Vietnam: Nha Trang to Cambodia Border

May 23: Ninhvana

Arriving in Nha Trang at 5am, we were ripped off by some bike riders. We could’ve very easily walked the distance from where we got dropped off to the Iced Coffee shop where we were to be picked up. Now we know to be more prepared, and we had a nice place to nap until our pickup.

We had a nice, 90 minute van ride with two Brits, and arrived in paradise. 

Nihnvana (said Ning-vawna) is the name of an all-inclusive Backpackers Hostel just outside of the west village of Ninh Vanh. Two pools, one slightly deper chlorinated and the other a shallow fresh water, options for swanky individual bungalows (we said yes) or private rooms or beds in a dorm of 8-12 people, various activities to do throughout the day, a spa for mani/pedis or massages, and really delicious meals. Oh, and a free-flowing bar replete with deliciously fresh-squeezed/pressed juices, iced coffee, rum, vodka, and beer.

This big wooden thing is the yoga pavillion

We stayed in one of these bungalows; ours was purple. So swanky! 

We showered and got settled, then joined for lunch. Turns out, we knew one guy from the Jeep from Hue to Hoi An, and a really cool British Dutch woman from when we went caving in Phong Nha. The western staff serve lunch and dinner, and everyone sits together at 6 big tables, so it’s a good way to interact with new people. After lunch, we hung out by the pool for a while, signed up for massages at the spa for the next day (spots fill up very fast), got our bearings, and Andy did yoga at 5 with Chrissy while I napped.

Awesomely, since there were only 15 of us (at most), dinner was up on the deck rather than by the bar/pool. It was such a nice, calm, chill vibe. I really appreciated it. Andy and I decided to watch Grace & Frankie and go to bed early.

May 24: Ninhvana 

Surprisingly, I was not hungover at all. We woke up for morning yoga with Chrissy at 7am, ate some delicious and simple breakfast, and we went for our massages. Andy had a nap while I figured out how to extend our stay, since he wasn’t feeling well.

We went sea kayaking in the afternoon, but turned back early because of thunder. Sadly, a storm never actually came so we could have stayed out longer. Womp womp. We hung by the pool, enjoying the weather because it didn't actually rain. After dinner, some people went to sleep, and some of us stayed up to play drinking games and celebrate the hostel manager’s birthday, which started at midnight.

It was a FANTASTIC night that included drinking games, a sex ed lesson (chalk board included), birthday cake, tonnes of laughter, and late night skinny dipping in the plunge pool. Unfortunately, Andy definitely was sick with a cold of some kind so passed out right after dinner. I, however, thoroughly enjoyed myself and made a bunch of new friends.

May 25: Ninhvana 

Woke up for another massage at 9am, and spent the day reading by the pool and swimming. Unfortunately, Andy had a migraine for most of the day and was off sleeping or finding somewhere dark to sit and drink fruit juice.

I did yoga with Chrissy at 5, surrounded by several drunk French Canadians, and grabbed watermelon juice (surprisingly delicious) while waiting for dinner. Having spent a lot of time by himself, Andy was feeling the need to be around people so decided to stay after dinner.

New roommate, who scared the shit out of me: Tad Cooper 

We played cards with some Brits and Canadians that I made friends with on our first night. Since it was the hostel manager’s birthday, there was a big and awesome dance party, complete with Disney hits and Canadian dancing. At one point, someone yelled ‘the bar will close down if everyone doesn’t get in the pool right now!’ and suddenly there was a pool party.

The hostel bar closed each night at 1, but since some people want to stay up later than that, a cooler of beer and ‘Jungle Juice’ i.e. a mixed water cooler of whatever is left in the bar, were taken over to the plunge pool for skinny dipping and continued drinking. What a hilarious night. We met some fantastic Aussies who made us laugh SO hard.

And somehow, it was 330am.

May 26: We slept in but forced ourselves to get up for breakfast, which ended at 10. We spent the day by the pool, and Andy thought that since it was cloudy he wouldn’t burn when he was sitting under a tree, but boy was he wrong. We signed up to do a bike tour the next day, and since Andy was feeling better, he wanted to do the jungle trekking expedition.

It started raining, hard, at 330pm – when he was supposed to leave. There was finally a HUGE thunderstorm and the power went out after dinner for a few hours while we were packing. Thank goodness our phones were nearby and have flashlights. We could’ve gone back to the party (there were lanterns, apparently), but we liked sitting at our bungalow, enjoying the storm.

May 27: Opted to not do the bike tour we had signed up for because it was too damn hot. I pulled an Andy and managed to burn my front from sitting under a tree with clouds. Sigh.

The staff at Ninhvana are amazing. They are super approachable, such fun, and very relate-able. I loved how honest they were with all of us. Here is Adrian the Aussie, with Andy, being ridiculous and excellent with lost and found items. 

 

Waited for a transfer bus to take us to Nha Trang to catch a night bus to Saigon. 

It was nice that a bunch of us from Ninhvana were on the same night bus, and we were all sitting at the back together. But, it is hard to sleep on a night bus. 

May 28: Saigon/Ho Chi Minh to Cambodia

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh aka Saigon (depending on who you talk to, and what they think of the Vietnam war) at 6am and grabbed a bus to cross the Cambodian border. The bus itself was totally fine; crossing the border was super strange. We handed our money and passports to the ticket collector on the bus and were then shepherded through Vietnam customs, much like cattle. No one told us anything, but we were pointed in one direction or another until we were in no man’s land. We got back on the bus, were given our passports, and they had somehow been stamped as a farewell Vietnam.

Then, we were driven 50m to the Cambodian customs and again, we were corralled through a line and pushed out a door, then got on our bus. We were taken to a lunch stop just across the border, grabbed some pineapple and chilled out for 20 minutes until our ticket collector returned and called us onto the bus, where our passports were returned with a Cambodian visa for 30 days.

Traveling in Southeast Asia is very much an exercise in trust and letting go. Very little communication occurs, safety standards are entirely different than at home (read: seemingly few and far between), and yet somehow we always get where we need to be.