I arrived in Nha Trang, excited to be out of the big city, and even more excited to go diving again. After my trip to Koh Lanta, and my first trip scuba diving, I have been itching to go again. It seems as though I have been bitten by the diving bug. Guess what?! I got a fever, and the only prescription is more diving!
I checked into my hotel, a hotel I booked in advance, and thankfully was pleased with the accommodations. Knowing the beach was only about three blocks away, I changed into my suit, and headed out into the sun.
Nha Trang has a bizarre feel to it, unlike any city I have been to before. It felt as though the city was confused with what it wanted to be. It wasn’t a big city, and it wasn’t a small beach town, it was a little of both. And while Rio de Janeiro knows it is a city on the beach, Nha Trang clearly doesn’t want to be that, but it is headed in that direction. Large upscale hotels are being built along the beachside road, and KFCs are taking the place of local pho (Vietnamese noodle dish) shops.
Amazing pho!
One unfortunate thing about traveling alone is the inability to go swimming at the beach. I have to bring, at the very least, my room key, which I would never leave unattended on the sand while I went into the water. Therefore, I sat on the beach reading my new scuba course book with my bag pressed against my left leg. I was sitting on my sarong and eyeing all of the people milling about the beach. There were women selling fruit, tourists sunbathing and plenty of locals just wandering. After being offered mango about a thousand times, a woman approached me from the right. She squatted down and asked what I was reading. She had a bag of things, so I assumed she would try to sell me something. I tried to ignore her the best I could, because she was in my personal space, and I am not okay with that. Ever. About thirty seconds of her persistent attempt at conversation, and my adamant standoffish responses, I felt my bag move. I grabbed it. I turned to see a man behind me, his hand on my bag, trying to pull it away. I said, in a very stern voice, “what do you think you are doing?” He and the woman put on their best innocent eyes, and slowly stood and walked away.
I gathered my bag, my book and my sarong, and I left the beach. I went back to my hotel and I hid in my room. I felt so violated. To have someone try to take my bag, literally right from under me, made me sick. At the same time, I was worried that next time someone would be able to take it. When I travel alone I am hyper aware of my surroundings and my belongings. I never have more than one drink, and I never carry all of my money or credit cards on me, but things happen.
I sat in my room, sick to my stomach about the afternoon.
The next day, I went scuba diving! Thank goodness. After a lonely night in the hotel, I needed to be with other divers, to meet people who wouldn’t try to steal my things and to be in the water. While I took my course, there was a girl on the same boat doing a fun dive. Her name was Sarah, and she was really great. When our dive trip ended, she asked if I wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach with her. I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t want to be afraid. I told her the story of what had happened to me the previous day, and explained that I was a bit nervous. She understood, but said that the two of us would be careful, two was better than one, and this way we could take turns swimming. It all went off without a hitch. A great afternoon at the beach, great company, great swimming, and no bag snatchers.
I continued my scuba diving course over the next two days, while Sarah left Nha Trang to go down to Ho Chi Minh City to visit her brother. I worked up the courage to go back to the beach by myself, I just knew to be especially careful. When I spread out my sarong I noticed a women sunbathing alone. I felt comfortable knowing I wasn’t the only female traveler. I also noticed a small black fanny pack- looking thing on the beach. Within thirty seconds of sitting down and taking out my scuba book, the sunbather stood up, looked around and then saw the black bag and grabbed it. She looked inside, and it was empty. She asked me if I had seen anything. Sure enough, it was her purse, and all of the money had been taken. Darn. My sarong, book and I left the beach. I guess I wasn’t meant to get a tan on this trip.
Let me say, I don’t hate Vietnam. I had a fantastic trip in the north last year. And on this trip I met some great people, went scuba diving (down to 30 meters!) and ate some incredible food, but no, it wasn’t my favorite. I have done plenty of traveling alone, but this was the first trip where I was constantly worrying. Every time I left my room I was nervous. I wasn’t able to enjoy the trip the way I wish I could have.
No comments:
Post a Comment