Weds 31 December

We traveled by van from Hoi An today to the Danang airport, stopping quickly to see the beach.  Our guide explained that Danang had been a hub of the American war operation with a giant, busy airport to provision the troops.

We had a one-hour flight on a turbo-prop plane and arrived  at the city of Nha Trang, towards the south of Vietnam.  We went from the airport to a lunch spot where we dined on low tables.  There was a "monkey bridge" nearby that several of us tried (me only for a few steps; others for the full length).  It basically is a bunch of thin tree limbs bound together that you balance on while holding onto an equally thin tree limb.  Kind of like a tightrope, but a bit more substantial.

Next we had our two hour walk through more small villages.  Here the rice was often much more grown than up north, so prettier, although there still were some muddy rice paddies, too.  The houses seemed quite nice, and many were fenced in.  We saw more dogs and more chickens than in our walks up north as well.  There are times where it seems you could be in any tropical place, not necessarily Vietnam.

At the end of the hike we had a short bus ride to some boats that we boarded to get to our evening's destination, the Six Senses Resort.  It cannot be accessed by land since it is on a peninsula that is connected by mountains.  We had a kind of terrifying boat ride as the waves were pretty high, and the motor boat went quite fast, so smacking down on the water occasionally.  Missy and Marina were sitting in a vulnerable spot so ended up with a bit of a soaking.

The ride was worth it as this resort is absolutely stunning.  The "rooms" are actually independent cottages.  On the first floor we have a bedroom and a giant bathroom, and then stairs up to a sitting room.

Both the bathroom and the sitting room are not really enclosed - they have rattan curtains that come down but can be fully open.  The bathroom is particularly cool with an outside shower and a giant tub.  There also is a private swimming pool, although the water seemed kind of cold.  I must say that this place is right up there with some of the top places I've ever stayed.

We had our New Year's celebration with a big buffet dinner - the resort is quite crowded - including barbecued seafood and custom made stir fry.  We're a day ahead of all of you back home, so here's to a happy, healthy new year for all of us and our blog readers!

-- Donna