Nha Trang, Vietnam

Our next stop was Nha Trang.  Nha Trang was a major port through which American troops came during the Vietnam War.  It is surrounded by mountains and has a stunning beach.  It was often used for R and R by the troops during the war.

 

 

Let me first say a few things about Vietnam.

It is poor. It is a major exporter of rice and pepper but has a huge population, many of which live on $1 a day.  However they will go out of their way to make sure their visitors are happy.  Many are dependent on the tourist trade and they work very hard to be pleasant and keep you entertained.  I truly liked them.

Here are some shots of the town itself......

It is also HOT! The bus and hotels are air conditioned but not any of the museums or sites.  Fans are mandatory.

Among the local specialities are bird's nest soup which sounded pretty good to us until we found out how it was created.  The bird's nest is made by the bird regurgitating the contents of what he ate to make the nest.  AND red bird's nest is that color because of the blood that comes up with it.  YUCK!  Carolyn got some in Nagasaki and has been gagging ever since we found out!

So back to Nha Trang.  Our first stop was the oceanographic institute which was a plain non descript building with a host of fish I have rarely or never seen in my life.  Here are a few......

 

 

Then the requisite shopping.......

Followed by a visit to the Po Nagar Cham Towers built in the 14th century and where the locals continue to worship....

While we were ther we saw the pedicab excursion go by that was organized by the ship.  Those guys work their hearts out pedalling the tourists and some with the heavier ones had to walk and pedal, walk and pedal.....

Our next stop was the Long Son Pagoda, also a major house of worship in Nha Trang where removal of shoes was mandatory prior to entering....

Then it was on to the embroidery factory.  These women make the most stunning pieces of art, first by drawing , then by hours of sewing all day long.  Of course, I bought a  picture and am still trying go figure out how to get it home.

 

 

On our way back to the ship our guide told us a funny, true story.  Like I said, Vietnam has a huge population that is burdening the country. So he volunteered to go up into the the mountains to educate the locals on using condoms.  His explanation was there was absolutely nothing to do in the mountains but have babies.  So they showed them how to use condoms by placing them on cucmbers and bananas.

The following year, they went back and there were all these new babies and the villagers were furious, said they had done what they were told  but still had these babies.  Turned out that they were placing the condoms on the cucumbers and bananas and then having sex, thinking that would ward off pregnancy.

So once again the volunteers explained the correct use and where the condom was supposed to go.  The next year they went back and once again, all these babies and a bunch of mad villagers.

Well, it turned out that the men in the mountains are much smaller than the ones in the city so when they put the condom on it was too long, so they just cut off the end!!!!!!!

So much for sex education.....