“Lola” (The Kinks)

We arrived into Nha Trang just after dark after being slightly delayed by a flat tyre on the bus which was swiftly dealt with by the drivers, with assistance from Pete of course. Not bad that it is our first flat tyre of the whole trip given how far we have travelled. Upon arriving, we discovered that Nha Trang was a massive resort town (with a heavy Australian influence it must be said). I am not sure too many of us were expecting to see so much neon, not to mention high rise hotels and names like Novotel and Crowne Plaza. But we swiftly adapted as we realised that we were at a hotel right in the middle of things (with the all important wireless internet of course!), and next to a lovely restaurant. A quick dinner and then off to bed after a tiring couple of days.

I was still a physical wreck after jet skiing, as was Elaine (and, it must be mentioned, so were Rich, Michael S, Chris, Tim and Pete), so Elaine and I headed off for a massage. As has been the trend for all the massages I have had on this trip (and there have been a few), it turned into a bit of an adventure sport as the masseur pushed, pulled and slapped my aching muscles. I was very proud that I only cried out once in pain! It helped a bit, and Elaine and I were able to hobble slightly more quickly back to the hotel.

Nha Trang was our first proper beach stay (we were a whole 5km away from the beach in Hoi An) and we were all keen to enjoy the beach and the water. There was also the pressing issue of Tim’s Birthday, and having a suitable party to welcome him to the 30 club (it has an illustrious, and exclusive membership), and so the crew had organised a boat to take us to an island for a beach bbq. We were all very excited, and so we headed off to the shop to stock up on important supplies (vodka for us, and evil little B52 and tequila shots for Tim) before bundling into taxis and heading to the port. Our boat came complete with eskys full of ice, and we all got settled in for the journey across the beautiful blue water, under clear blue skies and the cable car which runs across from the mainland to an island. After about half an hour we reached our destination and unpacked the boat. Leaving the crew to prepare the meal, most of us headed off into the water, and we even got Jen in the water up to her waist! We were all very proud! I am not sure we can put all of the success down to our encouragement, as I feel that the local Vietnamese red wine may have also played a part… We bobbed around in the water watching the sun setting over the hills, and feeling pretty good about life in general.

Carolyn & Pete chilling on the boat:

The view from the beach:

Looking glam!: It was then time to head back to the beach and find out what the crew had managed to put together for dinner. And it was absolutely amazing. The most outstanding prawns that I have had in years (proper big prawns, not the scrawny UK ones), and tender pork steaks, all accompanied by salad and fresh bread. Suitably fed, it was time to create havoc, and so we all headed off across the beach to a party for about 200 locals. Crashing the party provided Tim with ample opportunity to demonstrate his unique dancing style to a whole new audience. The party was winding up about 8ish, so we headed back to the boat and to the mainland, where several of the group continued to create havoc in bars and clubs until the early hours.

Edel and me:

The prawns:

Rich, C, Jen, Alexa & Maura:

Maura & Alexa:

Elaine & Chris:

Edel and an unimpressed looking Mike:

Pete & the Birthday Boy Tim:

Rich and me:

It was up early the next day for our first scuba diving of the trip. Pete was very keen for everyone to try diving (although his enthusiasm on the day was somewhat tempered by the after effects of Tim’s party) and there were 6 divers and 1 snorkeller on board the bus to the dive boat ready for our next adventure. After a briefing by the dive masters on board, a 45 minute boat ride out to the marine park, and getting kitted up in wetsuits, air tanks and goggles (including prescription ones for Jo who was very excited that she would be able to see!), we set out on our first dive. Each of us was accompanied by a dive master, and we headed off in pairs. Rich and I were diving together and Rich’s dive master was particularly obsessed by his underwater camera, so we have many, many images of our dives! As we meandered along amongst the fish and coral, getting used to the concept of breathing underwater we saw some amazing and beautiful sights. We came up from our first dive very keen to get back down, and after a quick baguette (got to love the French influence) and a bit of sunbaking on the deck, we got kitted up again and headed under the water. The second dive gave us a chance to spend a bit more time looking around. It is very calm underwater with nothing but the sound of your, and your companions, breathing to disturb the silence. We all emerged keen to do more diving, and there will be plenty of opportunities going forward in Thailand, Malaysia and Borneo.

Diving with Rich: After all that activity it was time to chill out on the beach, so when we returned from diving I headed off to watch the world go by in the shade on the beach opposite the hotel. The day was flying, and it was time to go to dinner, and then head back to the hotel and to bed. However, my plans for an early night were thwarted by, well, myself really… Rich had met up with his neighbour from home and was keen to go out for a drink, so off we went. Jo, Alexa and I sensibly headed off fairly early, while the boys continued on and managed to lose various belongings and gain bruises from women with large adam’s apples. But I will leave those stories to them…