Mui Ne

I have to say that Mui Ne was just a delightful little surfing town, and I could have stayed for a lot longer than I did. After the 5-hour bus ride from Nha Trang, I was dropped off in Mui Ne in the heat of the day, and then began my long trek about town in search of a room. As the map of the town basically consisted of one street, it didn't seem like this would be too hard to accomplish. I soon realized that was not the case. I was wandering from hotel to hotel with my big pack on, dripping sweat, and finding rooms to be way too expensive for my budget, which in hindsight I should have realized as it is a beach resort town. I was determined though, despite several men once again coming up and offering me motorbike rides to rooms with good rates. These rooms were further down the street than I wanted to go (3-9 km away is too far to walk, esp. at night), but I was beginning to think otherwise as the sweat kept dripping and my back kept aching. One particularly persistent fellow just about had me, but I went into one last place. This place had a sign out saying it had the cheapest rooms in town, and it was in what seemed like the center of where I wanted to be, but of course I was skeptical. I went up to the counter, thinking surely the nice guy behind the counter would turn me away with his price quote, but hallelujah! They had dorms (like many of the hostels I have stayed in, these rooms typically have 4-10 bunks in them, and are pretty much the cheapest rooms anywhere, not to mention a great way to meet other travelers) for $8/night! There was also a small swimming pool (just the right size for a quick dive in after walking around and sweating all day) and some lounge chairs right by the crashing waves! Sounds like paradise, right? It basically was:) So I got settled into my room and soon realized that one of my roommates was an American girl I had met in my hostel in Hanoi - not sure if I have mentioned this previously, but the traveler "bubble" is pretty small really, especially in countries like Vietnam where everyone seems to be following the same tourist route in the same direction, so I am constantly seeing people I have met before, or at least seen before. This fact really does make it seem like a small world! Anyway, the American was May May from CA, and had decided to stay on in Mui Ne for several weeks because she was learning to kite surf! It is a very expensive hobby to pick up, and appears to take a long time to learn, and I give her credit for wanting to do it and sticking with it! I watched her on what was probably her 4th day out there and she looked to be struggling, but I am sure she will rock at it in the end. I also met Heleen from Belgium in our dorm, who stayed on in Mui Ne a few extra nights as well, and is now here in Saigon with me.

Mostly I was fascinated by the kite surfing and wind surfing that was happening there. It is famous for the wind and waves, and people come from all over the world to practice and compete in these sports. So while it was hot about 20 feet in from the water, if I was right on the beach or in a lounge chair, I actually would be cold from the wind. It was also interesting that the wind and waves were much calmer in the morning, and as the day progressed, they would pick up in intensity quickly. The kite surfing was especially amazing to watch because they would fly up into the air probably 30 feet or so and then come down so gracefully. It was like snowboarding, but somehow more beautiful:) I tried to get pictures, but as is the case with most things, I don't feel they will really do it justice.

I also really enjoyed walking the beach and finding shells for my nephews and niece, as well as just relaxing on the beach or in the lounge chairs. Many of the restaurants, like the hotels, were very expensive and therefore not conducive to a backpacker's budget. There was, however, a nice restaurant two doors down from our hotel that was on the ocean, and had all kinds of cheap food to chose from. This would be where I enjoyed mango pancakes for breakfast every morning - yum! In the evenings, May May, Heleen, and I went to Joe's, which was owned by an American named Joe, go figure! This would be where May May and I splurged on a cheese plate (delicious, with a LOT of actual, good cheese on it!) and pasta one night. And by splurged, I mean that I think we each spent $5 since we split it. A usual meal for me here in Vietnam is hopefully around $1-2, so you can see why this was considered a splurge! Joe's also had live music every night, which was nice, and had comfy couches too:)

When the time came to leave, I was sad, but also ready to move on to Ho Chi Minh City. I was able to spend the morning relaxing and getting ready, which was nice, since my bus wasn't scheduled to leave until 1 p.m. So I arrived to the cafe the bus was leaving from as instructed, at about 12:45, only to then wait until 3 p.m. before it left! I am really continuing to learn that Vietnamese time is similar to Chinese time - i.e. nothing happens on time. I then journeyed on the last leg of my open-tour bus route to HCMC, which took about 5 hours. I will shortly write another post about this HUGE, bustling metropolis!