The TM Brothers Boy Band?!
Nha Trang, 27th
May 2002
For our last day in Nha Trang, we took a multi-island boat cruise
around the bay with a company called TM Brothers, and it turned out
to be a fantastic day. It summed up the whole raison d’ętre for Nha
Trang. It's not culture, it's not history, it's sun, beaches and
fun!
After being picked up by coach, the crowd of us, including a number
of Vietnamese tourists, were transported to a big, blue wooden boat
and we pushed out to sea.
Our first stop was near a small island, where we spent an hour
snorkelling over a small piece of reef. It was good fun and I saw
some interesting fish, which I could name because of my scuba diving
in Oz! It was quite empty though, compared to the Great Barrier
Reef, and snorkelling was a bit limiting. Snorkelling is like
crawling, where scuba-diving is like running. Still is was a nice
way to spend the hot morning.
After making a brief stop at a small island, we then moved out into
the bay and stopped to have a slap-up lunch. The post-lunch
entertainment was fantastic! Our guide and the rest of the crew all
gathered together to form the TM Brothers Boy Band! It was
hilarious, one guy wore some huge red glasses and wielded a
tambourine. Another had the only real instrument, an old battered
electric guitar, and he used an old pipe for a mic stand. Another
guy used a petrol container, plastic lid and a metal tin for a drum
set. Finally, our guide stood proudly with a mic in his hand. They
were actually really good, and full of energy. They played a mix of
well known English songs and a couple of Vietnamese numbers. They
even got us all to stand on the table and dance along to La Bamba!
After a 30 minute concert, we then pulled up to another island,
where we had the option to do a bit of sunbathing, jet-skiing or a
bit of beach volleyball. A few of us were up for the volleyball, and
started off a small 5 v 5 game. The game was fun, especially as I
haven't played volleyball in about 6 years, so I'm really bad. The
guys were hilarious and didn't have a problem with my fumblings
and...um...inaccurate shots. As we were playing, the sun disappeared
from view, not to be seen for the rest of the day, and it started to
rain. So for the next 20 minutes, we played beach volleyball in the
pouring rain, wearing only our swimming costumes. A real tropical
experience. (Can you imagine doing that in England? It's be freezing
cold and probably a stony beach!). In the end, we suffered an
embarrassing loss, but only because we were playing Ozzies, the
beach volleyball experts.
Our next stop was in the middle of a small bay, where out guide told
us we were going to use the floating bar. A fantastic idea! He
lowered a small floating, circular boat thing attached to the main
boat by a rope. He then pushed away, and we all jumped into the
water. The next half-hour was spent floating lazily in the bay,
around the small bar with free fruit-wine to go around. Ahhhh, this
is the life, just floating in the China sea, a drink in hand and no
worries at all. Actually, our only worry was if we said 'No'. Our
guide had made the rule that if anyone said the word 'No' for the
time we were at the floating bar, they had to down a large amount of
(the rather yucky & strong fruit wine). Of course, he tricked many
of us into saying 'No', some people on many occasions. It was a
great fun half-hour, even if it was raining & a little cold. Maybe I
could do this at home. Or maybe not. It works in the warm China sea,
but probably not in the freezing cold Solent!
We then moved onto the final island, where we given the choice to
take a ride to shore on a small, traditional 'basket-boat'
(literally a small wicker basket, photos to follow) manned by a
single, elderly, Vietnamese woman. However, because it was raining
and they wanted a sizeable fee for rowing us to shore, most of us
declined.
The whole cruise was fantastic. The crew were brilliant and our
guide spoke excellent English and told some hilarious jokes. They
were all so full of energy that they made it seem like this was the
first day they'd done this, even though they do it every day. If you
ever come to Nha Trang, I would highly recommend taking this cruise
with TM Brothers. They'll definitely be getting a 'Go Gap
Backpacker's Award of Excellence'.
When we got back to shore, Gilad, Andy & I spent a quiet evening
having another 'temporary farewell' drink & meal. I'm taking the
train to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) tonight, and the other guys will
follow me by bus tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to the train journey, I always prefer travelling
by train for overnight journeys. It means I'll get a bed, even if it
is a rock-hard board, which I can stretch out on. Not one of the 'MUITW
Chairs' (Most Uncomfortable In The World).
Bye for now!
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