Nha Trang

I spent nearly all of today bedridden in hopes that the God-awful swelling in my leg would subside. Things are improving, but I make a crummy invalid. I'm annoyed to be sleeping through an adventure for the sake of my health.

Yesterday we took a bus down from Dalat to the coastal city of Nha Trang. Forsaking the details of every painful pothole--and I assure you I recall every one--suffice to say that the highway system of Vietnam is a couple public works programs from completion. For about ten miles, the entire "freeway" was a dirt trail where there was a clear attempt at road construction, but mostly there were just huge rocks in the road. The bus either dodged or rolled right over the boulders, depending on their size, and if we slowed even slightly, a buzzing fleet of motorcycles swarmed past on either side. Fearless, those guys. The trip did take us down through some beautiful mountain country. There were high waterfalls sliding down sheer granite faces and sweeping views of the valley floor when we descended out of the clouds that blanketed the highest peaks on the journey. The vegetation, deciduous largely comprised of pine trees, reminded me of the Cascade mountains of North America. In fact, it was not until we got down into the valley's small villages and began to see fields of those squat, wide-leafed palms that seem to me so distinctly Vietnamese.

Nha Trang is a popular tourist destination, one that we intended to avoid, but if one must sit on one's butt all day, at least one can sit one's butt on a pretty beach. Andrew took stock of the town while I stayed in the hotel reading, sleeping, rolling to my side, sleeping some more. He reports white sand beaches, a nice seabreeze, and less aggressive hawkers and touts than expected. Overall, I think the touts of the world could take a cue from the Vietnamese. Just like everywhere else, these guys/women/children are out trying to make a buck, targeting foreign tourists in particular. But unlike everywhere else I've traveled, the Vietnamese touts seem perfectly happy to walk away. For example, we were sitting on the open-air terrace of a coffee shop the other day when a woman approached with her box of cigarettes, gum, candies, and other sundries. She smiled, said "Allo," and pushed close to show off her wares. I smiled back and said, "No, thank you." To which she replied, "Okay. Bye, see you later!" And she moved along to casually proffer at the next table. It was remarkable!

We did find an interesting spot for dinner, Luc Camh, where we BBQed our own seasoned vegetables, beef, and squid on a little wood-fired grill that was brought to the table. Our order of spring rolls turned out to be a plate of nearly twenty little fried rolls. We ate like kings for less than $10. Precisely what I needed after lying in bed all day!

I hope to make better use of the beach tomorrow... maybe find myself a cabana... and after a bit more of this taking-it-slow plan, we'll get back on the road.