i just spent the last week hopping around the countryside outside saigon where it was blue skies and sunshine all around. i wasn't thrilled to be heading back to the rain and depressing gray skies i'd gotten used to in this town.
and things didn't start off well. when i boarded my sleeper bus that would take me there from saigon, i was berated by the luggage handler for not speaking better vietnamese. and then when i found my seat on the bus, i was met by 3 screaming kids who wouldn't shut up for like 2 hours. which would be fine if this wasn't a bumpy, 9-hour, overnight ride and i'd be diving immediately into a scheduled business project when i arrived!
but then things turned around. i magically fell into a deep comfortable sleep, and i was in nha trang before i knew it. and when i hopped into a taxi for my usual drive up the coast to my motel, my groggy, half-asleep gaze out the window was met by this beautiful sunrise!
i asked the taxi driver to stop immediately! i grabbed my bags and walked home instead.
this wasn't the gray and dreary nha trang i'd grown to loathe over the last 2 months! this was beautiful! i kicked off my flip flops and enjoyed a nice stroll on the beach.
i came across dozens of fishermen and women who'd just come in from overnight fishing trips. i watched as they spooled in their nets and collected their gear.
a few meters later, i nearly crashed a wedding photo shoot! (which, if i had no heart, would be the ultimate prize for the photo-crashing album on my fb page!). instead, i stepped aside and took a photo. don't they look perty?
indeed, my return to nha trang has seen a delightful turn of events. warm temperatures and sunshine are forecast for at least another week.
and i'm reminded that this is one heck of a beautiful beach town. as one of the most popular tourist destinations in vietnam, it offers scuba diving, island hopping, jet-skiing, kite-surfing. backpackers particularly enjoy the booze cruises. you may also recall a certain ostrich-riding experience of mine.
personally, i find the food to be the best draw. nha trang has some of the best fresh seafood i have ever tasted. the squid here in particular is outstanding. nobody does squid like nha trang. NOBODY.
it took some time and a whole lotta self-improvement on the part of mother nature - but i finally appreciate being here in nha trang. i've got a short time left and i'm pretty sure it won't be spent being addicted to how i met your mother!