Mui Ne, Vietnam - By Heather Brama It was SO difficult to leave Hoi An but the journey's next stop proved it's possible to find more things you love if you just keeping going. And so the trek through Vietnam continued southward to Mui Ne. Mui Ne has become a popular tourist destination with a long strip of restaurants and accommodations that stretch out along the coastal road. The area is known to be a kite surfer's dream due to the winds that start up just after 11 AM. The wind also contributes to the other tourist hot spots: the red and the white sand dunes. Through Agoda, we found a discounted rate ($25/night) for Mui Ne Hills, a hotel with a spectacular view of the ocean from atop a much inhabited sand dune. Randomly, the hotel offered us a free upgrade for both nights. With a huge balcony and views of the ocean, the huge room was easily the hotel's 'penthouse suite.' After ditching the rucksacks, a quick snack was in order so we headed to Breeze Restaurant for some mango guacamole with homemade pita chips - a successful yum indeed! Next, our raging headaches from lack of caffeine all day sent us down the hill in search of espresso. We stopped at a lovely shop called Katie's Coffee House for some cappuccinos and chocolate cake - once again successful delights! That evening we stumbled upon outdoor seafood stands set up along the ocean. Chris bargained with one of the stand owners while standing next to a table of tanks and buckets full of prawns, oysters, fish, sharks, squid, eels, cobras, crabs, manta rays, a whole alligator and roasters cooking ducks. He purchased oysters, squid and some sort of clam. Then from our ocean side table, we ordered the preparation of our seafood. Both Chris and I agreed the grilled oysters with chilies, garlic and spring onion were the best seafood we've ever had! The end of the night brought us to a place we can't recall the name of for a bon fire on the beach. We got there a little early (which showed how old we've become) so we decided to play a few rounds of pool. The power kept going out so we ended up playing our game with the table surrounded by candles. Chris won...but only by one ball. :-) Day 2 in Mui Ne started with a trip to the ocean where we drank fresh coconuts hacked open by a women the size of my sister and a giant knife. After lunch, we also spent a few hours at one of our hotel pools. That afternoon Chris and I, along with 3 wild Canadians, went on a jeep tour to the fairy stream where we walked through the water to a waterfall, to a view of a fishing village, four wheeling at the white sands dunes, and lastly to watch the sun set over the red sand dunes. That night we went back to the seafood stands for more oysters...yes, they were that good! Day 3 I finally ate Pho for breakfast and it was so good that now a regret I didn't eat it every morning. After lunch (seafood hot pot), we reluctantly left on a bus to Saigon for a rest before making our way to our country #4: CAMBODIA.
1 Comment
Rachael
3/20/2014 11:54:46 am
You guys are the best friends ever :)
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