For our second day in Nha Trang, we planned to go snorkeling and end with a spa. Our guide’s name was “T” and he told us that his uncle lived in Santa Rose! Small world! He picked us up at 9. We drove over to local harbor and hopped on to a 25’ motor boat and off we went.
    
We first sped over to the closest island and drove past a floating lobster fishing farm. It is really cool. They capture the lobsters when they are babies and then “farm” raise them for about 2 years until they are ready to sell to the restaurants and at the markets.

Then we zoomed over to the Island of the Hon Mun Marine Park. Because of years of large scale dynamite fishing and bottom dragging, most of the best coral sites are long gone. Here is one of the last places that is now protected as a national marine park. The coral was amazing. There were so many kinds and colors. There were sea urchins and really large sea anemones. The fish were incredible, brightly colored and so many of them.

After we were done, we went by another island, called Hon Mun or Black Island, to look at the nests of the Salangenes birds.

The Salangenes birds make their nests using only their saliva. The nests are harvested twice a year and then sold at thousands of dollars per kilo as aphrodisiacs and health tonics. The nests are high up on cliffs hidden inside special huts that are built for the birds’ protection.

Then we went to another island for a fabulous fish lunch.
    
Spring rolls, fish salad with fresh squid, lobster soup and of course beer!

Then back to Nha Trang. The swells were huge and we got totally soaked driving back in the speed boat. We were totally laughing.

Then spa…which was fabulous! So relaxing! I had my Traditional Vietnamese massage outside and then I went to the sauna and the lemongrass scented steam. Dreamy!