MUI NE – KITE SURFING –– PADDYS NIGHT.

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We left early for the 5 hour bus ride up the coast to Mui Ne which is a small fishing village just north of Saigon for our weeks R’n’R and really the only bit of true luxury we had been excited about since we left New Zealand. After doing a lot of research on the Internet last year we found a resort called the Mui Ne Sailing Club. It was going to be the last part of our trip and we were looking forward to some relaxing time on the beach and with the reviews and photos that we had seen of the resort and specially the Bungalow that we had booked for the week we were so happy to get there.
After the journey in the bus which was quite cool as it was a sleeper bus and there was only about 20 people on the bus and you got your own bed to lie on for the trip we were very chilled and couldn’t wait to see our room. The South African girl that greeted us at the resort told us that we are very lucky as the room that we have got is the best they have and that we will be very impressed when we see it!! She wasn’t WRONG!! It was stunning with the room being bang on the beach front it had a huge balcony that looked right over the beach and we were only a few metres from the pool and restaurant/bar. The beach was lovely with nice blue water and white sands and with the warm water and with the cross shore winds this place was a Mecca for Kite Surfing something that I had wanted to have a go at for a long time. Barbs and I have been to a few beaches over the past few years and I usually get tired of just lying around all day, then I start to annoy Barbs by wanting to go and do something all the time so with the Kite Surfing school being part of the resort and our fantastic bungalow right on the beach front we were both in heaven. Barbs could chillout in the sun and read her book and I could do my Level 1 and 2 IKO Kite Surfing course HAPPY DAYS!!!
Getting our room all sorted for the next few days and my courses sorted out with Scott and his team at Storm Kite Surfing School we had a late lunch and a couple of beers in the pool side bar. While checking out our fellow guests and working out who we were going to talk to and who we would avoid at all costs, we couldn’t stop laughing at this couple who must of been in there late fifties who looked like they had spent half their lives living on the sun as their skin looked like burnt tree bark. Now when you’re at this age it’s all good that you have a few weeks away from it, but if you want to wear leopard skin Speedos and fall asleep with your mouth wide open right in the view of everyone having a few drinks and lunch for god sake try and keep your legs together as the sight of a 50+ year old dude with his legs wide open while you’re trying to eat fried rice and chicken is not a pretty site!! The rest of the day was spent relaxing, eating, drinking and trying our hardest to get used to doing nothing. Which was about what we did for the next 7 days..BLISS!!!
Up around 7am as you kind of don’t get that tried doing nothing we had one of the many delicious breakfasts that we were going to get a custom to over the next 7 days, I made my way to the Kite school which is only a few meters from where our bungalow is and started my first day learning to Kite surf with a short DVD of the in’s and outs it was time to have a go on the training kite which I found pretty easy after being used to the kite I bought in San Diego a few years ago that is a lot bigger than the training kite. After playing around for a while I was introduced to an Australian dude called Brendon who was going to do his training with me. So Brendon myself and our Instructor Tong a Vietnamese fella who got us kitted up with a couple of harnesses and crash hats, headed down the beach with the bigger kites which we were soon to find out that they weren’t as easy as the smaller ones, these kites had the power to lift you off the ground and dump you head first in the sand if you didn’t follow Tongs helpful advice. We spent a couple of hours learning the basics of controlling the kite and how to perform a self rescue if we were to get into strife out in the water. Finishing off our first days lessons I felt completely buggered and spent the rest of the day parked up on our sun loungers annoying Barbs which was just about as much fun as kite surfing (JUST JOKING!!!) It was really nice just chillin in the sun having the odd swim here and there and watching the pros out on the water with their kites was for sure a good way to spend the rest of the day. We had a nice meal down at one of the other resorts and had a nice early night as my arms were starting to feel like jelly.
