I awoke to the sound of strange Vietnamese music playing over the bus's sound system and opened my curtains, yes you even have curtains! We were entering the outskirts of Nha Trang. Single story houses gave way to high rise, shops and bars lined the streets, people emerged onto the roads beginning their day as we pulled up outside a large hotel.
Kris looked around in confusion saying the bus stop was still another half a mile away. He wasn't objecting however as his house was next door to the big hotel we had stopped outside!
Within 2 minutes he was in the shower and I was sitting on his balcony taking the morning air. The plan for the day was incredibly vague as Kris was now home and getting him to make a decision was almost impossible.
Having had a quick look around the house, that he shares with three other dive instructors, of whom he is the oldest at 21, I decided that just maybe, I'd be better off in a nearby hotel. My days of staying in a student house are passed I'm afraid.
Matt, one of the Dive Masters doing his internship at Octopus Divers with Kris, had a room in the Blue House Hotel that lay on the other side of the large hotel on the main road. Kris grabbed my bag and we walked the 20m to the main road and 20m back down the far side of the hotel.
Blue House was idyllic. All painted blue, as its name suggests, it was three stories high with a large plant filled open courtyard on the ground floor, a large terrace with tables and chairs on the second floor and three rooms with a long common balcony on the top.
I chose the top as the views and peace were wonderful up there. No noise could be heard from the road and the sun shone onto the balcony from morning to lunch. Kris disappeared down stairs with my passport to sign me in as I unpacked my bag entirely for the first time.
Nha Trang, although quite large and sprawling, has a heart of two rectangles that run parallel to the long beach front. There are bars and restaurants on other surrounding blocks but this block of two was 'THE' place to be and be seen. Kris lives one block over from the main town with his Dive Shop, Octopus Diving, situated fractionally off the main beach road. As we wandered down into town Kris pointed out various closed doors (it was still only 6.30am) explaining what or who lived behind them.
The Dive Shop was still closed, surprisingly at that hour ,but the book shop/cafe across the road was open. One wall of 'Shorty's' was covered by a huge bookcase filled to overflowing with second hand books. A large sign advertised Book Trades, bring a book and you could trade it against your new book sale. The price of a book being anything from 15 Bart (£1.00) to 150 Bart (£10). Large comfy wicker chairs were dotted around glass topped coffee tables giving the whole place a feel of informality and rest. I chose a book even though I had one back in my room and settled with Kris and our drinks to await the raising of the shutters across the road.
Slightly later than 7.30, Simon, Kris's boss opened up the Dive Shop. Kris paid for our drinks and breakfast as people carried signs outside onto the side walk, setting up the shop for the day. I was introduced to Simon and Chi, a tiny little Viet woman who bossed everyone around in the nicest way. Kris she decided needed a hair cut and a shave before he came back to work and he needed to take Joe for a haircut too as Joe wasn't listening to her! Simon was off to Bangkok the next morning for the week and she wanted everything running ship shape.
An hour had passed in conversation when I realised I was incredibly tired. Even though we had slept the whole way to Nha Trang I was still tired. Kris made our excuses allowing me to retire to my room while he sorted out Joe and slept himself. We arranged to meet for lunch, Kris coming round to my place when he awoke.
Sleep was blissful, although when I awoke I still had the slight sensation of movement, as if stepping off a boat after a few days at sea. Kris arrived dead on 12 noon and we went in search of Joe for lunch. Kris shares his house with Joe, aged 20 from England, who is the spit of a friend of Kris's back home called Bob. Considering he had just had a hair cut, he had a huge mop of unruly hair upon his head and a wicked grin. Also in the house but working at the moment was Amanda, aged 19 from Canada and Mishka aged 20 from Sweden. Matt, being a lowly Dive Master in training, as opposed to a qualified Instructor had been relegated to the hotel when Joe had arrived the month before. Simon provided the house as part of his instructor's wages, they had a girl who came in to clean and sort out everyone's washing twice a week but that too came out of the wage. Kris had started, as did everyone, in the smallest room downstairs next to the lounge.(Joe's present room) As people left he had 'upgraded' to bigger and better rooms. He had progressed to reached the main bedroom, a large room with patio windows leading onto the only balcony of the house. He was also now senior Dive Instructor! At the age of 21 and 3 weeks this seamed surreal to not only me but him as well.
Kris's bike was still with the guy who owned it, why buy when you can rent so cheaply and someone else is responsible for is repairs, so we walked, while Joe rode, off to the cafe next door to the Dive Shop. Sweet and sour steamed veg with rice, iced cold bottle water and complimentary bananas for dessert. Joe disappeared off to work and five minutes later Matt arrived having finished for the day. Guava's was the next stop for a game of pool and a drink.
Every bar I had been into in our trip had contained a large old fashioned pool table. No slots for money just good old fashioned net bags on the pockets and I swear an extra two foot in length and breadth. Large fans were usually positioned overhead but in Guavas a huge four foot wide fan stood to one side oscillating back and forth. This led to some unusual pool playing as extra curve could be gained if you timed the fan right! A few games followed, introductions to people coming and going were made, not that I could remember half of them straight way. By the time the first week was up I had everyone's name sorted for although I was in a city, the community around these two blocks is incredibly close and sociable.
After an exhausting (?) few hours it was decided we needed a shower and rest! Matt gave me a lift back to the hotel on his bike, Kris made a phone call to see when he could get his bike back and I said I'd call around to the house about 5pm. Kris had arranged to see Simon at 6pm in the Dive Shop to sort out his shifts and my diving.
At 5pm I dutifully arrived at the house, watched a bit of Discovery TV, then wandered down to the Dive Shop. Simon was busy so we went off for a game of pool and a drink. Are you beginning to see a pattern forming here! I stayed at Guavas while Kris popped back to see Simon at the allotted time. As Simon was away for the next week it was decided I'd do my Open Water training when he returned. Joe and Matt had said they would join us for supper at 8pm so a few more games of pool were had while we passed the time until food. Once the boys had arrived we all just had to have another drink while they decided where we would eat that night. 'Cyclo's' was the final choice and we piled onto the bikes for the ride around the corner.
From the outside Cyclo's looks like a typical Chinese restaurant. The menu however, as I was to discover, as in most of the restaurants, was a book! From starters and snacks, you progressed to the soup page, this led to a whole page on noodles, then rice dishes before beginning with a page dedicated to each of the various forms of flesh, chicken, pork, beef, lamb, shellfish, fish, squid! This was then followed by pizzas, pastas, Thai Specialities, the Restaurant's Specialities and side orders. Finally came desserts, ice-creams and about five pages of drinks from smoothies and juice to beer and cocktails!
Joe chose a coconut curry served in a real coconut that was on fire – I presume on purpose – when it arrived, the rest of us had pizzas and cheesey garlic bread. Complimentary fruit salad followed our meal all chopped and artistically arranged on a platter. The boys being the health concious guys they are lit up cigarettes while I picked quietly away at the fresh pineapple, paw-paw (?), melon, orange banana and apple.
The bill was eventually paid a few hours later as no-one was in a hurry to leave or to have us go for that matter and we returned to Kris's to watch a film. I made my excuses at mid night and went home leaving them to film number 2, 3 and 4!
An hour later we had yet another huge thunderstorm. So far it had rained everyday of my trip but as the heat between the storms was so intense I really didn't mind. I sat out on the balcony for a while watching the lightening then went back to bed. My first day in Nha Trang had been exhausting!
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