Train trip to Nha Trang

We had decided to travel by train between Hanoi (way up north of Vietnam) and Mui Ne (very south) because we thought it would be a great opportunity to see the coast. Initial plan was to take an overnight train to Hue (located more or less in central Vietnam), stay there one day and one night to visit the famous citadel and other sights, then move on to Nha Trang and stay there two nights before catching a bus to Mui Ne.

Not part of the plan was the typhoon that hit the Philippines right at that time before turning into strong rain along the Vietnam coast, including, hmmm yes, Hue, leaving behind some flooded areas, no electricity and no water, and huge clouds full of rain just falling and falling.

Well, lets just say that this caused our little train trip to take a different turn. We left Hanoi on Tuesday night and got to Nha Trang as planned, in the night of Thursday to Friday, but what happened in between was pure improvisation.

Those two days of traveling were about hopping on a train, stopping in the middle of no where, getting transferred to a bus because the railroad was flooded after heavy rains, arriving in Hue where there is no electricity and flooded streets, so forgetting about staying there one night as planned. Exchanging tickets for the train to Nha Trang that leaves one hour later... but the train is stopped in Danang where we end up spending the night in our little soft sleeper train compartment.

Finally felt the train moving around 1 or 2 am only to stop again around 3... and off again around noon. At that point, we believed our train was headed to Nha Trang but we wouldn't know until we get there, nor did we know when we'd get there. That's when the ticket lady came by and wanted us to change sleepers, oh so I understood.

Because I have to mention that NO ONE on that rail road spoke English or understood it. Even sign language and helpless gesticulating did not help. Pointing to a watch and trying to pronounce the Vietnamese word for "departure" (Gia ?) while pointing at that very word written on the ticket did not help.

When Tom got back from the restaurant car he figured out that we weren't being asked to change wagons, but TRAINS ! Noooo, not another transfer! Turned out the lady was actually telling us that we had to pack our bags (and fast) because we had to get off the train to be transferred again by bus to another railroad station for a 3rd train that would, this time take us to our final destination, Nha Trang.

52 hours it took us to get to Nha Trang ! ALL of our stuff had gotten wet from the crazy high speed on flouded roads bus ride between the lost train station in the middle of no where and Hue. And our bags were starting to smell like forgotten clothes in the laundry machine - we've all forgotten at least once our clothe in the washing machine, no?

Anyways... Got to Nha Trang around 1 am, shared a taxi with this guy who was also in the train(s) with us, a British dude, a regular in Nha Trang; found an hotel where someone was awake, got a room - the cheapest of our trip up to now and the most spacious to date! Funny how that works. We spent the following day just enjoying Nha Trang, hooked up with the British dude for breakfast (his breakfast was a beer and a smoke, but, he said, it was not his fault, his friends from the bar put it in front of him!!) and then went to the local market to find a hat for Tom and pomelo for me.

Got to Mui Ne in the afternoon, were shown our room and ahhhh Clo and Tom's three-week beach holidays have officially started.

:)