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Published: June 15th 2006
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Mui Ne sand dunes
Sand dune with kite flyer in distance Hello Everybody, Roy here!
Natalie's 'fingers of fire' have been given the day off from typing so in place my plodding digits are here to get a bit of exercise and bring to you all the latest instalment of 'Roy and Natalie's Holiday Diary'.
We left Mui Ne (about a week ago) with heavy hearts as up until then it was by far the nicest beach resort we have visited since starting our trip. The beaches there are spotless and the hawkers are few and far between. Just before we left however, on the last day before our bus North we hired a couple of motos and visited some of the local sights.
Mui Ne is home to vast red sand dunes- some real monsters. We went to see the ones closest to our hotel and when we arrived it was quite literally like looking out over the Sahara. They tower above road level so it's a bit of a hike to get to the top of the highest ones. We were however accompanied by about 15 local kids who were all hell bent on hiring 'sand sleds' to us for the trip back down to the bikes.
Mui Ne sand dunes
Natalie with local sled kids Needless to say sleds were hired and fun was had.
We then went to see the local fishing village which sits next to the resort but unfortunately our timing was poor and we missed the boats off-loading the morning's catch. Instead we were left looking at a beach strewn with unwanted and undersized cast offs (mostly dead crabs and clams shells) and about a dozen dozing fishing folk sleeping of the morning's exertions. One thing I would add is that although mostly everything had been packed in ice and sent off to the local markets, the smell of what remained is something that I don't think I'll forget in a hurry!
The same day we also had time to visit the Red Canyon (crimson red sandstone gorge formed across a steep hill side), the local market where we were eventually able to see most of what we had missed coming off the boats at the fishing village, and a picturesque local water fall which can only be accessed by walking up the centre of the tree-lined, crystal-clear stream that leads from it (very nice!).
Nah Trang was the next stop on the road North but because it
Red Canyon
Me at Red Canyon doesn't have much more to offer than another beach we decided to spend just the one night there. We left the following evening on the night bus and endured 11 hours of true hell-on-earth before arriving the next morning extremely tired, partially paralyzed and unbelievably grumpy in the town of Hoi An.
Hoi An is characterised by a curious architectural blend of French colonialism and Vietnamese vernacular. Very historic and very pretty (one of Vietnam's many World Heritage Sites). For having quality clothes made it also doubles as the shopping capital of Vietnam. You can get anything from a dress or suit to shoes made here for next to nothing. You only need to take a picture of the garment you want made to any one of the countless tailors/ seamstresses and you will get an exact replica back for a tiny fraction of what you would expect to pay back home. You can imagine Natalie lit up like a Christmas tree when she first heard that one!
So three days were spent in Hoi An at the end of which I had a new suit and shirt, and Natalie, having exercised considerable self-restraint, finished up with only
the 4 dresses, 5 tops, two skirts, 2 pairs of trousers and 1 pair of jeans.
Natalie was also able to take a morning off from her many fittings and measurings to squeeze in a Vietnamese cooking course. She is now up to scratch on an assortment of traditional dishes which include rice pancakes, 'clay-pot' stews and Vietnamese spring rolls.
Having left Hoi An, and with backpacks bulging, we arrived a couple of days ago in the city of Hue where I currently sit typing this message. Although relatively small compared to Saigon and Hanoi, Hue is historically and culturally the 'Heart' of the country. Vietnam, when it was once under the rule of its many kings and emperors, was governed from the temples and palaces which collectively make up the Purple Forbidden City: the centre of Hue. We took a slow, meandering, guided 'cyclo' tour of the Purple City the day we arrived and enjoyed it immensely. Plenty of pictures were taken which we will add to the web site as soon as we can.
Yesterday, in complete contrast to the day before, we did the 'Nam' thing. Our tour bus visited the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone),
Fishing Village
Fishing village break time! Khe Sanh (American hill-top base which became the subject of a renowned and bloody seige in '68) and the Vinh Moc tunnels, which is home to a truely impressive network of tunnels that sheltered an entire community of fisherman and farmers during the American War.
We also had time to stop off at a village belonging to a tribe of the Bru mountain people who, unlike the vast majority of Vietnamese, choose to live a more traditional, rustic way of life. Plenty of straw huts raised on stilts, foraging livestock of all descriptions, and microscopic children buzzing around our feet, tugging on shorts and demanding "munee, munee".
Anyway that's basically it for the meantime. We fly out of Hue in couple of hours bound for Hanoi (the night bus takes 14 hours... I don't think so!) and as my two typing fingers are starting to seriously cramp up I'd better bid you all 'Tam Bien' for just now and finish by saying that we hope you are all well and, as always, look forward to reading your messages and comments.
Cheers,
Roy and Natalie.
Messages:
Jo and Rob- Congrats on your engagement! Keep us
updated on your arrangements so we can nick some of your ideas for our wedding.
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Jonathan
non-member comment
That bus run sound horrendous. Anyway, are you sure Natalie is trapped under a wealth of clothes rather than her fingers being too hot? Roy, how's your Martin Sheen inpersonation getting on, and does Natalie get all your Apocalypse Now quotes? Take care and great to read your exploits.