This morning we walked to a coffee shop to have breakfast we ordered some noodles and of course without fail the Vietnamese "espresso' with condensed milk and ice separated so we can mix it to our own liking, across from our table there were a few Vietnamese ladies, as we were eating one asked us where we were from and when we said Malaysia ..she said the word "makai" to us ..and she keep repeating the word then she ask why we can't understand what makai was since we were Malaysian ...I then caught on that she wanted to say was "MAKAN" (eat.) then she try to say that makan was Indonesian instead of Malaysian but we told her it was the same...she then told us she sells and buy from the visiting visiting Malaysian ships that calls at Quin Nhon ..then Phoung and his "gang" found us at this coffee shop..so we then had had another round of coffee with them..when 11:30 am came we have to excuse ourselves to go and check out of our hotel and have a shower ..Linh his eldest sister invited us to her "Boutique" to rest and pack up for the bus trip to Nha Trang..she invited us to a seafood restaurant for a BIG seafood Lunch.. when we wanted to leave after Lunch it started to rain so we went downstairs where the staff turn on the "karaoke" machine..so we past the time singing while waiting for the rain to stop.
After arriving to Linh's home I decided to take the whole family for Ice -cream..so we all walked out to the main road..to a Local Vietnamese "swensen" we all had the same ice cream..coconut ice cream in a coconut it was really nice but Phoung said that we should try the best one in saigon called "BO Gia"in Nguyen Van Troi street..after the Ice cream we went back to Linh's house for a quick shower before cycling to the bus station ..the whole family came to see us off at the bus station..half way to the bus station it started to rain so we were caught in the rain when we got to the bus station we were drenched..the bus took off at 6;30 pm but stop a few minutes later to pick up more passengers, This is a carry all Vietnamese bus that carried passengers..big bags of what we don't know at out feet so we practical had our knees on our chest..fold up chairs were laid out on the aisle so more passenger could be taken on board...the journey took approximately 4 hours and at 11 pm we were dropped of on the outskirt of Nha Trang..and guess what It started raining again..there were a few motor bike taxi guys wanting to take us to hotels but we refuse to pay them and we cycled toward Nha Trang looking for a hotel at 11:30 pm...we came a cross a" palace " looking hotel with bright neon sign as it was the only hotel around we decided to check in and get out of the rain.
The rooms were very well kept had a romantic theme and nice balcony ..but my bathroom was 1 metre wide .Next morning when we checked out we met a guy who spoke fluent English and ask where we were from and he told us he had visited Singapore before..as were were talking The owner's wife appear dress like she was going to a ball..with full compliments of jewelleries ..she then invited us in for coffee on the house..the man who spoke English is Tony Nguyen who is a retired English teacher with a MBA from the U.S. when tony's very young "wife "came down from the room we suspected that this is actually a "LOVE" hotel on the main road leading into Nha Trang.anyway everyone was very congenial..and the boss lady wanted her photo take by Lou
We eventually left about 9 am before the boss lady wanted a picture with Lou's helmet on and posing with his bike.
Nha Trang was only a short ride away. We stopped for a quick lunch on the roadside.Arriving in Nha Trang we found an old hotel on Trang Phu Street for 200000d.
This is a 1960 style guesthouse with furniture of that era to match.Not much English was spoken here by the staffs but at least we could store our bikes in the room.
Went for ......coffee across the road, "the 4 season "coffee shop by the beach.There we met a freelance magazine writer/reporter for a tourist magazine and she surprised us when she started uttering a kind of Cantonese form her hometown of Hai Phong, north of Hanoi.It was quite amusing to hear this ancient form of Cantonese dialect but we managed to communicate , Vy our newly acquired reporter friend also speaks mandarin!! Vy learned English from her sister who had lived in Russia for 11 years .
At night we went to the famous restaurant called "Lach Canh" for BBQ beef and other local dishes.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
14 sept Quin Nhon
we decided to stay 1 more day coz it was so nice and we started the day ,with Phoung picking us up to go to have breakfast ..the speciality of Quin Nhon " Bun Gae" a soup noodles with deep fried fish balls and fish cakes in a fish consomme with Vietnamese herbs..this is again the local Vietnamese style restaurant where you sit on low plastic stools and small plastic table by the side of the road.
After breakfast Linh the eldest sister of Phoung decided she wanted to cook us lunch,we then all went to the supermarket to buy the food to cook..then we all went back to Linh 's house which is also a Vietnamese "Boutique" which sells clothes for ladies.At Lunch Linh brought out her precious collection of black label whisky and champagne and we were forced to have a nip of whisky neat,as a result of that the next day cycling schedule was thrown out of the window but actually the fact is the family did not want us to cycle the stretch of road between Quin Nhon and Tuy Hoa because since Phoung came back from america to Quin Nhon he had heard of 6 fatal accident on this stretch of road
Guess what after Lunch??? coffee time again..this habit seems to be the pastimes of all Vietnamese young and old...rain came while we were having coffee and we stat till evening .we then went back to the hotel for a rest and shower before having dinner next door at the seafood restaurant, that we ordered crocodile in curry and spices,steam pipis,grilled scallops crab meat fried rice which was full of crab meat pieces...there was a mobile karaoke across the road with singers coming into the restaurant to ask patrons to make request but the only request we wanted to make was that he goes away as the music was too loud and they were singing out of tune
After breakfast Linh the eldest sister of Phoung decided she wanted to cook us lunch,we then all went to the supermarket to buy the food to cook..then we all went back to Linh 's house which is also a Vietnamese "Boutique" which sells clothes for ladies.At Lunch Linh brought out her precious collection of black label whisky and champagne and we were forced to have a nip of whisky neat,as a result of that the next day cycling schedule was thrown out of the window but actually the fact is the family did not want us to cycle the stretch of road between Quin Nhon and Tuy Hoa because since Phoung came back from america to Quin Nhon he had heard of 6 fatal accident on this stretch of road
Guess what after Lunch??? coffee time again..this habit seems to be the pastimes of all Vietnamese young and old...rain came while we were having coffee and we stat till evening .we then went back to the hotel for a rest and shower before having dinner next door at the seafood restaurant, that we ordered crocodile in curry and spices,steam pipis,grilled scallops crab meat fried rice which was full of crab meat pieces...there was a mobile karaoke across the road with singers coming into the restaurant to ask patrons to make request but the only request we wanted to make was that he goes away as the music was too loud and they were singing out of tune
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