January 2020 -

Nha Trang: A Russian Holiday

Posted January 21, 2020

Where To Next?

We’re traveling for six to seven months with no set itinerary. Picking our next destination is always hard. Fun, but hard. It’s like perennially planning a new trip, every week or so.

The Prep

For a normal sized trip of a few weeks, I buy destinations travel books, I read travel blogs and forums, and I watch YouTube videos. Ad nauseum. I calculate the weather, the average highs and lows for when we’ll be traveling, determine the dates for shoulder season (our preference), and research all the holidays and festivals that might coincide and impact our trip. I research budget hotels, carefully balancing cost, location, and facility attributes. I make detailed notes on google docs, identifying both popular sites and hidden gems, complete with open days, hours, costs, and hints to avoid long ticket lines. In short, I plan the heck out of every trip.

Just Get Over It

But when you’re planning as you go, for extended travel, all that, well, most of that, goes out the window. I knew that was the case, but it’s still taken some getting used to. And some letting go.

The Bare Minimum

I still research our accommodations, some more than others. My criteria has gotten honed down to :

Location – are things mostly walkable?
Cost– I try to keep all SE Asia accommodations under $35 USD a night Often I’m well below that.
Air Conditioning – seems like everywhere where this is essential, it’s already included.
A private bathroom – I don’t actually mind sharing a bathroom, but a shared bathroom isn’t necessarily close to our room, and I’m not comfortable traveling down long, dark hallways or navigating stairs in the middle of the night, lol.
An included breakfast – This is negotiable, but we find it extremely convenient (and economical) to know where we’re getting our coffee & grub first thing in the morning, and many hotels include breakfast, if you look.

No Real Plan

A fellow traveler recently asked us how we decide where we’re going next. That was hard to answer. We do have a few “for sure” destinations we hope to visit in each country. And, as our travels have progressed, we’ve learned that we’d prefer keeping our travel days reasonably short, like a maximum of four to five hours of traveling.

Time to Decide

We’ve explored lots of northern Vietnam and we’re slowing making our way south. We’ve been in Quy Nhon for a week now. It’s a medium sized city on the coast of Vietnam and not touristy at all. Keeping with our short travel day criteria, Nha Trang is the next logical choice, but it’s reputation as a heavily touristed, party destination, overbuilt with high rise hotels, was a bit daunting.

Steve bobbing over the great waves in Nha Trang

We don’t do the club scene. In fact, we’re usually in bed by 8 or 9 pm (reading, watching Netflix, or on our laptops). We don’t especially like the Cancun or Miami-type beach scene, but we threw caution to the wind, and headed to Nha Trang.

I’m Easy

Once in Nha Trang, I bit the bullet and quickly adapted. High rises everywhere? Yes. Tourists everywhere? Yes. Hundreds of people on the beach? Yes. But the good in Nha Trang far outweighed the bad, at least for us.

Tourist-Town

We’ve already spent weeks and weeks in small and medium Vietnamese towns where we’d see very few foreigners (especially no Americans), so it was a nice change of pace to be in a place specifically catering to tourists, with our needs in mind. Getting up every morning and walking five minutes to the beach, with a readily available padded lounger and shade umbrella for rent ($3 USD a day with large beach towel & bottled water included), wasn’t a tough sell.

The incredibly beautiful beach, glorious sunshine, fine white sand, and great waves are a winning combination in my book. Nha Trang has the kind of waves that come in so close together that the entire coast looks like it’s covered in white, fluffy bubbles that contrast with the bright turquoise water that’s accented with navy and all shades of blue.

The Russkies

I have yet to mention one other aspect of the Nha Trang experience. Russians. And a few Chinese thrown in too, but mostly lots and lots of Russians.

The Allure of Nha Trang

The beautiful blues of the water, Nha Trang

We’d been warned about the huge number of Russians in Nha Trang by both fellow travelers and posts on travel forums. For some unknown reason, the Russians have taken a very strong liking to Nha Trang, Vietnam, and they can’t get enough of it. They are in Nha Trang in droves – and, in all of Vietnam, only Nha Trang. I don’t think I’ve ever met a Russian, but now I’ve spent every day for seven days surrounded by hundreds of them.

Big & Beefy

I hate to admit this, but my stereotype of a Russian is mostly from James Bond movies (and the like). Big, tall, muscular men, with commanding, deep voices, quite imposing, and often with a shaved head. And the women aren’t too dissimilar, except they have hair.

Well, after spending a full week with the Russians, I have to say that my stereotype wasn’t too far off. I would guess that close to half the men, and a good chunk of the women, met my expectations.

Many of the Russian men are huge. It’s especially noticeable because we have been surrounded by Vietnamese that we tower over and outweigh (by lots, I”m sorry to say) for months. So, suddenly being surrounded by hulking guys and their hulking families is quite a stark contrast.

