The Travel Tales of Julia Sheldon

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 th...

May 4: It's pronounced 'Ho Chee Ming'. Took a taxi to the airport (rip off in terms of price), and then my flight was delayed by an hour. Womp womp. ANDY ARRIVED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY. Our flights landed at the same time, so we met up and took a taxi back to our guesthouse. It took a bit of a hunt to find where we were staying; not because of lack of landmarks, but because of the sheer number of possible alleyways and an unclear understanding of how street addresses work in this city. Thanks to some VERY helpful English-speaking locals, we were able to figure it out. A necessary shower and chicken pho were had, and then bed by 930. I forced Andy to stay awake so that he could begin to get used to the time difference here. We shall see how long it takes for him to get on track. May 5: Sleep in! That means we left the guesthouse at 9 ha. It really is difficult to sleep in here; there is simply too much noise and light. Plus, it clearly gets BOILING HO...