vietnamese autumn
So. . . There is already snow outside the window and the birds are hiding from the frost under the roofs. . . But a month and a half ago I walked along the snow-white sand of a Vietnamese beach. However, first things first. For four years in a row, my wife and I have been catching up with summer in Thailand. Moreover, in the same place - on Jomtien. At Ambassador City. This year we decided to visit another country. The Dominican Republic and other Maldives cannot be afforded by Siberians who are not spoiled by capital salaries. So we decided to fly to Vietnam. Prices for trips to the country of Ho Chi Minh City are initially much higher than prices in sunny Tai by 25 percent. . . However, they risked spending considerable funds (some of which were borrowed) for the trip. Long chose the region of Vietnam. We settled on Mui Ne as a quiet place free from youth parties. Vouchers had to be purchased at the ardently unloved Pegas Touristika for the simple reason that at that time other respected tour operators did not fly to Vietnam. Foaming at the mouth, the manager girl convinced that Pegasus now had a new air carrier to replace the infamous Nord Wind. An, no. The company "IKAR" (what kind of sense of black humor must be possessed to give such a name to an air carrier?! ) is no better than its predecessor. The same old, cramped Boeings, the same (to put it mildly) not too attentive flight attendants, the same food problem. Oh well, in anticipation of waiting for two weeks of serene rest, you can endure eight and a half hours of the inconvenience of a flight. . . The air border of Vietnam, our board, to the eyeballs stuffed with tourists exhausted from crowding, crossed at the height of the day. Of course, the sea and the funicular to the Winpearl entertainment island looked indescribable from the height of the landing liner. . . But the arrival airport (Cam Ranh) vividly reminded the village airfields of the USSR! The passage of border and customs control is quite peculiar. In a stuffy hall, passengers of three flights accumulated in queues at four counters. The border guards leisurely compared the personalities in the photo with the personalities in reality. The border guards have nowhere to hurry: "The soldier is sleeping - the service is on! ". Happy tourists, having passed control, wandered to a pile of luggage located in the corner for their suitcases. . . And ahead was a many-hour bus ride along the autobahn of the socialist country. Two hundred and a few kilometers. we drove for eight hours. The Russian-speaking guide who accompanied us turned out to be a Ukrainian evader from service in the Independent Armed Forces. From the return of the sacred duty, the boy has been hiding for three years, working as an illegal guest worker in Vietnam. And, I must say, during this time I established my own little gesheft: on the way I brought tourists to an expensive roadside eatery. There he received a rollback from the owners. While still on the bus, he scammed some of them to exchange currency at a "favorable" rate. For whom the course was beneficial, I hope it's clear! Immediately vparil local sim cards. And all the way he praised the skill of the driver, rushing along the killed narrow road at the speed of a running pig. . . And in the end, modestly but persistently, he offered to thank the driver for the work done in delivering tourists to places of rest. Naturally, he did not fail to instruct about the sad consequences of purchasing excursions from "street" agencies! So the tedious road is over. We were met at the reception by an employee in a hotel uniform that looks like a soldier's uniform of the 40s of the last century. He tried to help me carry my things. . . However, I am disgusted by the exploitation of man by man. So I carried my suitcase myself. In addition, the Viet was not much heavier than a suitcase. Along the paths among the palm trees, our guide led us to the bungalow where we were to live. To clarify: The Beach Resort is a few cozy bungalows located on a well-groomed area with a swimming pool. The hotel is located right on the seafront. As today's youth puts it, on the first line. The rooms are small in size, but cozy and fully justify (and even surpass) their "stars" in some way! Despite deadly fatigue (a day on the road), we went for a walk outside and exchanged currency. I must say, we managed to do it without any problems in a jewelry shop near the hotel. A taciturn and somewhat dissatisfied young Ukrainian girl, when asked about where to eat, pinched: "How do I know! ". And there was nowhere to eat at 23 o'clock and most of the shops were closed. Yes, comrades, this is not Tai for you! But whoever seeks will always find! We also found a shop where we stocked up on beer and local rum. I had to eat bread, lard and sausage brought from the Motherland. . . Right on the shore in pitch darkness they celebrated their arrival and went to sleep. The next morning we had breakfast in an open terrace-restaurant overlooking the sea. The breakfasts included in the package tour were not particularly varied. But, as they say, no one went hungry. . . After breakfast, we went to the sea. Actually, for this we traveled a day from the land of "non-scared idiots and evergreen tomatoes" by V. P. Astafiev "Tsar-fish"). The sea pleasantly surprised us with its turquoise color. However, the first positive impressions were completely spoiled by millions of jellyfish living in the sea and waiting for breakfast in the form of swimmers! By noon the wild waves had risen. The kiters were delighted with this and began to drive over them. We wandered along the snow-white sand, from which the legs acquired a persistent anthracite color. They figured out this phenomenon quickly: local residents smoke shrimp on charcoal for sale right on the beach. That leaves the soot and ash. . There was nothing to do: we washed our feet with difficulty and went to the pool with fresh water. A shallow pond, divided into children's and adult zones. . . After water procedures, appetite cleared up. They decided to quench it in one of the street eateries, proudly calling themselves