Beachwear

One thing I have to say, the Russian women are very comfortable with their bodies, and kudos to them! Regardless of size, age, or body shape, Russian women wear a bikini. Young, teen-aged, middle-aged, old, and very old are all in bikinis. Skinny, chunky, pear-shaped, large busted, extremely large busted – any and all were in bikinis. I’m talking the kind of bikini that shows most of the behind, if you know what I mean. Not much is left to the imagination. In my opinion, this isn’t the most flattering look for all body types, but on the beach at Nha Trang, no one seems to give a hoot. And more power to them.

We’re Surrounded

There we sat, in our two beach loungers, among the hundreds of loungers filled with Russians. It was kind of surreal. We were a lone island of democracy (or a republic, if you want to be precise), in a giant Russian community of beachgoers. We were definitely the odd-men out, so to speak.

Hundreds of loungers line the beach, Nha Trang

Even more Russians, that live and work in Nha Trang, roamed the loungers, advertising their restaurant or massage services, handing out discount coupons or sample menus. I’m not sure how, but most vendors could tell we weren’t Russian, so bypassed us, but the occasional vendor would approach us, chatting away in Russian. They wouldn’t stay long. I think the blank stare and puzzled look on our faces were enough, and they would abruptly stop and quickly move on.

World Peace

I found it quite interesting being the only Americans (probably) in a sea of Russians. I really wanted to ask a Russian what they thought of us Americans. We are taught to distrust and be suspicious of Russians. I was so curious what we would have in common, which I’m sure is a lot.

I never did get up the nerve to reach out. I’m fairly certain that very few of the Russians spoke English, so it would have been a short conversation. And the only Russian word I learned all week, from hearing it a hundred times, was Nyet (means No or Not), which probably wouldn’t get us too far.

Like Bartells

It was about 100x more crowded than this picture shows

Not only was the beach full of Russians, but the whole section of town along the beachfront was like a Russian enclave. Advertisements along the street were in Russian. Menus in restaurants were in Russian (and often English too, thankfully). There was an unusually high number of stores that carried toiletries, like lotions, vitamins, soap, and shampoo, around town, with Russian advertising all over the front windows. These toiletry stores were unusually large and modern (most shops in Vietnam are small, mom & pop stores), so they really stuck out.

Morning, noon, and night, the toiletry stores were packed with Russian shoppers. We went into one to buy some sunscreen, and the prices were normal (sunscreen is expensive in Vietnam too). It was really strange, but obviously the Russians either use an extraordinary amount of toiletry products, or they are in short supply back home. I don’t know, but after our one experience trying to navigate in the crowded store we tried to steer clear of all the Russian-packed toiletry stores of Nha Trang.

Vacation In a Vacation

Being in Nha Trang was like a vacation from the Vietnamese-portion of our vacation. Of course, there were Vietnamese around, as well as Chinese, some French, and others, I’m sure. And there was still bat-s*&t crazy traffic, Banh Mi vendors everywhere (Vietnamese sandwich on a french baguette), and super cheap prices for almost everything.

We ate at an exceptional Indian restaurant several times, always surrounded (of course) by Russian families or couples. It was probably the best Indian food I’ve ever had. All in all, our week in Nha Trang was kind of like a Russian holiday, with an Indian cuisine twist and a darn nice beach. Yes, I think Nha Trang was the perfect choice for us. Now we’re refreshed and ready for more of the traditional Vietnam we know and love.

Wins and Losses

Wins

The cashews. Fresh cashews for sale everywhere. Best cashews ever.

Seeing the first signs of the Tet (Vietnamese New Year). The Vietnamese decorate with flowers. What a lovely tradition. And each city or region has it’s own flower. For Nha Trang, it is yellow mums. Yellow mums were being sold on every street corner and were already prominently displayed at the entry of many hotels and businesses.

Seeing real Russians doing usual and normal things just like everyone else. Wow, mind blown.

Happening upon a dragon competition along the beachfront. Amazing display of talented athletes performing incredible stunts and “dancing” as dragons.

Realizing body shaming is not a thing in Russia. Loved seeing women proud of who they are, no matter their size, shape, or age.

Fresh fruit vendor on the beach, Nha Trang

Fresh fruit vendors on the beach – quite a treat. A whole pineapple cut-up on the spot. Dripping, sweet, and all ours.

Losses

Why didn’t we buy any cashews until our very last day in Nha Trang? What, are we crazy? We walked by the enormous bags of bulk cashews for sale all week. Silly, silly foreigners.

Not taking the unique opportunity to start a conversation with a Russian. I think I was a bit nervous that we’d get into politics, and then who knows what would have happened (I was outnumbered, after all). I suppose if things got tense, I could have fallen back on how good Putin looks shirtless (Nyet!!!).

