Mui Ne

Day 1: Early bus to Mui Ne. Met a nice girl called Gemma (London) and ended up having to sit next to this guy who had cuts all over his face and hands, didn't smell too special and wasn't very friendly (the reason I'm including this info will become clear in a second).

We arrived about 2pm. Rooms more expensive here than everywhere else in Vietnam for some reason so Gemma and I decided to go halves on a room. Pretty nice though. When we got settled in, she decided to tell me that the guy from the bus was actually a drug dealer and the battle wounds were from some sort of turf war that she had seen take place the previous night. Nice. Was actually glad she waited until the end of the trip to tell me that.

Really hot here - so much nicer than Nha Trang considering it's only a few hours south. She had also been starved of sunshine in the north so we decided to make the most of it and spend the afternoon on the beach. Only a short walk from our guesthouse and when we got there, there must have been at least 100 people Kite-Surfing and a number of providers right on the beach. Was great to watch - some of them really good and it looks like a lot of fun. I did enquire about doing it but it was also quite expensive ($50 per hour). Would definately like to give it a go if I find somewhere cheaper though.

Unfortunately, the strong winds weren't limited to the water, which meant our time on the beach was pretty short-lived. Was basically a sandstorm at one point and it got quite unpleasant so we decided to get a beer on the beach and watch the sunset.

Went for a walk around town that evening and the 2 of us had a nice meal and a few more drinks. Nice to be out in the evening with just shorts and t-shirt on!

Day 2: Weather was cracking again and not very windy this time (although just as many Kite-Surfers), so Gemma and I spent the whole day on the beach and caught some rays. Out for another meal that evening. Pretty lazy day to be honest so not too much to report. Long overdue as far ad I'm concerned though.

Day 3: We got up early, grabbed some breakfast and then negotiated a deal for 2 motorbikes to take us to the nearby Sand-dunes. I did think about hiring one but given my relative inexperience and my tendency to get lost, decided against it. Really hot again so the ride was quite nice and we stopped briefly to get some photos of a nearby fishing village, which was quite cool.

We arrived at the White Dunes first - very impressive. Masses of dunes and a great contrast with a nearby lake and the blue sky above. Pretty scenic. Besides checking out the dunes, the intention was also to slide down them using a sheet of plastic that you buy from some nearby kids. After buying from this 10 year old, who was without doubt the harshest negotiator I've come across anywhere out here (50,000 Dong or nothing - no budging), I gave it a go and .......it didn't quite workout how I'd planned. Think it was a combination of me being too heavy and the sand being too soft because I slid about 2 yards at a rip-roaring 1mph (much to Gemma's amusement). A few more goes but it wasn't happening. Funny but a shame at the same time because some of the slopes were pretty steep. Think I could even hear the 10 year old laughing from afar as well!

On our way back to our moto drivers, Gemma and I noticed some Ostrich's in a pen to our left. Upon closer inspection, it turned out you could pay to ride one around for one circuit. Given the failure of the dune sliding, I thought why not and climbed aboard. It took off like a rocket and the ride was pretty fun. The circuit was over very quick though (I think it was quite keen for me to disembark).

Anyway, got some cool photos and then we visited the yellow dunes, which were also nice but a lot smaller. Decided to skip the plastic sheets and just walk around and get some photos this time. We then headed back to Mui Ne.

Gemma's bus to Saigon was that afternoon so we said our goodbyes and I spent the afternoon on the beach. Glorious weather again.

That evening, I went to meet Jakob and Miriam, who had arrived from Nha Trang. They were half hour walk from me and were right next to a beach covered in litter and with a visible sewage line going into the water. I told them to check out my beach.

That evening, the 3 of us had dinner and then went to a local bar and ended up getting pretty drunk. Had a great laugh and played pool with some other travellers from Australia. By the end of the night, me and Jakob weren't too bad but Miriam was absolutely hammered. Really funny for us 2. Stayed in their hotel that night.

Day 4: Sore heads all round (Miriam still pissed when we got up) so it was gonna be another lazy day. Jakob and I got some breakfast and then embarked on the long walk back to my nice beach. Spent the day there (getting a bit of a tan now) and Miriam came to meet us later in the afternoon.

Chilled evening. Got some dinner and then just watched a film in their hotel waiting for my 1.30am bus to.....