Mui Ne

Hi all;

Greetings from beautiful Mui Ne! Sorry it's been awhile since posts but, between dodgy internet connections and just being plain busy, haven't had a chance. Anyway, I stumbled on an internet cafe this morning so can catch you up to date. Thanks also for the messages everyone, we are getting them and it's great to hear your feedback.

We spent a few days at the resort town of Nha Trang, which is a bit too gold coastish for my liking, but a good enough place to break up the journey south. Tom was adamant about the cable car, so we went over to this outlandish 'Vinpearl resort' for the day, and really, I've never seen anything like it. If you can imagine underwater world, wet n wild and dreamworld all rolled into one, plus the beachand the cable car! Anyway, we spent most of the day on the waterslides from which I emerged absolutely bruised from head to foot! I realised that the suggestion boards for how to go down the slide are more like absolute instructions, after coming close to being knocked out in one just before I literally fell into the end pool! I'm not exaggerating! We had a great day overall though, what's bit of a headache at the end of the day.

We then decided to head up into the central highlands to Dalat, from which we had planned to do a big bike ride. I wasn't sure about this after Tom had been sick, but am soooo glad we did. We had an interesting trip up there, our bus got a flat so we had to stop and get that fixed, not before the driver drove about another half an hour though. I decided to check all the tyres after seeing the state of the blown one (totally bald!), and all I can say is at least the front tyres had some tread. Anyway, we made some friends on the bus who we ended up going trekking and doing the bike ride with, so it was all good. We did a trek up to Pinhatt mountain, which just about killed me. Vicki wouldn't believe it was the same person steaming up Maude Hill or powering in a kayak, I slowed everyone down and had to take frequent stops. I seriously hope I did not pass this bug onto anyone else before I left, it has really knocked me around.

The day after the trek we did our bike ride - this has been an absolute highlight for me and for Tom. We did it with a company called Phat Tire Ventures and I can't recommend them enough. There were 7 of us in all, 4 guys, an american girl, Tom and slow old me at the end! This trip took us about 75 kms, through hill tribe villages and quiet lowland villages, and I really feel like we got a taste of the real Vietnam, away from the tourist traps. Although most of the ride was downhill, I was quite apprehensive as we were really flying, and Tom decided he wanted to be up the front with the fast guys. He had a ball, as did I. That afternoon we limped into Mui Ne and congratulated ourselves with a few Saigon beers (and cokes (Tom!!)) at the Pogo Bar. Mui Ne is a popular kitesurfing spot and is much quieter than Nha Trang. We have been lucky to be in most places in low season so nowhere has been too busy. This a very beautiful and laidback spot but I imagine is a nightmare in peak season. There's lots of jellyfish in the water, so lounging around the pool and eating is high on the agenda. We are both addicted to green coconuts, and credit these for absolutely no stomach upsets on the whole trip!

Today I spoilt us with a massage, me a whole body and Tom just a foot massage (he wasn't game enough to strip off). I didn't realise my shoulders were almost locked from gripping the brakes on the downhill ride! So we've just been chilling here at the beach before we hit the big smoke of Saigon tomorrow. We're actually going on a day bus this time so at least will get to see some of the countryside. From there we'll probably just do a small trip to the mekong delta area, see a few museums and some final shopping. Will try to do another blog from there.

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