Quy Nhon: We Just Want to Eat

January 15, 2020

Ky Ko Beach

Quy Nhon (pronounced Weee Nawn) has an undeniably beautiful beach stretching three miles along the eastern edge of the city. The sand is an unusual tan-orange color, soft and fine. The beach is expansive, virtually deserted, and has a wide tile promenade, complete with artwork and lovely tended gardens the full length of the promenade.

In a word, the beach is easy.

But when it comes to eating in Quy Nhon, well, that’s another story. It takes more thought and energy than one would think…

The tile promenade along the beach front

The Three Waitresses

Three young waitresses, probably in their early to mid twenties, stand far behind me in the back of the large open air restaurant, huddled closely in a tight circle, whispering. Steve has a good view of them. They gathered back there as soon as they saw us come into the restaurant and take a seat.

Two of the three little girls at the restaurant

I can only see in the opposite direction, facing out to the street, where three young girls, ages six to eight (I’d guess), all dressed up in brightly colored gauzy dresses and glitter covered dress shoes, carry a toddler awkwardly down the sidewalk. They are working together, laughing. One has the toddlers head, the other two have his feet. The toddler is flopping around, mostly horizontal to the ground, but definitely not secure. I’m a bit worried that they’ll drop him and he’ll hit his head on the tile sidewalk. He is squealing with delight, loving all the attention from the older kids.

Now or Never

Suddenly my attention is diverted back to our table, where all three waitresses have just appeared. They are standing three in a row at the short end of the table, looking down at us. Two of the three are holding cell phones opened to the Google Translate app.

Time to Order

The three waitresses look like they are ready for the challenge of us, the foreigners. One of the young waitresses sets a menu (just one) on our table, which is typical in Vietnam. The menu is in Vietnamese (only), which explains their concern. They don’t see many English speakers here, and they aren’t sure how to handle us. It’s “shoulder” season still, but even during “high” season Quy Nhon isn’t very touristy. And there are definitely not many American tourists at any time of the year.

The three waitresses stand for a moment and share a look, smiling nervously, and take a deep, collective breath. They’re probably wondering why we aren’t eating up on the main street in one of the few hotel restaurants. The restaurant we’re in is a few blocks back from the main drag through town. It’s in a part of town where the locals hang out. But don’t get me wrong, the waitresses seem welcoming, and willing to give it a go.

Not wanting to be left out, I opened my Google translate app and select the camera function. In theory, I can hover my phone over the menu text and my app should magically translate the dishes into English, thus making ordering simple and straightforward. So far, this has never worked. Frankly I’m ready to give up on trying to translate menus. I’ve even downloaded another translator app and tried to google the words on menus with little to no success.

For proof, see the screen shot of my google translate above. Cooking the bat, Salt in the salt, Baking the burning, and Baking the shoe were among our menu choices, according to Google Translate.

Get Us Anything

We were hungry enough, and we’ve been in Vietnam long enough (over 50 days), that we’re ready to eat almost anything. Ok, that’s actually not true at all. I won’t eat goat, or dog, or a raw jellyfish, or little snails out of the shell that look like something I can’t even type here (Steve had them the other night). It’s too awful to put in print. But ask me someday, and I’ll be happy to tell you (I’m not a wimp- I’ve had snails many times, but no way was I eating these particular snails).

So here we are. We can’t make out any menu items. None at all, not even our fall-back item, spring rolls. Two of the three waitresses were trying to converse with us via the phone app, simultaneously. It’s difficult enough to follow one conversation using a translator app, let alone two competing conversations. It seems both waitresses wanted to take the lead (to help the Americans), but instead everyone was just getting more confused.

Finally I typed out “noodles” and held up my phone. Eureka, noodles was understood! Everyone smiled with relief. One of the waitresses indicated we could have fried noodles and something. Sounded great, we’ll take it! In the end we were served a heaping plate of fried noodles with seafood and vegetables. Yum.

Cheat Sheet

We’ve always compiled a handy cheat sheet of basic food terms for the country we’re traveling in, like beef, chicken, potatoes, etc, but, here in Vietnam, the same word doesn’t always mean the same thing. The word’s meaning depends on the context (when written) and intonation (when spoken). Yeah, so that’s making things a bit complicated for folks like us, just trying to eat.

English Subtitles

We have become more and more adventurous and trusting when ordering food. It’s either give it a go, or go hungry.

And even when food is labeled in English, it doesn’t always help.

Check out the four soup options from a local soup restaurant we ate at one afternoon. These were the only choices. They all have labels in English, but someone please tell me what the Fortune part of Flour Noodles and Fortune is? And the Noodle Soup obviously has way more in it than just noodles (what is that big blob of brown stuff?)! And Jellyfish crab friedfish? That Jellyfish looks pretty raw to me….hopefully it’s not still alive!

