Nha Trang, Saigon/HCMC and End

Monday, the last week is starting. Should I push harder or take it easy? Not a difficult decision, my infection has turned into conjunctivitis. I say goodbye to Kristine. She is taking a 6 days/5 nights motorbike tour with a driver to Saigon. There are slight doubts whether that was the best idea. I take the bus to Nha Trang, a city famous for its beaches. It takes a long time, over 5 hours. It's actually only 88 km, but we are taking a detour. Probably because the road is not suitable for the bus. I keep dozing off and playing in between. Before Nha Trang, the piles of rubble are noticeable, the area was most affected by the floods. 30 degrees, I’m already losing interest. The air conditioning at the hostel is turned off during the day, it’s swelteringly hot in the room. Off to the pharmacy, ridiculously cheap compared to Germany. In the afternoon, I buy the remaining souvenirs, that’s done too. It’s best to exchange money at jewelers, who offer rates higher than the official rate. Nha Trang is not small and is only aimed at beach tourism. Only Koreans and Russians here, I’m not quite sure yet. I spend the rest of the day relaxing, my eyes are bloodshot. I've postponed the dive to Wednesday, so no one lets me dive. Side note: 38 days of internet, 3 GB per day, costs 99,000 Dong (3.30 €).

Tuesday, the second of December. It’s hot, humid, and the potentially deadly sun is annoying. I can’t understand why some people enjoy slathering themselves in this weather, sweating, and being bored at the beach. I start the day quietly, visit the Hindu ruins of Po Nagar, and wanted to eat lunch at a street food stall. I ordered a kind of pancake, but it was topped with squid heads. Well, I am by the sea. Without taking a bite, I pay and leave. Off to the hot springs of Tha Ba, it’s beautifully done, a good place to spend time. Almost only fat Russians there. An older Vietnamese wants to show me something about foot massage, it was a bit strange. I stroll along the beach promenade and in the evening I plan the rest of the trip. It’s a relief that this is done.

The next day, the medications are working, and my eyes look normal again. As always, it's an early start. Binh picks me up on the motorbike. I am his only customer, and we go on the ship of another provider. It's cloudy, which I like, but the water is a bit choppy, you can’t see very far. During the first dive, I am still a bit unsure, we go to a sunken ship. A lot of rusty metal. The second dive is better, a small coral reef. Colorful fish and many other sea creatures are visible. We see a few fishermen, but they are not having much luck that day. In the early afternoon, we are back. The diving school is not very strict with the rules; I also didn’t get a PADI certificate. A tropical storm is brewing, the remnants of the last typhoon. So I stay in the hostel. In the evening, I am picked up by a minibus, and I go on the night bus to Saigon. Nha Trang doesn’t need to be seen, apart from the diving.

Thursday, day 35. The bus ride takes forever and I have a very small cabin. I was told we would be in Saigon at 7. Actually, I arrived at the hostel at noon. The time estimates can’t be taken seriously. I already thought something like that, the traffic in the metropolis is one continuous traffic jam. The bus is mostly the only way to get from A to B. Sometimes there are also trains, but they don't connect hostels to each other. My plan with Can Tho didn’t work out, so I’ll stay here for 3 nights. Not ideal, I don’t particularly like the city, the air is bad, humid and hot, too much traffic. Not much has changed in the last 6 years, I recognize the places again, the same shops and even the Ernst-Thälmann School looks familiar. Actually, I am becoming lazier, but I do go out to eat with Rama from India and walk around the city. The party mile is just as loud and unpleasant as it was 6 years ago.

Today I booked a final tour. How convenient that there is a Monkey Mountain or Monkey Island in every city. 2 hours drive, with the ferry over an arm of the Mekong. We arrive and dozens of monkeys are already sitting there, screaming and running around, and those with the big eggs are mating. Weird animals. Feeding is prohibited, but every tour guide hands out peanuts. We are clearly told that the monkeys will steal everything. A Korean in the group is very mentally challenged; his glasses get stolen twice, and his hat once. The glasses can be retrieved by the Vietnamese with bribery in the form of fruits, but the hat is gone. Then we are shown saltwater crocodiles that don’t move at all, and we walk through a mangrove forest to a rebuilt Vietcong base. The tour guide doesn’t say much and leaves us 45 minutes to walk around there. 1000 of the Vietcong were eaten by crocodiles, they recovered US bombs that were stuck in the mud to obtain the gunpowder. Overall, not very pleasant to live there. The crocodiles were later fought off with ducks that had explosives attached. Probably effective. A short boat ride through the mangrove forest for lunch. Seafood again, does it really have to be? Then an hour break, probably to kill time, and then back. We aren’t dropped off at the hostel, but at the old market. The tour was not well organized. But my hostel is good, breakfast and a beer in the evening are included. Tiki is always in a good mood and helpful. In the evening I wanted to meet someone at the Urban Street Festival, but the person was unreliable. The festival was nothing. That happens sometimes. The anticipation for Jena is growing.

Saturday, the last day and return trip. This comes after the end of the journey. A meeting with Bill is planned, and I need to get rid of money at the shoe market.

Thank you very much to everyone who supported me on the trip, by watering plants, providing a backpack, and refilling the refrigerator. And thanks to all readers. Vietnam from north to south, the journey was fantastic and a great experience. Maybe a week too long. The next trip is definitely coming; I can currently imagine Jordan well. Until then.