The next day was the same again up early for another breakfast and off to kite school which today was going to be our first day in the water. No board, just us the kites and the sea, I was first in and for a start I was shitting it big time as heading out into the water was fine but as soon as your under the power of the kite and it starts to drag you along through the water and things start to move very fast. After a getting a mouth full of water for the first run up the beach I started to get the hang of things and gave the kite a lot more power giving me my first holy shit I’m going to die moment as my guts came out of the water then my knees then I felt my toes leave the water, thinking I’m going to end up smashed into the bungalows in the resorts I came crashing back into the water and the kite soon followed!! Both Brendon and I got more and more control as the lesson went on and finally with our arms nearly falling off us Tong decided that we had learnt enough for the day and it was time to pack it in. Thank god for that as the both of us had mouths full of salt water and we were stuffed! Finishing up I headed back to the bungalow and Barbs and I spent the rest of the day doing about the same as the day before. Before going out for tea we had a look around some of the shops on the main road which were all selling the same rip off gear that you could find back in Saigon. There was one shop selling Crocodile skin shoes, bags and all sorts of stuff made for Crocs, but after my feeding time with the big buggers back in Cambodia I have become rather fond of the old Crocodile so there was no way we were going to buy anything from there. There was this guy selling some very cool paintings of the local area which unfortunately when we went back on the day we were leaving he was closed for the day meaning we missed out on buying one of his paintings and if anyone reading this blog happens to be going to Mui Ne he is about 50 meters down the road from the Sailing Club and if you could get his Web address and email it to us we would really be so grateful as his work is very good indeed. Finishing the night up with one of the best Argentinean Steaks we have ever had we walked home along the beach, Had a couple of drinks on our balcony and slept like babies..
You would never guess what we done the next day?? Yeap up again for another breakfast and off to Kite school which I couldn’t wait to get to as today was going to be our first day on the board and I was looking forward to finally kite surfing. So we had to body drag ourselves with the kites out into the deep so that if the kite was to come crashing down it wouldn’t smash into anyone on the beach, especially Mr Leopard skin Speedos and his sun dried wife which I would of pissed myself to see as 13 meters of kite smashing into their leather like skin sure would of made him close those legs in a hurry. Sorry for being so horrible but we did happen to see the prunes yesterday again while trying hard to eat our lunch and it’s not a nice sight. Anyway after a few crashes into the water with the kite I finally managed to get up and going on the board and man was it cool for the few seconds that it lasted until I went mad and yet again tried to get to much speed going and with that I’m in the sky again and splat straight back into the water head first with the kite crashing down as well I had had enough for the day and decided that tomorrows another day and I’ll be back. Unfortunately it was the last day of Kite surfing for us as the wind over the next few days completely died and with no wind it’s pretty hard to launch the kites, but still I really enjoyed it and Scott and his team at the sailing club made sure that we left with enough skills to enjoy the sport wherever we go. Chatting with Brendon and his girlfriend Leah we decided that being St Paddys day it would be rude if we didn’t go for a few drinks later that evening. So Barbs and I spent the rest of the afternoon being lazy buggers until we gathered enough energy to get ready and walk the 20 odd metres to our restaurant where we had a lovely meal of New Zealand lamb shanks followed by New Zealand ice cream YUMMY!! Meeting Brendon and Leah at one of the bars on the main road that we didn’t stay in for too long as the beer was so cold it was undrinkable we made tracks for the bar across the road that had a pool table and with the 3 for 1 cocktails and the happy hour that went from 6 till 12am what more could you want to celebrate Paddys Day? We ended up taking over the pool table after whatever Barbs and Leah had in there drinks turned them into unstoppable pool playing machines. The bar staff ended up giving us a round of shooters for free and man were they powerful!! Not wanting to be shown up we asked for something better which wasn’t a good idea as the next thing we had four glasses in front of us that were on fire! One thing lead to another and after laughing so much we decided that it was time to stumble home and sleep off whatever we had been drinking..
Over the last days we spent on the beach it become very quite as there was no wind and a lot of people seemed to of left which was kinda of good as we had the run of the place and it was very relaxing. Basically we spent our time reading, swimming, eating and doing not a hell of a lot. Catching up with Brendon and Leah over the last days we were there we all forgot to swap contact details which was kind of a bummer as they were a very funny couple and we had some good laughs. So that was about our week on the beach of Mui Ne which we will say was the perfect way to end our travels and with the kite surfing and lovely beach as well as a great night out with the Aussies it will be something that we won’t forget in a long time!! Also it was not all lost with Brendon and Leah as of all the places we caught up with them in a bar in Saigon, this time there was no cocktails thank god!!
Next and final blog Back to Saigon for a day then home we go!!!

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