Rest Day Nha Trang: city tour by rickshaw

January 27, 2007

We become regulars at the restaurant at the end of the "hotel" alley, returning to have the same breakfast as yesterday. Walking to the corner, Patrick negotiates a fee for the "one person" bicycle rickshaw to take us for a couple of hours to see the city sights. Patrick sits down, then Rachel not quite on his lap and we are off. It's nice to be at a bicycle pace but not having to watch the road and traffic, at this pace you see so much more. Like Jimmy Buffet says, "Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see." We easily could have ridden our own bikes, but this way we give the rickshaw driver a job this morning.... or have the worry about locking up our bikes at sites.

First, he takes us to the Buddha temple. We walk past souvenir shops, up some stairs, beggars point us to the temple. We are looking for the steps to take us up the hill to the Buddha. We start up some steps and are met by a man who says "I'm Buddhist" shakes his head and takes us back to the temple. Patrick points up and says Buddha. He then takes us back up the stairs we were on. Patrick says again we don't need a guide, he says again "I'm Buddhist" and we follow him up the stairs to a giant reclining Buddha, he gives us incense sticks, indicates for us to put our hands together like prayer and bow 3 times then place the incense in a bowl of sand. Then he asks for a donation.

We continue up the 150 steps again past beggars to the top to the giant white Buddha, around on the side are rows of cremated burial sites with pictures and stories about the dead person. Back to the rickshaw, we continue to the Cham towers, we hop off at the inclines to the bridge and walk identifying with the driver of pushing up a hill. The Cham towers have been nicely restored. We go back over the bridge we will cycle tomorrow to leave the city. Again, walking the incline up, Patrick walks most of the bridge to take pictures. We give the man an extra 10,000 dong as a tip. We prefer to negotiate hard for the fee, and reserve giving tips to a good tour. Rickshaws are also used by locals, so if tourists pay too much, it undermines the local system of what locals pay. Drivers will wait for tourists.

Rachel goes to the place on a flyer she was given to get a haircut. The Frenchman not only has a hair business, but also a laundromat, tattooing and rents motorbikes. "A girl washes my hair, gets me settled in the chair, then the Frenchman with gray hair, bald on top and ponytail cuts her hair. As a girl blow dries her hair, she is instructing 2 observers" .... Rachel is pleased with the results.... always a risky proposition getting a haircut.

The afternoon we read, watch CNN, drink some local red wine and return to the brewpub for dinner of fish and chips. Tomorrow on the road again.