Nha Trang, Nha Trang...
In a sleep deprived stupor, we arrived in Nha Trang to a site that we would get very accustomed to...gray. Sadly, this beach town did not hold in store the killer surf and beach bashes we had hoped for and that Joe and Kevin had experienced in Thailand. Alas, it still holds a dear place in my heart because it does have one of the coolest and culturally important places we have seen thus far. Monkey Island.
We rented motor bikes from Be, the hostess and owner of our hotel (My Long Hotel, $24 a night for a double and real shower). After the frenzy of motor bikes in Saigon, Nha Trang seemed more like a shriner's rally. Until we entered the fury. The traffic laws in Vietnam are merely a formality. Green means full speed, yellow faster, and red means dodge the foolish people driving perpendicular to you. People driving in the wrong direction coming at you, trucks beeping as they try to pass, and then the road turns into dirt with bumpy potholes and rocks. Heading into some beautiful foothills, we escaped the city and the mayhem. Mark and Kevin's speedometers did not work and mine hit 100 (km/h, silly); these are not your standard mopeds. After about 25 km and a short boat ride through a small bay surrounded by lush green hills, we made it to Monkey Island.
Originally meant for research, this island has proven a popular tourist attraction and anything goes in Vietnam! It didn't take long for the monkeys to attack Mark. I knew he liked hairy girls, but wow! Some of the monkeys got rather territorial over the tourist food, and admittedly, we tried to fuel the excitement by adding knives to the situation (a la The Simpsons monkey knife fight).
While the monkeys are not treated very well, the highlight was the monkey show. To start, 2 dogs and 1 monkey riding a bicycle pulled out a carriage with 1 goat and 1 dog in full marriage attire. If that makes no sense to you, then you understand the situation completely. Only pictures will do it justice. The monkeys did some neat tricks, the carriage rode to the honeymoon, and we departed monkey island fully satisfied.
Racing back on our scooters, we made it before dark and grabbed beers by the hotel at a "bia hoi". Bia hoi are small places on the sidewalk where you sit in little kids plastic chairs and drink fresh beer out of a jug (possibly the same jug that filled our gas tanks earlier). At 7 beers for $1, the price was right, but with our tummies rumbling, we headed to barbecue at a local hot spot. At this awesome place, they bring raw meat and fish to the table and you grill it on small charcoal grills on the table. We ate and drank heavily for 2 hours. The bill was $5 per person.
We found some nightlife, tried fitting 4 grown men on a scooter, and headed to bed. Another boat tour tomorrow!
Oma wants to know if you knew what kind of meat you were eating at the barbecue!
ReplyDelete