This a shot of mount Tra Vinh, with a sitting buddha statue from
Long Son temple at its base. The buddha is 45 feet high, is on top
of a hill and can be seen from pratically anywhere in the city.
We stopped for a brief moment on a bridge for me to take this picture
of fishing boats in Phan Thiet, the capital of fish sauce of Vietnam.
Cana has a few cute little beaches with white sand. We later stopped
at a factory producing glass from the sand in Cam Ranh Bay, supposedly
containing a very high percentage of silica. Engineers there are all
russian.
When ripe, this Thanh Long fruit is about the size of a big grapefruit.
It's white, mushy inside and has small black seeds. You peel it like
peeling a banana. A tree is about 5 feet high and produces only 1 or
2 fruits at a time.
One cannot possibly sleep late in Nha Trang. PA systems along the
beach blast out sound at 6 in the morning. By then, the beach is
already full of people.
Nha Trang city beach is not a clean beach and it drops off rather
sharply but the water is clear and warm. Doc Let (60 km north)
and Dai Lanh (86 km north) are much better beaches for swimming.
Picture of Hon Chong, favorite
rock for young lovers in Nha Trang to scribble their names on.
Another shot of Nha Trang
city from Thap Ba (Cham towers). Half of the pictures in this
series are taken from this location.
Relics from Cham civilization. When we were there last summer, the
Cham towers were undergoing renovation. There are other pockets of Cham
civilization remnants in Nha Trang and Phan Rang.
A view of Cau Bong (Bong bridge) from Thap Ba. There is large
concentration of fishing boats around the bridge and the fishing
village here is very prosperous. The best seafood restaurant
is not found here nor at the beach. It is Quán Gió,
about 20km north of Nha Trang.
Talking about food (my favorite topic), you can never guess that Nha Trang
is famous for grilled meat balls, locally called Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa. You roll
pork meat balls, star fruit, green banana, lettuce, fried rolls of
rice paper and other ingredients together in wet rice paper and
dip into a delicious shrimp paste, a trademark of nem nuong in Nha Trang.
The other dish you don't want to miss is bò La.c Ca?nh, basically
steak cubes grilled on your table, rolled up with lá mo+. in rice
paper.
As the influx of foreign tourists increases, the number of beggars
has also swelled, causing nuisance. If you want to give money,
hand it out on the way out, not when you first arrive, otherwise
you'll have unpleasant escorts during your visit.
There are several "models" wearing some kind of Cham traditional dresses
that will pose for you, at 50 cents a pop. This particular one is
a native of Nha-Trang and very pleasant. She gets paid about $40 a month
by Thap Ba tourist authority, standing around 8 hrs a day, 7 days a week.
In comparison, a hotel clerk in Nha Trang earns about $30 a month.
Picture of Cau Da (rock bridge), surrounded by ponds, aquariums and restaurants.
I got the impression people come here more for fresh seafood than
sea life learning.
Picture of tortoises in one of a pond at Cau Da. As apparent in this picture,
water in Nha-Trang is very clear. But don't get taken by tour operators who
peddle scuba diving and snorkelling trips, there isn't much coral life that
one can see around here.
Picture of a grotto off the coast where Swift birds come to build their nest.
According to our guide, the grottos are leased to companies who pay large
amount of money for the right to harvest the birds' nests. Some grottos
have nearby station with guards watching around the clock.
Photos: Copyright (c) 1993-2003 Viet Bach
