Nha Trang - Tourist city along the South China Sea

11 - 13 February, 2011.

Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam

Landscape enroute from Dalat. Lower Eastern slope of the country's South-Central Coast.

Reflections along the journey - curves in the road.

The road from Dalat was much more pleasant than to it, but less eventful, too. Without the breakdowns, and including the paved road - it made for a smooth, if not altogether quite a boring ride. The silver lining (though apparently standard anytime in this part of the world) was the magnificent scenery. The road takes us from the southern end of the Central Highlands down to the South-Central Coast in a journey of about 5 hours by bus, and this time we paid a premium for comfort and reliability. But alas.. our overland trek was nearing its end on the move for the party.

A welcome sign and holiday well-wishes from the local cadre to the touring public. Beachside.

As local as it gets in this region along the shores of the South China Sea - I think its Bai Mieu Fishing village.

Long-time friend, gracious host, & trusted fellow traveler; Tim in top form.

Lunchtime drink break, off the boat. Best sun I've got since moving out West.

In Nha Trang I found myself taken very easily by the structured pleasantries of this tourist, Mecca-like destination of the region. With a reputation for affording expatriates easy distractions and varied entertainments for a range of budgets, it was not hard to take a day cruise, dine at spots for which we were given coupons, and lounge languidly to read. However, the seedy dark side of all the world's cities is present here, too; and discord serves best to bring it out. Poignant reminders abound here, from the many honest local business owners to the hardy and pleasant travelers, of the need for a strong wary awareness - practical if not always unwanted advice.
Still, I had a good time and enjoyed the urbanism of this region. However, I think one visit to here is all that's needed for my own inclinations.. I prefer the less crowded, unfettered spots for exploring and discovery. Fortunately, it was off-season here and a major holiday - it made for an interesting mix of visible residents and visitors that I think took some of the edge off the kitsch of the tourist town. After two nights here, our group parted ways again, this time with aims to meet back in Beijing, China.

Here, and at this time of year, one never forgets its the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Gold star and all.

The photos laid out heretofore are taken with an Olympus Stylus 1050 SW 

 
These works by Tim Paez are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License