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Published: August 6th 2007
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Mui Ne Sand Dunes
Sand, sand and more sand After all my "hard work" in the Southern end of Vietnam, I've started my trek up the coast towards Hanoi. Traveling by bus, which is actually pretty bearable in short doses (I hear the overnights are killer), my first stops were the beach towns of Mui Ne and Nha Trang.
Mui Ne is a sleepy little fishing town, although recently hotel resorts have started popping up along the main strip. While I have not yet found a way to easily beat the system, it is becoming increasingly apparent that all things tourist here work on an elaborate system of kick-backs. As such, the bus dropped us off at a pre-ordained hotel about 5km away from the centre of town (and where I wanted to stay). Not wanting to lug my gear all the way down the main drag (there were no real taxis, and I wasn't about to hop on the back of a moto-taxi with my big pack), I sucked it up and checked into the place at which we had been dropped, despite it being more expensive than I would have liked. Between this fact and the high winds that make beach life less than ideal, I decided
Beach Scene
From a small fishing village just outside of Mui Ne I was not long for this town. Getting a good night's sleep, I woke up at 4 am the next day, in order to catch sunrise over the famous sand dunes just outside of town, the one sight I really had my heart set on seeing.
While the dunes themselves were beautiful, the expansion of tourism in the area is certainly taking its toll. There are actually two sets of dunes, the white ones (further from town) and the red/yellow ones (closer to town). Arriving at the white dunes just in time to see the sun come up, I was alone with the 4 Germans I had shared the jeep ride with, and 3 local kids touting "crazy carpets" used for sand sliding. I managed to get in some good photos and a couple of rides down the dunes with the kids (not quite as adrenaline pumping as one might have imagined, but very effective at getting sand just about everywhere!) before a few more tourists started to trickle in. On the way out I noticed a few things I had not seen in the relative darkness of our arrival; mainly some unsightly trash strewn about, and a few
Windswept Dog
Need I say more? animals kept in pretty abhorrent conditions. Mainly monkeys, but also rabbits and small deer, the animals were segregated in tiny cages in pretty unsanitary conditions. While it is tough to look away, I think I have decided that the best course of action in these cases is to simply pay as little attention to the animals as possible. While I can't help but feel cold doing this, it is my hope that if the people keeping the animals see that they hold little interest for the tourists, they might stop maintaining this sort of exhibit in the future. If you try and take a more direct approach and discuss the pros and cons of animal welfare with them I find that much of the discussion gets lost in translation, and I suspect that the wrong message may get passed on. Whether this is the best solution, or contradictory to what I'll be doing with the Global Vets program, I don't know, but due to my lack of time at these sites and my inability to communicate effectively this is the best I've got at the moment.
Moving on the the red/yellow dunes (the name changes with the time of
Long Son Pagoda
Entrance way to Long Son Pagoda on the North side of Nha Trang. Dedicated to the Buddhist monks who died protesting against the US supported Diem regime year and colour of the sand as dictated by the rains), we got to glimpse into the future and saw what the more distant white dunes will be like in 5 or 10 years. The moment we got out of the jeep we were swarmed by kids with those crazy carpets asking (or demanding) "You slide down now?!" After a few firm no's and sorry's, we managed to shake them off as they moved on to mob their next target, the Asian tourists (mostly from China and Japan). For some reason, tourist from that part of the world don't seem to be able to give a straight "No", and as a result end up trailing a chain of 9 year olds whenever they go to this sort of place. These dunes were not as impressive as the white dunes in the first place, and the trash and foot traffic only detracted further. So, Mui Ne not being my favourite place, I got back on the bus later that afternoon after checking out another couple of minor attractions in the area.
After another few hours back on the bus I arrived in Nha Trang, which is the official beach/party town
Big Buddha is Watching You
From the top of the hill behind Long Son Pagoda, Nha Trang of Vietnam as well as it's SCUBA diving centre. I spent a relaxing few days here not doing much at all. My first full day was spent out on a dive boat courtesy of Octopus Divers (how could I pick any other?!) Their outfit was very friendly and professional and the diving was actually better than I had hoped. The visibility wasn't all it could have been (maybe 10m), but the reef itself was beautiful with tons of colourful fish and coral.
The following day I undertook my only really culturally productive outing from Nha Trang by going to check out a local Pagoda and the ruins of a set of Cham Towers. The Cham are a people which used to occupy what is now central Vietnam before being pushed South as the Vietnamese moved in. It was pretty amazing to stand there and think that the red-brick towers that I was looking at (possibly the first of their kind) were built well over a thousand years ago in the 8th century. Obviously some restoration has been done, but you can see that the work has been true-to-form by looking at the comparison photos taken in the early 1900s
Cham Towers
Some very old bricks that can be seen in the on site musuem.
Later that afternoon I made my way deep into the heart of town to seek out the gallery of a reputed Nha Trang photographer named Long Thanh, whom I had read up on in my ever-reliable Lonely Planet guide book. Several litres of perspiration, I stumbled upon the small building and went in side. As luck would have it, the man himself was inside so I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with him. His spans several decades and documents the people and lifestyles of Vietnam in a stunning manner. Being a true purist, he shoots only black and white film, and makes all his own prints in his studio darkroom. We talked mostly about the pros and cons of digital and conventional photography and some of his travels throughout the county. I would encourage all of you to check out his website at longthanhart.com.
Other than that, I spent a day lazing on the beach living the good life. The highlight must have been buying a lobster which I watched being brought in from the boat and then cooked before my eyes over hot coals right
Cham Towers II
Would like to know what the engraving says but unfortunately don't read Cham there in the sand. With a little dipping sauce made up of lime juice, salt, pepper and a few chilis it was absolutely delicious! Having met a few people on the dive boat a few days earlier, my evenings were also pretty indulgent, for the most part whiled away sipping iced coffee on a patio or checking out the multitude of local restaurants and bars. Enjoy it while you can, eh?
From Nha Trang my next stop will be the picturesque town of Hoi An, which is only an overnight train ride away! I hope this note finds everybody at home doing well....
Mike
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Mijanou
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Sounds awesome, and the pics are so beautiful. Would have killed to see that sun rise as well...Oh, and to try that lobster on the beach. Keep the posts coming :)