Mui Ne

---

UNFORTUNATELY MY IPOD AND CAMERA MEMORY CARD GOT A VIRUS ON SO THERE WON'T BE ANY PHOTOS ON HERE FOR HOI AN, MUI NE, SAIGON AND THE MEKONG DELTA... NOT UNTIL I GET TO A CAMERA AND APPLE STORE

Most people traveling down Vietnam decide to stop off at Nah Trang, a beach town down on the south coast. I've heard a lot of stories about Nah Trang, how it is extremely touristy, busy and has a reputation for trouble... trouble like muggings and theft (during the night hours). So because of this I decide to instead go a further 5/6 hours on the bus to the quieter and more relaxed Mui Ne. Basically if you wanted nightlife and partying you would go to Nah Trang but if you wanted a really relaxing time, sunshine and beach then it would be Mui Ne. I'm very happy I went to Mui Ne! I had to come through Nah Trang anyway and have a two hour stop over and I witnessed the over populated beaches... it was a resort town and didn't have the laid back vibe I look for in a beach. I did have breakfast by the beach and was already getting hassled by beggars... not good!! I wasn't by myself however but with three Americans who I met on the bus. As I've said before, the bus journeys are not the friendliest especially to the tall... and on the back of the bus there's a row of five... I was near enough the first on the bus and given the luxury of choice but sometimes theres too much choice and I switched beds continuously in a state of almost panic... I needed to find the best bed. I looked at the back row and on that row there are two beds that reside along the isles meaning that my feet wouldn't be trapped in a box below the person in front of me... but... who would I sit with?? If I made the 'brave choice and sat there would I end up with five sweaty fat blokes?? The risk is always there. So I casually waited to see who was going to sit there and most likely it would be a group of friends... and eventually these three Americans (two girls, one boy all about my age) sat and I asked if it was cool that I sat with them. I had a isle seat and was happy... although that doesn't mean that I had a comfortable ride, the bus was still bumpy and the seats did still not fully recline and this time even though the seats were of a better quality, the cushions were hard and attached to the seats providing me with the comfort of a rock as my pillow. But I guess thats all part of backpacking!

After my stop over I finally arrived in the small beach strip of Mui Ne. It was basically a 12k strip of beach and beach resorts and resembled a honeymoon location. I walked down the road looking for accommodation asking prices along the way... my first quote was $20 so I moved on and to my surprise they prices kept rising. I did also look on the other side of the road where they had $9 rooms but I was at the beach... I didn't want to sit across from the beach. I ended up in the first one I looked at and now looking back at it I'm very happy I did. This place was actually pretty cheap considering I was literally a stones throw away from the beach in my very own bungalow! I was very closed in and private and my section on the beach was too. It was a family run business and the family were lovely... very friendly and welcoming. I later found out that this was one of the recommended places on the internet page I looked at and was also in Lonely Planet and Rough Guide books. So Sam done well!!

It was such beautiful scenery... so secluded, peaceful and the weather was fantastic. The great thing about Mui Ne was that I was all low buildings and no high rises like in Nah Trang (and you can't stay on the beach there either). I was meeting a girl there the next day who I had met in Hoi An... she was also traveling by herself and wanted to go down there so we arranged it together to share a room (the $20 wasn't so bad now). On my first day I walked down the beach for I don't know how long but it was very far... I had my camera and way enjoying my photography and to my amazement on my way back I caught a tremendous sight... people on shore were bringing in the catch of the day just from nets and one small round fishing boat (big enough for one). The two teams started off very far apart... hundreds of meters... but eventually they came together and were surrounded by the small community of locals and tourists alike. It was quite a scene... which eventually came to a climax when they kept tipping fish all over the covers on the beach and separated them into baskets and baskets while others sorted out the netting... this was truly a great sight to witness, the working together to earn their keep. then on my first night I met a couple of Canadians guys and French girl and an English guy who were all living in Saigon. This was a pretty damn good night... not only did they all have moped to get places but the English guy paid for the whole night. They were just up here for the weekend (a popular weekend getaway place for Saigon people), so were going the next day... and this guy was buying me drinks and cocktails, and all my food. He was raised for part of his life in South Africa (giving him a funny accent) and was a hairdresser and that he was gay... and he was buying everything for me so I was thinking... I hope your not gona...!? It was only half an hour later that I found out that he was going out with the French girl, this made me feel better. So with my extra disposable income I decided that I would raise the stakes and bet a little money on pool. I ended up with some extra money in my wallet and free food and drink in my belly... I had a damn good time as well.

So the next day I waited on the beach for this girl to arrive... she did but unfortunately over the next few days I spent with her I came to the realisation that I didn't actually like her. She was a 28 year old Dutch girl who I met randomly in Hoi An when it started to rain hard and we both looked for shelter, and for most the time I spent with her then we were also with other people... so I didn't really get to know her. I did however get that chance in Mui Ne. I won't go into the negative feelings I have for her but everyday I disliked her more and more. We did however have some fun together and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings... and to be honest a place like Mui Ne isn't really the kind of place to be by yourself.

The following days were spent laying on the beach and swimming in the sea which was again very salty and almost too warm to be refreshing. But the sun was shining and the wind was blowing... this is a very big place in South East Asia for kite surfing so the wind could get very strong at time even though we were not in season! But the wind and sun combination also produced a nice tan on my body. This did feel like a little holiday inside of the traveling experience I was having. There was also loads of bars and restaurants on the beach, providing excellent views of the ocean while grabbing a quick bite... but to be honest I was missing my street food, I love the street stalls selling bowls of noodle soup for under a dollar... there wasn't one in the vicinity which meant that this excursion would be a little more pricey than I intended.