restaurants. . . I must say, Mui Ne is one street, 10 km long. On one side are beaches and hotels; on the other - eateries: shops, canteens, cafes, pharmacies, travel agencies and part-time housing of the Vietnamese. . . So, in terms of the number of catering establishments, Mui Ne sets a record: there are more of these establishments than tourists! Apparently, this fact lies in the daily observed "fights without rules" between the barkers of the network "1001 Nights of Vietnam" and the public catering network "Madame Din" widely advertised in the reviews. We watched these fights several times a day. That's really, truly, the struggle for the client! We ate and dined at different establishments. . . What can I say: food in Vietnam is very different from Thai food, both in preparation and in price. Seafood is also expensive. More expensive than in Thailand. On average, a meal together with alcohol (one hundred grams of local rum for each) cost 800-1000 rubles against 200-400 in Thailand! But not by bread alone. . . Seeing that swimming in the sea is a big rice for life, we decided to go on an excursion. See, so to speak, the sights! Of course, the obsessive offers of the lad Vasily (also a Ukrainian deviant) - a hotel guide, were refused due to the fact that he sold excursions "at a loss" and presented everyone who bought a "free" excursion! We bought a tour "Nha Trang-Dalat" from Ukrainian Lesya. She works on the sidelines of Svetlana's Vietka, who sells pharmacy goods, alcohol, tea, coffee, and so on. and part-time hostess of the agency "Polar Bear". . . Naturally, the reception did not understand us, and instead of four "beach packages" on the morning of departure, they gave us two! Anyway. In general, it is extremely difficult to communicate in Vietnam! Few people who speak English and German, I have not met. Russian is spoken by a few of those who worked at GAZ in the years of perestroika and sewed deribas in the gateways of Moscow markets. Therefore, Ukrainians are hired to work with tourists. On a trip to Nha Trang-Dalat, we were accompanied by a Ukrainian boy Vanya, who fiercely hates the Government of the Russian Federation and Jews in general. To which he devoted most of his monologue on the way. We drove eight hours to Nha Trang. Naturally, with a stop at a cafe where Vanya got his kickback. In Nha Trang, we immediately went to Vinpearl. On the funicular. According to Ivan, the longest in length over the sea. What to tell about the island of entertainment, which Winperl positions itself as? Ordinary recreational park. Rodelban is available. But there is also in Siberia, in Krasnoyarsk. Moreover, the longest in Europe. . . You won’t surprise anyone with a hall of slot machines - now they are in every cinema and park. Water slides? Also not a curiosity! In addition, most of the water park facilities at that time were under reconstruction. I want to note that now Vietnam is one big construction site. But back to Winperl. . . Although they managed to swim in the sea, where the number of jellyfish was significantly lower than the number of swimmers! The further entertainment program includes a performance with fur seals and dolphins. Coaches, of course, from Ukraine. Then, with the onset of twilight, the color-musical fountains were turned on. A spectacle to surprise the inhabitants of Krasnoyarsk, where there is one fountain per capita and the former mayor Pyotr Fontanych Pimashkov years. . . he built a huge "singing fountain" in front of his office, he will not be able to.... With the end of the performance, the people, knocking each other down, rushed to the funicular, because, at 20 o'clock, it finishes its work. We stopped for the night in a cheap two-star hotel, the window of which overlooked. . . into the corridor! In general, Nha Trang is not quite a resort place. The hotels are located across the road from the beach and do not have their own territory. And it’s not a fact that you won’t be hit by a motorcyclist while crossing the street. Traffic in Vietnam is even more chaotic than in Thailand! After walking around the extinct town at 22:00, we went to bed, because at four in the morning we had another move to high-mountainous Dalat.... So, the morning eight-hour road to Dalat. Our minibus climbed higher and higher along the mountain serpentine. Soon the landscape began to resemble the road to "Siberian Switzerland". This is how foreigners call the road to Divnogorsk. Serpentines, gorges, ravines and. . . pines! Of course, for a resident of Siberia to see how coffee grows is informative. But not more. Then the usual point for Southeast Asia is a Buddhist temple. If you have been to Thailand, then these temples will seem to you miserable shacks. . . The excursion program also included a visit to Crazy House. Interesting building! But the thought does not leave that it was built only to say that there are sights in Dalat! Naturally, they brought it to the "ofe and tea factory"! The scheme is the same as the "latex factories" in Tae: a scam for money! The final point of the tour was the silk embroidery school! Here, indeed, there is something to see! I never thought that embroidery paintings can be voluminous and double-sided! The road to Mui Ne was just as tiring. We arrived late at night. . . , In the following days, there was no desire to visit anything! We decided to lead a purely beach holiday. Ignoring the jellyfish, we decided to swim. . . We did this without thinking. . Something makes me believe it! I myself saw that a coconut is sold for two (! ) Dollars! And they don't trade! In Thailand, the price of this coconut is 10 baht! A little about the pleasant: there is a spa center in Mui Ne, the existence of which few people know. Even taxi drivers! You can find it only by walking down the street towards Boke. This is indeed a place where you feel the feast of the spirit! Well, probably everything! Not tired? Many reading this story reproach me for pessimism and slander. . . Not my God! I just objectively stated my opinion about tourism in Vietnam. . . Everyone sees everything in their own way. . . Questions will be - write. I will answer.
