Days 131 & 132: Nha Trang

Big Buddha
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Arrive in nice weather, having left Hoi An in the rain. After checking in we quickly head down to the Louisiane Brewhouse for lunch, this looking and feeling much more like an upmarket resort on the beach (with pool and loungers) than the pub it sounds like (although it does brew its own lagers and ales in a “Czech style”). Chill out on the beach with our books for a few hours before deciding on enchiladas and fajitas at El Coyote (very Vietnamese) and a few drinks at the various pubs recommended in our guide book.

Hard at work
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On Wednesday we hire a car & driver from the hotel to visit a few of the local sights, first up being Po Nagar Cham towers just a few kms from the centre of the city. As we drive there we notice some charming island houses in the river mouth, the islands being little more than rocks big enough to get one house on. The 4 towers occupy a small hill and date back to the 9-12^th centuries, originally part of a larger site containing 8. Thankfully the traditional band packs up shortly after we arrive taking their mind numbing screeching with them. At 28m the tallest of the towers is particularly impressive given it’s age, and all of them are decorated with reliefs of various Buddhas. Somewhat different to other religions is the phallus centrepiece in each temple, representing both the male and female life giving organs in thanks to the gods – odd.

Beers and Buddhas

Linga (phallus)
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Next up was Long Son Pagoda, a brightly coloured and charming building from the late 19^th century. After escaping from the con-artists pretending to be collecting for the monks and/or selling outrageously expensive postcards “for the orphanage”, we climb up to Nha Trang’s huge landmark white Buddha seated on a lotus blossom. Quite a view of the city below from up here, looking slightly South American with all the shades of blue, green, yellow and pink. Our route up and down takes us past a picturesque small bell pagoda and an enormous Reclining Buddha. (No doubt SE Asia’s “largest white reclining Buddha facing East in a coastal city”, as every Buddha statue in this part of the world seems to have some claim to fame!)

Long Son Pagoda
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Hoping for some tasteless Vegas meets Vatican entertainment, we head to Nha Trang’s French built Cathedral, only to be disappointed that the guidebook has very much oversold the “particularly colourful Vietnamese touch of red neon outlining the crucifix, pink backlighting on the tabernacle and the blue neon arch and white neon halo over the statue of Mary”. Looked like a fairly normal early 20^th Century French Gothic style cathedral.

Our last stop of the day was Long Thanh Gallery to see the work of the aforementioned and world renowned photographer – many exceptional shots of Vietnam and its people in black and white (see weblink below for some of his work if interested)

Long Son Pagoda
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http://www.elephantguide.com/longthanh/galleries/index.htm

Happy to report that we were not disappointed with our choice of the Sailing Club for dinner, where I had one of the best curries I’ve ever had, a particularly fine spinach and cream lamb.

Back to pack, again!