

After that got dropped of at the Sailing Club for lunch. Bit more expensive than usual, but location was nice and makes you feel you’re really on holidays. Then after lunch had a stroll which was where the subject of this post comes into play. I spotted the lobster ladies! And we decided even though we’d just eaten lunch we had to have a lobster. There were crabs and shellfish too, but they were already cooked and were being kept warm so not sure how fresh they really were. But the lobsters were still alive, so we picked a medium sized one and the lady cooked it for us on the beach, and they put out some tarp for us to sit on. It was like a travelling restaurant really.

Not sure what were going to do tomorrow. Toying with a island trip but the weather is pretty gloomy here at the moment – overcast, cloudy with patches of rain. Might find those guys instead tomorrow to do some touring out to Ban Ho Falls, a fishing village and monkey island instead.

Leaving on the the night train tomorrow night for Danang, so it’s a rather whirlwind stay here in Nha Trang.

And as usual, some pics:

Train from Saigon to Nha Trang

On the top bunk,,, money wallets are so unflattering…

Mmm mud

Food

Bet you wish you were here… (eating dinner right now here)

Our lobster getting toasted

Me, the lobster and the lobster lady