Nha Trang

Saturday, March 23rd, 2013 Nha Trang Vietnam

Last night we went around the corner to a restaurant called Veranda that is the top choice for moderately priced international food in Nha Trang, according to Lonely Planet. The set menu was a little over 120,000 dong ($6) each but included a glass of Dalat wine each (which Anita drank) while I had beer. Garlic bread, scallops, pork cutlet on mashed potatoes and fruit was my choice while Anita had garlic bread, oysters (very fresh), chicken on noodles and fruit. With 2 beers, we spent about $15.

It was a nice change to eat western style food but prepared with Vietnamese spicing. We may go back to Veranda sometime later this week. Tonight we're probably going to a place called Lanterns, where they have a cooking school or Kirin, another recommended spot. There are lots of restaurants within a few blocks of our hotel.
The bakery we were looking for yesterday morning when we arrived has either moved or disappeared. Sometimes Lonely Planet provides great advice and sometimes they're just plain out of date.
Since we're officially staying at our hotel now, we get a modest but adequate breakfast on the 8th floor roof-top terrace.

 Although this is into the sun rising in the east, this is the view from our roof-top terrace toward the beach, about a block away. There are islands in the distance.

 This is the view in the other direction toward the city. On the left there is a big open space that is the airport. This was a major airfield used by the Americans during the American war.

 Looking up over the sand toward the hills.

We walked to the south end of the beach this morning. This picture is looking back toward the north. We did find a resort right on the beach, the Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang. We checked Agoda hotel booking online and found that the cheapest price for a garden view room at this hotel, including breakfast, is $372 per night. Our hotel will do quite nicely for less than 1/12th the price.
We had a good walk and then lounged on the beach for the morning and early afternoon. Now it's time to get out of the sun for awhile. Maybe we'll walk along the beach after dinner this evening.