Zelma’s Trip

I left the Perfume Grass Inn where I was staying previously, as I decided at $15 USD it was a bit expensive!  I checked into “Nice Hotel” which is very nice actually and am now paying $8 a night.  They have a wide range of rooms here up to a lot more expensive than mine and I’m happy with my double bed, fan and sea view (albeit if you crook your neck out of the window).

Having checked in I decided to find out about the mud baths and local springs visit.  I arranged for a Honda Om to collect me from the hotel.  Prior to going to the mud baths I was taken to the Po Nagar Cham towers which stand impressively on a hillside above the Cai River.  The Hindu Chams reportedly built ten towers (or kalan) between the 17th and 12th centureis but now only four remain.  The towers were truly amazing and the views down over the city were great.

After the towers my Honda Om rider took me to the mud baths at Thap Ba Hot Springs.  He decided to take a back route to get there and the state of the roads quickly declined.  I wouldn’t have minded the potholes too much but they were full of water (water in the streets in Vietnam is always somewhat ominous) and when he bounced through them it splashed up at my legs!  I commented that he seemed to like the potholes to which he laughed and, having seemingly interpreted this as me liking the potholes, proceeded to aim for every single hole and divot in the road!  At one point we actually took off, although he did apologise at this point.

We got to the  Thap Ba Hot Springs and I was informed that it was 200,000 dong for a mud bath for one.  This is very expensive (around 7 quid) and the whole place was slightly overly commercial for my liking in a weird Vietnamese way.  After the mud, which was a weird experience, you walked through this channel and got sprayed with high power water jets of natural mineral water. There was then an area to relax with a man-made waterfall and a swimming pool.   The swimming pool was heated to 38 degrees C (there were lots of signs around the pool testament to this fact like it was some big achievement) which was somewhat odd and hardly refreshing.   Somewhat bizarrely there were also lots of signs everywhere reading, “you are being insured”.  I think it was pertaining to the fact that they had lifeguards but I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to be insured!   The reaction I had to it was wanting to throw myself over a sun-bed or take a tumble on a slippery leaf to test them out!   To be honest the towers and the motorbike ride were much more enjoyable!

I left the springs and my rider/ driver brought me back to the hotel.  Having had a seafood pizza (yes I know, not very Vietnamese but I thought I’d treat myself and besides the seafood was Vietnamese, fresh and delicious) I went for an evening swim in the sea.  I’ve decided that morning and evening swims are preferrable.  Not only are the beaches relatively empty in comparison to other times in the day, you don’t tend to turn into a lobster quite as quickly.  These are the times that the locals swim (which should tell you something in itself) and you tend to get locals coming and sitting with you to chat to you which is really nice.

In the evening I went out to a local bar/ eaterie and met a guy from Canada and Caitlin (sp) a woman who was from London.  We decided to go for a cocktail or two and went to a bar called the “Blue gecko”.  I, somehow, managed to triumph at Jenga, however was less successful against a small boy at Connect 4 which led to me having to buy postcards from him.  A word of advice, never accept a challenge of ANY sort from a street-seller, particularly if they’re under the age of ten!  We went onto one final bar which appeared to be open until 4am (although we didn’t stay that long).  I was fasinated by the fact they thought they needed three Police stylee securtiy guards.  I soon realised that they did infact need three as they were all pretty ineffectual.  One of them appeared to just smoke cigarettes and look at the wall whilst one of the others disappeared every few minutes when he saw anyone he knew walk past.

It’s now Wedensday and I’m about to head out to get some breakfast and then think I might go for a swim, although this will defy my times for swimming rule as noted above!  I’m also tempted to go and see the white Buddha which presides over the town.  I’m planning on staying here tonight and then am hopefully getting the train to Hue tomorrow.

Thank you all for your kind comments on my site.  Long may they continue ;o)