Celebrity or Oddity?

Just like the two waitresses that competed for our attention, we find we are in high demand, and perhaps a curiosity, here in Quy Nhon. Of course, we’ve had some of this same attention on our travels elsewhere in SE Asia, especially in Myanmar, but the amount of attention we got in Quy Nhon took us by surprise.

It feels very odd to get stares and double-takes from men, women, and children, several times a day. Kids biking by us would notice us, and yell out “Helloooo!”, and be thrilled when we would reply back in English.

We’d sit on the beach or at a beach side cafe and teenagers would stop and want to talk to us. But one young teen boy in particular stopped almost daily to “chat” with us while we were on or near the beach. He spoke no English at all, but seemed content to just talk at us while we smiled, nodded, and sat awkwardly.

The Mystery Man

One afternoon, a man approached us as we sat reading our kindles in lounge chairs at a nice hotel along the beachfront. We’re pretty sure we weren’t supposed to be using the loungers, since a sign at the wrought iron entrance gate said “Hotel Guests Only”, and we were staying at the budget hotel across the street.

The Lounge Chairs

The previous day we had spotted the hotel pool along the beachfront and I asked the pool attendant if we could pay to rent a couple of the loungers. He indicated we could use them for free – or at least that’s what I think he said. I tried again to explain that we weren’t hotel guests, (he spoke no English), but he ushered me over to the loungers with a big smile and motioned that I should sit. He then brought over nice blue and white striped lounger pads, and tied them to the loungers for us.

We felt a little guilty, but there was nowhere else on the beach with chairs or shade of any kind, and it was blazing hot in the sun, so we quietly slinked in through the back stairs day after day and impersonated hotel guests. We didn’t feel too bad because there was never anyone else using the loungers, except one guy, for one day. And that guy left via the back stairs too, so we’re thinking he was probably a fellow impostor.

You’re Busted

Anyway, back to our unexpected visitor. The man walked directly up to my lounger, stopping right at my lounging feet. He was explaining something to us in a language we couldn’t make out, looking first to Steve, then to me. He pointed to each of us, and to himself, then held up three fingers. My heart was beating wildly. I was sure we’d been found out. Here was the hotel manager come to send us packing.

Oh My

Instead, the man held out his phone and motioned that he’d like to take a selfie with Steve and I. It took a moment for me to calm myself. What, a selfie, you say? Who are you?

I had a lot of questions, but couldn’t communicate with whoever this was, and I was so thankful that we weren’t getting the boot that I stood and started positioning myself for the photo. I pulled Steve over to get into the picture too, as the man had indicated.

The mystery man leaned in close to me, held up his phone, and clicked. To my great surprise, the selfie was just us two, the man and me. No Steve. He seemed quite happy, nodded and smiled, and left us.

Quy Nhon Forever

In addition to getting selfies with strangers, reading in lounge chairs, swimming in the waves, and trying to get fed, we enjoyed beautiful Quy Nhon.

One afternoon we met a retired man from New Mexico who was staying in our hotel. He’d been in town for only two weeks when he decided to stay, forever. He had already rented a two bedroom apartment on the river for $300 USD a month with a six month lease.

I can see why he chose to stay in Quy Nhon. Her attributes are many – untouristy, a medium sized city, unpolluted, beautiful uncrowded beach, and friendly people. It’s quite a nice place.

Wins and Losses

Wins

We ate at two local noodle soup shops, without much knowledge of what we were ordering, and didn’t get sick either time.

We visited the Long Khanh Pagoda that housed a 56 foot, light blue-green Buddha and gorgeous grounds.

Quy Nhon has tubeless toilet paper = way more toilet paper per roll, but impossible to hang up.

Getting this great shot of Steve at Queen’s Beach!

Coffee shops bring you a complimentary glass of tea with every coffee order, so you sip on your tea until your coffee order is ready (and the coffee is amazing).

If you order beer, you will almost always get served first. You’ll also get a cup of ice – that’s how folks drink beer in Vietnam – on ice.

Losses

Restaurants have no napkins. Not a napkin in sight. But they do provide individually wrapped wet-wipes that sit on the table. Then, when you use one, they charge you for it. It’s only .08 cents, but it’s the principle of the thing, right? lol

It’s proving impossible to find good, fragrance free deodorant in SE Asia, so I’m having to try and find the least offensive scent. I have a great deodorant collection started, but I’m still on the hunt for a winner.

Hearing horrendous, ear-piercingly loud karaoke while sitting on the pristine beach (thankfully, it was short-lived).

If you want to drink anything other than beer, you will get served last, or maybe not at all. Non beer drinkers are low-priority in Vietnam.