[monumentum]

Day #14: Quy Nhon to Nha Trang (13-May-2010)
Yes I ought to know that I shouldn't start the day with these crumpled up bottles. But fact is that I'm gonna have to let them go today. No time for nostalgia, despite the many days they'd been with me, all the way from Mui Ne, probably? It's my last day by Easy Rider with Chung, & somehow it was something to really think about. It's always different to have to stand on your own feet.

Before going any further, some shots of this so-called 'vintage' hotel room. The air-con was a classic early 1990s, something similar to what I'd observed in the chalet at Desaru, a long, long time ago... You've really gotta get very close to this ancient device before you'd feel any significant drop in temperature. But nonetheless, keep your room airtight, & you'd feel the effect after some time.

I liked this wall socket. How it reminds you of a 1980s coffee shop? Nahh... I never lived thru that era. But somehow, the impression.

How ironic! Now that I'm leaving Quy Nhon, that I'm only snapping a photo of this. But it's ok for a shot taken right off a moving bike, do you think?

Travelling along some distance, garbage strewn alongside, we went for breakfast only after we left Quy Nhon city. A small stall at the roadside, Chung did take some time in choosing a proper place to eat. Thus, the following consists of our breakfast shots. Chung had pig's trotter noodle soup. OMG that's like totally tak halal! I was kinda grossed out too, by how the pig's trotter looked, in its 'entirety'. Ermm... & that huge slice of pig's blood?

I guess I had to contra Chung's meal with something milder. Thus, fish cake. No resemblance to the poor victimised creature. That's good. So that's what I had that morning. Similar noodle soup, but no pig's parts.

A fish farm we went to along the road. It's wrong to say there were just fishes. They had crabs, some other crustaceans etc. Seafood farm? It's just that I wasn't sure if everything was only kept for the sole purpose of food. Perhaps as pets too? Or erm.. Ornamental fishes?

Did the former inhabitants of the shells (below) become food for humans? Or did they die of old age?

The scenic view of segmented sea for rearing sea creatures. The temperature of waters enclosed by these man-made barriers were constantly regulated by pumps, so that the creatures wouldn't die of heat stroke. ;X & no, I didn't tweak the colors of the scenery shots, blue as they are now, they were indeed too...

The salt plant, where salt water is distilled to give salt, forming at the bottom of shallow pools of saltwater. Sidetrack: Randomly thinking about Owl City's Saltwater Room. Craving for this song now. The reflections forms on these pools are rather enchanting. It's like a world of its own underwater, where we're able to peek into.

Piles of salt like these (below) awaiting tractors to come pick them up, to be transported away for sale.

More highways boasting spellbinding sceneries like these (above). It's a slippery slope. What I see in my country of residence now no longer leave me awe-struck as they would've once. Once you've gotten to catch views like these, it's hard not to crave for more, for better. It's great for people who do not step out of this country, for they'd never break that boundary formed by this particular country, & they'd forever (probably) be contented with what they see. That aside, I admit I've not immersed in the 'real' Malaysia for as long as I remember now. Hoping I'd get a chance to do that soon. Cooped up in where I stay now is... Oppressive. Maddening.

Like Chung said many times before, "Everything must try". So our lunch was something other than noodle soup today too. Great. Sticky rice cake with green bean paste & pork. Prepared at the home-cum-stall (below). Steamed in banana leaves, even the plain sticky rice was really fragrant to eat. Filling too. I could've eaten more than I actually did, but thanks to the heat, it really took its toll on my appetite, & better still, drinking water makes you full.

MMMmmm YUM! Custard apples. Wasn't my tree. Couldn't pluck those. Pity.

The highway from Binh Dinh on to Nha Trang, owing to its coastal location, was lined with residences, many of which planted coconut trees. As it is, coconuts, being very useful from 'head to toe' of the tree, were rather profitable too. Thus the popularity in this region. Like one house we visited (above), the local was busy separating the coconut fruit from its husk, for the fruits would eventually yield coconut drink, & flesh for making coconut oil; husks to be used as fuel for burning.

Of course, relying on this coconut trade, these are the result. Coconut piled nearly as high as the house. Not forgetting how he could work on few hundred coconuts a day, it was true perseverance.

Tanning shrimps (below)

So this was one truly amusing incident going on here at a gas station. A pig escaped from this bus (what was a pig doing in a bus like that anyway?). It hid under the bus & refused to come out. A dog comes along to complicate matter, by further scaring the pig into hiding. People spray water at pig to get it to come out, people shoo dog away. Dog obstinately lingers on. The episode ended when the driver was so exasperated he started the engine & inched the bus a bit, the poor pig was probably shocked out of its wits it ran out, caught, & brought back INTO the bus. Try carrying a pig onto a tour bus in Malaysia? LOL!

Bamboo little boats unique to Vietnam. Woven, & varnished, so that it'd be water-proof & resistant to corrosion. Then, out to the sun to get them dry. Below, Chung breaks open a pod (if that's what you call it) of sesame seeds. Similar to rice, fresh sesame plants need to be dried before being separated from the sun. You might say that's common sense, but yea, I didnt know that before.

These were taken in a factory producing brown sugar. OMG yummm. Love the taste of the hot molten sugar, partially crystallised. The factory itself was another classic case of beauty. Apart from the rhythmic swirling of the sticky brown liquid, the sunshine permeating thru the roof was of a subtler shade of brown, thanks to that weird awning. Always loving browns, I like the color scheme of these, though again, I'm highly dissatisfied with the sharpness.

