Blogs from Mui Ne, Binh Thuan, South Central Coast, Vietnam, Asia - page 33

Sandboarding at its best....... read more

Mui Ne is a quiet town. Its beach offers a pleasant break from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Min City and the humidity of the Mekong Delta. The beach is relatively un-spoilt, lined sparingly with a few bamboo bungalows. Along the beach there is a constant wind, which makes good for wind surfing and kite surfing, a popular spot for Americans during the war. We chilled on the beach for a day, and headed 20km off in a taxi to the nearest town, Phan Thiet, in search of some nightlife. On arrival the power in the town had gone, with only candles to guide us we ordered a traditional Vietnamese dish called Pho (which is supposed to be pronounced 'far' and not 'poo' as Tony affectionately referred to it). Very bland compared to most ... read more

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City late at night after about 24 hours of straight travel. We were immediately overwhelmed by the intensity of the city. Motorcycles, bicycles, and cars everywhere. Every street filled with shops selling everything from hats and t-shirts to flat-screen televisions. We stayed in HCMC for the night and then quickly left for Mui Ne in the morning. Mui Ne is a relatively quite beach resort northeast of HCMC. We found a beautiful resort right on the beach, where we stayed for three nights at only 12 USD per night! That even included breakfast!! Hmmm... breakfast. We got our first introduction to pho, which is noodle soup served with beef or pork. What a hardy breakfast! We mostly chilled on the gorgeous beach. There were very few beach vendors (in sharp ... read more

It's been a roller coaster of a time here in Vietnam so far. I've been on many beach vacations, river boat vacations, to water parks, zoos that made me cry, made lifelong friends, lost friends who've moved away, and made new friends. I've eaten at street stalls on blue plastic chairs while I was surrounded by an army of rats ready to take me out at the knee caps for finishing my meal without sharing. I've learned to drive in the worst traffic in the world, without understanding a single street sign (not that anyone pays any attention to them anyways). I've mastered the heat, learned to navigate my way through Ben Thanh Market, and have even learned enough of the language to communicate with most people I come across in common situations. None of these ... read more

Hey all, I know that I only updated the blog yesterday, but the new pictures that I took today just had to be posted. This morning at 4:00am I caught a jeep out of town, and headed for the sand dunes -- the landscape that this part of Vietnam is most famous for. I guess having seen desert in Egypt, I wasn't expecting too much, but I was blown away. Only 20 or 30 minutes drive from the ocean and suddenly you find yourself in the middle of these crazy dunes -- once you start climbing into them, it would be easy to imagine yourself in the middle of a desert with no way out. There are red and white sand dunes, surprisingly the latter of which were most impressive. I could have easily spent all ... read more