Groundhog Day

Same as yesterday but without the massage. Read in “partly sunny” weather this morning and spent the afternoon on the laptop. Had dinner at the Brewhouse................

.........Thursday

Just another day of routine “holidaying”. Read, wrote, had a massage, took a long walk on the beach, ate and drank.

There is some major work getting set up for NYE, while I was taking this photo I didn't realise I was standing in ants - ouch!

I'm not sure what this unique building is....or what these guys are digging for.

More monster hotels are filling the beach. Call some place paradise and kiss it goodbye.

One good thing about the clouds, the night sky becomes a disco ball as they test out the NYE setup

Mr Blue Sky

I got to move into the room I actually booked today with the ocean view and set myself up for the next few days.

Now that's the view I paid for (between the window bars).

The weather improved, it was actually blue sky until early afternoon and for the first time since Laos I wore shorts. 

After breakfast and coffee I took Jacinta’s advice and took a long walk on the beach with the MP3 – thanks, good advice J.  

Vinpearl fun park on Hon Tre Island accessed by over three kilometres of cable car.

Pythagoras would've loved these trees.

By the time I got back to my part of town I had some lunch then went for a massage. I found a great place that straightened out the kinks and went for more coffee and ice cream before getting back to my room to catch up on some well over due emailing. The blue sky was replaced by clouds mid afternoon.

After dark I headed out for dinner and a couple of jars of vodka. I spread them out over a couple of bars and a prawn cocktail and minestrone soup. It's fair to say I've been in a "funk" for a few days but things are looking up, as am I.

.............Tuesday

I went out for breakfast then packed my bags and moved to my new hotel.  

For the first time in three days the horizon can be seen without the haze.

For some language barrier reason the room I booked was already taken and they put me in a depressing, gloomy room which in turn put me in a gloomy depressing “mood”. 

I sat at the sailing club staring at the waves for lunch and the rest of the day I spent lethargically watching TV, I couldn’t even be bothered unpacking the laptop for the blog just to pack it up and move again tomorrow. 

I went to the “Why Not” bar for dinner and a jar of vodka. I can answer the question “why not” – because the food was……..crap. 

Tomorrow is another day.

On Tour

Minh picks me up at nine as arranged and we head north out of town for the waterfall on his bike, about thirty kilometres. It’s nice to get out of town and see a bit of the countryside. 

We leave the main road and ride through back tracks of dirt and puddles until we get to the main entrance and walk about fifteen minutes up to the waterfall, a great piece of nature which would be impressive during the wet season. 

In all honesty this is not the “Easyrider” experience I’m used to. Although Minh is giving me the tour he is not the informative and enthusiastic tour guide I’ve experienced before but then, I’m not in a very motivated mood myself. 

We head back towards town and check out an old Hindu temple that looks out of place, it would seem much more natural in a Khmer setting. 

After this Minh drops me at a restaurant for lunch which of course is where you book the “Easyrider” tours.  

After lunch we visit the huge white Buddha that overlooks the city. At last I get some time to thank “O beautiful one”, it has been a while. 

Minh shows me a couple of hotels and helps me get a decent price for the next few days seeing I will be here for another week or so, I think he gets a kickback from them as well. Mid afternoon we arrive back at my hotel and I rest my back for a couple of hours which is a bit sore from the being on the back of the bike all day. 

After dark I find a great pizza place that serves vodka in jars, the pizza is great and after a couple of jars I’ve reached my limit for the day and head back to my room.

And So This Is Christmas

I wake Xmas day to the sounds of waves crashing on the beach, much better than the horns beeping in Hanoi, very glad I made the move.

I go for a walk along the beach looking for breakfast, there is quite a swell. It’s not exactly cold but there is a strong breeze yet people are on the beach in their cosies and hitting the water.

mmmmm.....Swell

I am informed by a local I chat to who is also amused at their enthusiasm that they are Russian - that explains it, this would be summer for them.

 

After a huge breakfast I return to my room, the only thing Xmas means to me is family and since I can’t be with them we catch up on skype.

Massage time and I find a Spa which looks promising however the actual massage itself is average but my back does feel better. Now it’s time for coffee, I stop at a stall on a street corner and I get talking to Minh, a local “Easyrider” tour guide.

 

For fifty dollars he is picking me up at my hotel at nine tomorrow morning and taking me out of town for the day sightseeing. I paid half as a deposit (I hope he shows up) but I’ve been out with “Easyriders” before and only ever had a great time. 

On my way back to Hanoi I intend to head north to Hoi An to catch up with an “Easyrider” friend I’ve been out with the last two years, Mr Hoa, and do some more touring with him. 

Then I drop by “Something Fishy” for another burger and a beetroot fix before returning to my room for a movie and to rest my back.

Day transforms into night, it's the same photo

On dark I wander out for dinner, along the way I stake out some cheaper hotels, it seems I may stay here for New Years Eve, another week. One of the pitfalls of not being a plan maker, everywhere else I have considered to see in the new year seems to be booked out. 

I am drawn toward the water and have dinner at the sailing club, watching the large waves breaking not more than a few metres from my lamb rogan josh and sex on the beach. (Unfortunately the second did not involve nudity or sand)

On the walk back to my room the park by the beach is full of couples sitting on benches in the darkness canoodling, just sickening (jealousy).

There is some sort of performance happening of which I have no idea but has drawn a crowd, I watch confused for a while then retire.