The North Army War Memorial & actual burial site, sitting along the road near Tuy Hoa town. (Above) Sprawling area of tombstone-covered earth, was only one side of the picture. Across the main path on which I was standing, there was a similarly huge piece of land covered with more tombstones. It's sad to say that human lives were driven into such forced uniformity in the face of war - fragile. Even upon death, each unique individual is only a mere face amongst the crowd.

Warmth. A caretaker who dedicates himself to the upkeep of the place - a place somehow forgotten by most, as this.

What would you do if you were placed under the sun, away from any form of shelter, to make a living so many hours in a day? Along this roads, many little stalls have sprung up, vending thirst-quenching fruits to motorists. They weren't passive, furthermore. As vehicles, especially motorbikes passed by, they'd hail & shout, jumping at any potential sales. Young children as young as probably 10, were doing the same as their adult counterparts. I wonder how much they'd make a day, with only their straw hats the only form of protection from the merciless noon rays.

This plant along the road caught my attention. The flowers do look artificial. Much as they did, I couldn't bring myself any closer to them. It's pathetic. I wonder how they feel to the touch. Geli eh?

Chung told me this fruit (below) is called the "watermelon apple", for perhaps it is direct translation from Vietnamese. It tasted so much like honeydew. Slightly more juicy like the typical kong pear though. Real relief from the day's heat. Along this stretch of highway, practically every makeshift stall sold the exact same things. Monopoly, no? I'm not sure how business would thrive, but somehow they looked unperturbed with the situation.

Lily pond.

Built in similar "format", almost every town I'd been to, has a roundabout at the mouth of it, then only would the roads subsequently open onto the real highways. Each roundabout had a unique landmark - a clock tower, a giant pillar-like structure dotted with potted plants & so on. For Tuy Hoa town, it was this structure (above) resembling a stadium spotlight. I didn't understand its significance & probably never would. Just puzzling, a quirky choice of deco.

This was a 2nd Chua Linh Son I'd came across on this trip. Dalat had a Chua Linh Son too. But anyway, this was situated on Vung Ro port, evidence of which you'd subsequently find below. This temple was dedicated to the God of the Sea. Being highly dependent on the fishing trade, this temple acted as the sole religious outlet for the tiny village sitting on the coast on Vung Ro Port. It wasn't an outstandingly magnificent structure, yet an exceptionally maintained one.

See the evidence of this fishing village. The numerous harbored fishing boats can possibly camouflage with the blue waters. As this village was a rather low-lying one, the view from the high up mountain roads - a route where it was compulsory to pass to reach Vung Ro Port, was spectacular.

Built to commemorate the Vietnamese soldier who'd lost their lives against the French, it was a rather huge piece of area compared to the many memorials previously seen.

Nearer to Nha Trang, this small port acted as a morning fish market as well, where fishermen would come by to sell their catch to middlemen. It was already late afternoon when we'd arrived there that day. Therefore, apart from the all the already harbored fishing boats, there was only silence & the ocassional chatter of the caretakers. The place was reeked with the stench of rotting sea creatures, & festering carcasses can be found baking in the afternoon sun. Of course, the picturesque view was somewhat a distraction from the foul smell.

Nha Trang isn't a coastal attraction for nothing. These shots were taken along the entrance to Nha Trang, on the outskirts of Nha Trang's city centre, where peace from the tourist clutters was still available.

Arriving at Nha Trang required some adjustment yet again. Having gone off the typical tourist route for the past few days, it was overwhelming to feel like I was in Australia instead of Vietnam, again. Every street turned, more Caucasians. I'm not against it or anything, just that it somehow did not allow total immersion into the 'local' atmosphere. Very 'atas' shops selling branded bikinis etc. wasnt what I was in Vietnam for. Oh well.. Was there anyway.
So since it was my last day with Chung & the gorgeous Honda, we took this photo together. Ok the person who took this (above) sucks! Thankfully it's obvious that it wasn't me.

Nha Trang by night was hardly any different in the extent of 'bustle', though a significant bit more pretty. Perhaps being a tourist destination did play a part, for this city was booming with nightlife even into the wee hours. Not to mention the vibrant lights coming on throughout when darkness fell, which blanketed the entire city with a whole new facade. Relish in it like a fly drawn to the lights, I did.

In a country where people arent particularly technophiles, beach is a likely place where they'd lurk around at night. The gentle breeze & wash of waves, an ideal atmosphere to unwind from a day's hassles. The sand was another factor you really should be there! You didn't need a mat & could possibly be wallowing in it.

Night flea market along the.... (I forgot what street this was). Just a street turning off from Tran Phu. But it wasn't a permanent thing, so I was lucky to have spotted it. Of course, such info can be attained from your hotel reception. It always pays to be more inquisitive while you're away from your familiar surroundings. If you were shopping for some souvenirs, it's a great place to pop by, for the stalls hawk from trinkets to full size paintings. Though the prices aren't guaranteed to be too budget-friendly.

Don't need to remind me of the hotel tonight in Nha Trang. Pathetic. Featured in the Rough Guides it was, I paid $6/night for a room without air-con. It was impossible for a baking city like Nha Trang! Horrendous torture. How could I forget the fact that I wasn't even into opening the curtains? Due to the highly compacted city structure, the next hotel, a much taller one, overlooked this one, & my room was probably like an aqaurium to the opposite one right above. Ok, there goes, it was Sao Mai Hotel. So much for bragging about $3 budget fan rooms in travel guides, I paid twice the price. WOW.