Nha Trang

We made it to Nha Trang where we realized that we aren't really the hardcore budget travellers we would like to think we are (I know, not all of you are suprised by this conclusion). We arrived at about 9pm and checked into a budget hotel which we promptly checked out of the next day because there was no power. Nha Trang doesn't have enough power, so there's only power every other day until the end of the month (in case you are curious, they use a lot of hydroelectric power and the dams are pretty dry because the monsoons haven't hit yet, I think). Now, we could have survived without a/c (although it was really hot) and a hot shower (unnecessary because it's so hot outside), but we needed internet because we had to re-route our ticket. So, we checked into a mid-range hotel complete with generator (advertised as a "fully working hotel") and spent the day tossing coins to decide whether or not Africa is still on the agenda. And we realized we were much happier in the slightly upscale hotel. In our defense, we were even ready for a splurge and checked out the Novotel, but luckily (at $130 per night) it was full. The next day we rented a cataraman for an hour and spent some time on the beach (Reid also went to the doctor and he doesn't have anything serious, just a cold).

We got on a bus for Dalat today and arrived in the afternoon. We booked our hotel for tonight before we left and had a ride waiting for us--two guys on motorbikes (like Easy Riders) who sold us on a two day motorbike trip to Mui Ne leaving tomorrow. We'll spend tomorrow touring the countryside and get to Mui Ne the following day. We'll each be riding on a bike with a guide/driver and our bag strapped on the back. I'm really excited because I've wanted to do more motorbiking, but we haven't quite figured out the best way to do it, so tomorrow we'll get a chance to experience a bit of Vietnam slightly off the tourist path. Not sure about internet until we get to Mui Ne, but I'll try to do more of an update from there.