Sand and sun in Mui Ne

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We spent 4 days at Mui Ne as our last stop on the coast before we headed to Saigon. It was a 4 hour trip from Dalat by bus and what a punishing 4 hours it was. Our bus driver decided to take the scenic route and went along the twistiest, narrowest and bumpiest road possible. He also decided that doing it as quickly as possible was also a great idea. Even though we went over some exquisite mountains with spectacular views we were unable to enjoy it too much. Basically we were in for the most spine jarring and arse punishing ride of our trip so far. Because we were on a back road it was in a bit of an avaerage condition. This is not really a problem except for when the driver decided to ignore his breaks and fly over pot holes and bumps which usually meant we bottomed out. Because we were in the row of seats that were directly over the back wheels the bumps and thumps were magnified even further. I was especially lucky in that I got the fold out seat. It had no support, no padding and nothing to stop the bags from falling on top of me. What I would have given for a blow-up donut ring, you knnow the ones that old people with a severe case of haemorrhoids use. By the time we got to Mui Ne I had absolutely no feeling in my backside and a severe case of compression in my spine. Our only stop on the trip was at a tiny roadhouse (no where near as nice as the one on the way to Dalat) on a blind corner with a hole in the ground for a toilet. Fortunately we had our own snacks as we were unable to get anything to eat at the stop.

So after a ride that really was only about a 4 on the CF scale you can imagine our joy at arriving at one of the best stays on our trip to date. We had booked in at the Charm Villas using the internet and it had been given some pretty good reviews from previous guests. We had asked for adjoining bungalows but were not really expecting too much as these are not too common. Anyway we were shown to our rooms and not only were they adjoining but they were the best in the complex. Basically many people have requested such a set up so the owners decided to build two adjoining rooms and these ones were only finsihed two weeks before we moved in. Unbelievable. Then to top it all off they were set in the most beautiful lush gardens, with the pool and breakfast room just metres away and the beach maybe a minute or two walk. So it was all about the kids spending time in the pool and at the beach. They must have swum for 5 or 6 hours each day as well as walk at the beach every morning before it got too hot. When we went to the beach we watched the local fishing boats come in with their catch and divide it up for sale. We have all agreed that this is possibly the best place we have stayed on the whole trip. Even though there are not a lot of things to do in Mui Ne it was the perfect place to sit back and relax. For a place that is totally about chilling out this definately gets a CF of 10. Add to that a town that has many brilliant resturants and unbelievably great service from the villa staff and it is pretty close to paradise.

Our only regret is that we didn't have the opportunity to stay there for longer. We definately would have shaved a few days off of other places to spend some extra time at the Cham Villas. It is really starting to hit us that our time in Vietnam is almost up. Phoebe in particular wants to spend more time here. Well I guess it just means we will have to come back in the future.

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Photos

Morning on the beach
The beach first thing in the morning was so calm.

Hello is anyone there?
There were very few people on the beach in the mornings. Either that or they brushed away everones foot steps.

Dividing the catch
Each morning after the boats were in the fishermen separated the catch ready for sale.

Repairing the nets
After each mornings catch was removed the nets needed to be checked and repaired. Not the easiest or quickest job in the world.