Mud in your eye. Jan 12

I picked a 10 bed dorm at a backpacker place here. It is comfortable and nice but turns out to be party central so its a bit noisy. I am learning how to read the hostel description more closely in order to rule out the ones which could be noisy. For instance "meet and socialize with other backpackers" always means party.

Today I booked a tour to a hot spring fed spa. Here is the entrance, and behind these buildings are many, many tubs of various shapes and sizes.

I was expecting to be able to soak as long as I wanted but it turns out they have a very efficient system of moving people through. First stop is the mineral mud bath in a private tub with those you came with or alone. You watch them fill the tub with new mud but the surprise when you step in is that it is cold. After twenty minuets you shower the mud off.

Then you go between two stone walls and the hydrotherapy jets pelt water at you.

After that they fill you another tub with clean mineral water and you soak twenty more munits.

Then you are off to the hot tub if you wish or one of the other pools. The hot water was very welcome after the cold mud.

There are several other pools. All different temperatures.

There was also a waterfall which people seemed to like to sit under. I didn't try it so don't know the temperature.

You could spend the day here and we thought we were going to but found out that they were picking us up after three hours. In the end that seemed enough because the day was rather cool.

I got the driver to let me out at a museum on the way home. It was closed from 12:00 until 02:00 so I decided to wait by the water across the street with my book.

A guy came by on a motorcycle balancing a tray of doughnuts on his head. This time I bought one and got my picture.

I got into the musuem and found it was smaller than I thought and totally devoted to a French biologist Dr Alexandre Yersin. He was a student of Louis Pasteur and one of the French colonists here. Unless you read Vietnamese or have a passion for old lab equipment, I'd give this one a miss.

Flower of the day.

I am having a bit of trouble with my camera working sporadically and went to the handy-dandy little camera store on the corner. He convinced me to try replacing the rechargeable battery first so I'm trying that. I really don't want to buy one that will need an adaptor at home.

Tomorrow I am still in Nha Trang and touring the town in the morning.