Apart from the beach there was also a lot more to see in Mui Ne, so one day I rented a moped to drive to some sights. Firstly we went to see Fairy River and Waterfall... I was off the road a few k's so we had to park up and walk. The Vietnamese boys have a little set up where they will watch your bike for 5000d... about 20p... so that was pretty easy. We took two little boys aged 9 and 14 as guides (although Oliver my brother at aged 9 was bigger than both of them together), and they lead to way while guiding us past the rocks in the shallow mud stream we took to get to our destination. The walk there was more impressive than the actual waterfall... we walked down through a small canyon which was made out of red, yellow and white sand while on the other side stood tall palm trees giving a great contrast of colour. The boys then took us to a patch of sinking mud and we watched them enthusiastically jumping in and covering themselves with this stuff... we obviously jumped in after them and were met with that sinking feeling... almost getting ourselves trapped! We Also got lead through mango and banana plantations to get to the final spot, just a small waterfall, but you could get right under it like you were taking a natural shower. On our way back we were up and down the red sand hills and right near the end these two nice little boys who had been nothing but sweet turned and demanded way too much money for their services... we told them how much we would give and that was that... well apart from their whingeing which we had to ignore!

On the way to the red sand dunes... well actually what we saw first as I passed the turning to the Fairy River was the fishing village... quite stunning seeing all these small boats on the ocean who would all eventually be out at sea at night... you could see their lights all across the dark horizon while sitting on the beach star gazing... (I saw a red shooting star, I think it must of been a comet... awesome!)

We then drove to the red sand dunes which were only a small drive away, left my bike with the boys again and started out incline up these huge red dunes while ignoring children trying to sell up slides (there weren't big enough drops for me here). Unfortunately the day turned cloudy so there was no real opportunity for me to capture the images of these impressive hills of sand with any real beauty that would have been provided by the contrasting shadows at this time of day. Anyway... we walked around for a while admiring different view points and still of course taking some pictures which would be edited when I am reunited with my trusted computer anyway. It was still very spectacular but I was waiting till tomorrow when we would travel to the white sand dunes which were supposed to be the daddy of the local dunes.

I would have loved to get to the white dunes at sunrise... but... its me, and I not really a morning person. Sunrise was about 5am and it took about 50mins to get there so it didn't really calculate well in my head. So we set off about 9am and rode till I thought we must have passed it by now... we were gone quite a long time and there wasn't anyone of the roads to ask directions from. I did know however that there were down a dirt road... so after I went down one dirt road and back again we kept on the same main road. We eventually found it after stopping for directions once or twice... I was amazed at seeing this desert in the middle of the land with a still lotus lake in front of it providing a picturesque scene. We stopped a couple of time to take pictures before actually getting there and I was overwhelmed with its size... it doesn't look that big until you see the perspective from someone else walking on the other side. This time we took slides and found a steep spot... I stacked it a couple of time but finally found my rhythm and rapidly sped down and couple of times. As you know... whats goes up must come down, but that also works the other way and after a few inclines I decided it was just too much work to climb the sand again... it was very hot! It wasn't a good photography day today either... the sun was shining but it was high up in the air again ruining my planned photographic contrasting shots I had dreamed of. It was spectacle enough to view with my own eyes.

I enjoyed hiring out the moped and traveling to these sights myself rather than hopping on a tour bus and being driven there... it gave me more freedom to do what I wanted, I could stay somewhere for however long, choose where I wanted to go and it was a fun ride down the coast where I would hit it out at top end (I don't know how fast I was actually going as my metre didn't work... it couldn't have got any faster though). It gave me more pleasure for one but also growth... as I had to actually find the locations in question in a country not my own... get used to the crazy way of driving which was actually more exciting as I had to serve in and out of people and dodge cows a couple of times... I have now also learnt that cows don't respond to honking! most importantly it gave me independence in a country very geared to easy and almost mindless traveling.

On return from the white dunes and covered in sand from the sliding the sea was waiting... I went in and didn't come out until the sun had set... I was by myself and I was really enjoying my own company. The stars were starting to appear and the half moon was bright... I couldn't help feeling small in this world as I continuously switched my gaze from the setting sun to the moon while floating in the cooling sea which by the help of the salt level was easy... I felt at harmony with the world... how crazy and deep!

That night while this girl was on the internet and I had finished I ended up chatting to loads of Vietnamese guys outside who worked there... this again gave me faith in people in general because they were so nice... hard working people who don't really have time for any leisure time but are still happy. I don't know if this feeling had anything to do with the beers I had been drinking... but this is what I felt. Then one of them started playing Vietnamese music on his guitar while accompanying it with song... I was just chilling with the locals, something I always enjoy. I recognised one of them on the beach just before he did me (I also remembered his name which was amazing as I don't even remember western names of people I've met) and it was nice when he gave me a warm welcome... which started my stating my name.

On my last day I was eating at a small place in the beach... just content to solo silent relaxation. I ended up watching these two local boys and one girl attempt to make and play on a volley ball court. They had the net already but finding a strong stick and attaching it together was a different matter... and when they finally did it, it soon broke from the first touch of the ball... their second attempt was successful however and they continued their game... but the thing which I enjoyed throughout all of this was that they were having so much fun making it and playing (they weren't good) but every time they made a mistake they laughed, when the net fell they laughed, when they hit the ball too hard they laughed and also when they missed it completely... this was a joy to watch, and it made me happy to see their happiness. They have such a simple life, especially in Mui Ne, but I also think they have less to worry about, less distractions... so life seems easier in a way.

---