Back at the beach

Allright! back at the beach.  After a four hour bus ride with a few pitstops we'd arrived at Mui ne, a very sleepy beach town with a noticablely comfortable laid-back atmosphere.  Ruth, a 20 year old woman from the UK who was on the same bus and myself set about to finding a place to stay (its easier when travelling in twos as you present less of a target).  After walking up the beach past several places and gathering business cards like they were manna we had selected a middle of the road place that presented great value.  Two bungalows situated a mere 10m from the sand, complete with air-con, personal bathrooms and showers, and very tasteful decorating.  Plus an in-room safe and fridge.  My room had two twin beds while Ruth's had a single queen.  Both were $25 a night with a small breakfast included.

I immediatly set about to getting myself unpacked and into the water as fast as I could.  The beach sand was nice enough, a light shade of grey and not too much debris scattered about.  The water was a different story... Floating in the water was what I can only describe as either translucent fish scales or shrimp flakes.  Its wasn't enough to keep me out but the feelingof the particles on my skin while swimming was a little creepy.  My only guess as to the source was that the nearby larger town of Phan Diet which is a, no THE source for prime fish sauce in Vietnam, a major ingredient in virtually all Vietnamese dishes as well one of the most foul smelling liquids to ever grace the condiment tray.  Its made from fish (obviously) and stored over the course of several years to age it like wine.  My guess is that the spent fish bits are eventually washed down the drain and into the sea, leaving beachgoers the impression of swimming in fish stock.

definitely a chillout day and dedicated to improving our tans.

Then next day was definitely a chillout day and dedicated to improving our tans.  I say our because as Ruth and I got along so well we spent most days hanging out after the bus ride.  She had just left her previous travel buddy who was driving her to distraction with his constant drinking every night (a constant pastime among some travelers) and not actually DOING anything or seeing any sights.  Ruth and I were pretty much on the same wavelength so we spent most of the days sitting on the beach or planning our next move.

Eventually we booked a sunrise tour of the white dunes, an area nearby where  the tropical vegetation had dissapeared and was replaced by immense, shifting sand dunes of white sand.  The sunrise part was the hard part of our trip, involving us getting up in time to be picked up at 430am and driven out to where the dunes were.  A 45 minute, bumpy, pre-dawn ride and we were there.  And would you believe it we weren't the first ones.  As we walked out on the dunes I couldn't believe my eyes: there out on the sand in the early rays of the sun was a couple getting their wedding photos taken!  Full suit and gown and everything.  They had to have been there since 4am.  As we took in the surreal landscape we were sharply brought back to reality when the radio from the couple's Jeep began blaring Avril Lavigne.  Sigh, it seems that I'm cursed to hear this trash music wherever I go, even at Gorek Shep in Nepal.

After getting back to town and a few more hours on the beach we headed out for a nice seafood dinner and made plans for our next move.  We'd been getting along great so we'd decided to stay together for a while longer and booked our tickets for the next stop up the coast at Nha Trang, a busy (vietnamese tourist) town with a bustling beach and plenty of activities for us to indulge in.  Alas, it was another bus, which are starting to get a little tiring even with the AC.