Blogs from Binh Thuan, South Central Coast, Vietnam, Asia

So we’re into the final stage of our Vietnam holiday. The bit where we kick back and relax after ten or so days of intense tourism. We’re at The Cliff holiday resort at Phan Thiet about 5 hours away from Saigon. Its a self-contained complex with all the luxury and garnish you'd expect from such a place. With a couple of glistening blue pools, a terraced restaurant for an extensive breakfast complete with an egg bar. There are lush green lawns replete with palm trees and plenty of colourful plant life to enjoy. There’s even a ‘swim up’ bar in the main pool for those who want to enjoy a cooling drink in their cossie! In many ways, a picture postcard example of an idealised holiday paradise. The rooms here are lovely. Spacious, clean and served ... read more

Geo: 10.9604, 108.311... read more

Tuesday 24th November 2015 We were checked out by 7:30am and on the bus by 8am. We had paid £4 each for a 5 hour bus ride down the coast to a place called Mui Ne. The bus journey was quite nice, being well air conditioned and having reclining sleeper seats which allowed us to lie flat and kill some of the journey with sleep. We arrived in Mui Ne at approx 1pm and headed straight to our Hotel, Mui Ne Hills Budget Hotel. We were paying approx £6 each per night and were pleasantly surprised when we were shown to our room which was directly outside of some sun loungers and a small pool. Inside we had a lounge area and a bedroom upstairs. Not bad for £12!! This Hotel was split into 2 parts, ... read more

1st-3rd October The bus was actually kind of enjoyable! It was pleasant to travel overground and watch the scenery slip past and the driver, although kind of rude and shouty, was relatively safe by Vietnamese standards. Maybe being a bit grumpy comes with the bus/coach driving career in general? We weren't too bothered either way, as the seats were actually mini sleeping berths which, although a bit short and enclosed around the feet, was strangely comfortable. It was amazing how quickly the big grey city changed into miles of flat rice paddies, and then suddenly into trees and lush green mountains, and then again into sand and brush and roadside shops, houses, etc. Mui Ne is essentially just a long stretch of coastline and beach resorts, with shops restaurants and tour companies on the inland side ... read more

ein windarmer vormittag wird zum stand-up-paddling genutzt und dabei die meditative wirkung der wellen gegen das board ausgekostet. und, liebe petra, ich habe sogar einen kopfstand versucht und auch beinahe zustande gebracht ;-) alias yoga on the board. von den boards aus lassen sich schon die zahlreichen rötlichen dünenfelder um nui ne erkennen. diesen ist auch das regenarme klima zu verdanken, sie stoppen die wolken weitgehend. bis zum mittagessen genießen wir unseren vorerst letzten strandtag um am nachmittag unsere super billige dunes tour anzutreten. für den preis erwarten wir nicht viel und werden schon vom halbstündigen marsch im rotbraunen bach positiv überrascht. das trübe und sehr warme wasser zeigt unvorhersehbare tiefen während es unsere füße umspült, links von uns ragen rote wüstensand dünen abwechselnd mit weißen kalksteingebilden einige meter in den himmel. wir folgen dem... read more