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| Vietnam Day 2-Vung Tau |
We woke up early today (as usual), but we’re in a state of disbelief. We are making our way towards the final port of this 39 day cruise. It’s been an amazing adventure all along the way.
Our last port of call was Phu My. It is a huge industrial port, that while it wasn’t terribly scenic it was interesting. There were massive cargo ships being loaded with containers on both sides of the channel. Vietnam has a huge clothing and shoe manufacturing business. While I’m not sure, I’d be willing to bet a lot of those containers were filled with these items.
For cruise passengers there were two main options for adventures. Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City), which is about a two hour drive away and Vung Tau, which is a beach resort town about an hour away. The majority of folks headed toward Saigon, however, we opted for Vung Tau. We had spent a few days in Saigon a few years ago, and really enjoyed it, but wanted something new and more laid back for the day.
We didn’t book a tour, just transportation to and from Vung Tau. There was a “guide” on the bus. His job was to see that we got there and got back, but he did offer some information and tips as we made our way.
We were dropped off along the beach front, with a designated time to meet there six hours later for the return trip to the ship. Vung Tau is located on a narrow peninsula so there’s not one, but two beaches. They’re cleverly named Front Beach and Back Beach. We were on Front Beach.
We enjoyed some time in the large beachfront park and along the boardwalk, however it was hot……really hot…..and really humid. We had walked over eleven miles the previous day in Nha Trang and not interested in a repeat. We quickly turned our attention in another direction, a nice massage in an air conditioned building.
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| A few shots from along the Vung Tau Front Beach waterfront….. |
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We found what sounded like nirvana just a short walk away at the Maia Spa in the Fusion Suites Hotel. When we arrived at the spa we were told they had an opening for a couples massage at 1:00, which we quickly booked. This gave us a bit of time to explore and grab a bite to eat before our pampering, and what a pampering it was!
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| Covering their bases…….Jesus on one mountain overlooking the city… |
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| Buddha on another mountain overlooking the city! |
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| Spring rolls with shrimp! |
We opted for the whole enchilada (I’m sure there was a fancier name), which included a salt scrub, body massage and face massage. One hundred and ten minutes of goodness! Unlike our torturous foot massage in Taiwan, (graphically documented in the Novo2 blog) this was heavenly. The time passed quickly and we both would have gladly laid there longer, but we had a bus to catch!
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| Getting ready to be pampered! |
I’ve mentioned how much we love the food in Vietnam. We also love the massages and the prices. The total cost for both of us for this wonderful experience, ninety four dollars!
We didn’t see a lot of Vung Tau, but what we did see was impressive…..what we felt with our eyes closed was even more impressive!
