Family fun at Mui Ne, Vietnam

This is our first time in Vietnam, we arrived with no big expectation.  We had hits and misses along the way but overall, delighted with the food, the rich culture, and the amazing sights especially, in Mui Ne.

We landed at Ho Chi Minh and planned to travel north to MuiNe,  a coastal village intriguing for its unique mix of white and red sand dunes plus the windy and strong waves good for kitesurfing.  We hopped into a taxi to get us to Mui Ne,  took almost 5hours to reach our hotel.  I would think we've been victimized by a scam first thing on our arrival at the airport. I signed up for a car for hire,  we were shown a brand new Toyota Innova for a comfortable ride but 10 minutes later at the nearest gas station from the airport, we were transferred to an old Mitsubishi car.  We reached Mui Ne in the evening so what greeted us upon arrival is the lively Nguyen Dinh Chieu street lined up with restaurants and night market offerings.  First thing i noticed is, this place is swarmed by Russians! In fact, there are plenty of specialty restaurants catering to the Russian clientele, hotels with Russian signs, and the locals able to converse in Russian.

We woke up very early at 5am for us to be picked up by a hired jeep to take us to the popular attractions in Mui Ne. First stop,  after traveling almost an hour with the cold windy breeze on an open top jeep,  we arrived at this desert area with white dunes.  We hired a big motor bike to explore the sandy dunes and whah,  the driver is crazy mad whopping us up and down the sandy hill. There's no safety precautions and we were definitely not given a head's up but it was exhilarating and pure fun!  It was rewarding to see the sunrise above us,  worth the effort to wake up very early to get here. I was amazed by how the sand dunes evolve in shape as it is blown away by the wind. The drama unfolds as light touches the sand from dusk to dawn. If we had the time,  we could have stayed here and watch the contrast from sunrise to sunset.

Next stop is another sand dunes experience,  the difference is in color. We hopped into our open top jeep again and was brought to the red sand dunes.  We were swarmed by small kids offering their plastic board for us to rent so that we can try sandboarding. It was meant to be for my son but we ended up taking turns,  we had so much fun! It is very interesting to find in just 20mins from each other two different experiences of enjoying desert fun.
By this time our feet and legs are already feeling the fatigue,  it is no joke walking on sand,  much more tiring than your usual walk (and very slow walk at that).  We went next to a place called the Fairy Stream.  I saw the photos posted on Google about this place and got me excited for us to see this ourselves. We alighted to what seemed to be like a mum and pop store and were ushered to go in a narrow road that will lead us to the stream. There's no entrance fee but if you have no slippers with you,  you can rent a pair for a nominal fee.  The place is like the convergence of the red and white sand dunes only,  they are not powdery in form yet. They look enchanting in lime stones and iron rich rock formations. The stream in between makes this place enchanting -  it looks so surreal to be here.

We hopped back again to our jeep but this time,  the driver managed to cover it up,  just about time since the sun is already up.  We went on next to the local fishing village and we got to see fishermen selling their first catch of the day.  Seafood is very much an abundance here and costs so cheap. It is very interesting how the local boats are designed,  they are round like big soup bowls floating at sea.

In the afternoon,  we explored the beach of Mui Ne and it was a different experience for us to see the whole stretch of the long beach filled with big kites with surfers attached to them. When Google said Mui Ne is good for kitesurfing,  we never expected it was not only good but it seems to be the mecca of kitesurfers!  We were just exhilarated seeing surfers from different nationalities hover around the open sea gracefully with their kites and would show off their jumping and flying skills. My jaws would just drop how it seems to look so easy.

A day in Mui Ne feels like a 24hour adrenaline experience. We want to catch the sunset so we explored the long stretch of the beach and found at the end a man made cove that is perfect for swimming and waited for the sun to go down.

As we gaze at this lovely sunset,  i prayed in my heart a big thanksgiving for all the blessings we've received so far as a family. This day is also the mark of new year in the Chinese calendar. What a better way to look forward of the year ahead by spending time with the ones you love watching the sun go down drinking local Vietnamese coffee.  Life is good,  thanks be to God!

A Day in Ho Chi Minh

This is what I posted on my FB page and truly descriptive of how a day in Ho Chi Minh is like:

We stayed at Saigon Odyssey hotel along the famous backpackers area of Pham Ngu Lao at district 1. We arrived late in the afternoon so our first HCM experience is at night. First thing we had in mind is to try the "must have" national dish -  Beef Pho noodles. We were lucky enough to follow the trail of the locals also looking for food and found this unassuming food stall that is apparently one of the best Beef Pho in the area.

I did say we booked ourselves in the backpackers area but what i didn't expect is,  there's almost a country of backpackers in the area. You will forget where the locals are,  everyone around you are mostly Caucasians, Chinese, Japanese tourists!  It seems all the tourists in HCM congregate in this area for the cheap beer,  good coffee,  interesting street food,  night market bargains,  and the peculiar drinking culture.  The side walk are all filled with small chairs and tables,  arranged in a row. Now imagine this same arrangement on the other side of the road so you find yourself facing another stranger on the opposite side versus looking at your company next to you. It is awkward in the beginning but i must admit,  the people watching experience is enjoyable. 

The following day we were all psyched up that it is going to be a long day walking so we started right by eating breakfast.  We were happy to meet fellow Visayans from Cebu,  Philippines. They have been here ahead of us and already went to see most of the places of interest. There is always a Filipino in every corner of the world.

Our family is no stranger to walking around the city on foot but when in HCM,  this is a totally different experience. Motorbikes would just swarm around you, there is no clear pedestrian lane,  and it seems no stoplight at all.  I can imagine this must be an overwhelming experience for a tourist first time in SouthEast Asia as it is already overwhelming for someone like me living in the region.

From our hotel, our walking tour started at the popular Ben Thanh market but unfortunately, due to the CNY festivities, this market was closed.  We managed to still find some trinkets as souvenir items, we were lured to the aroma of fresh coffee and ended up buying coffee beans and tea leaves.  From Ben Thanh, we walked towards the City Hall and then hurried our way to visit the old Saigon post office which is also next to the popular Notre Dame cathedral.  The old post office is very charming but i wish that they did not allow souvenir shops here as it feels like it is one of those bazaar stalls.  Next to the post office is the Notre Dame cathedral, a structure that cannot be missed because of its distinct architecture.  This building has survived since it was built in the 1880's and as we went in, it is still bustling with parishioners praying and you can see it is a busy church with all the activities posted on the bulletin board.  

There is a rotunda (roundabout) surrounding the cathedral and you will see cafe's sprawling in the area. We walked a few meters and found ourselves in a nice coffee and crepe place.  It was one of those great mornings to bask under the sun enjoying fresh coffee and tasty crepe experiencing a new place.

From Notre Dame, we walked further to the Reunification Palace. Here we came to understand a little bit more of Vietnam history.  I appreciated how this building was still preserved after the war and particularly, i was delighted to see the furniture design of the 60's era -- the palace has well showcased their guest rooms and banquet tables.

From Reunification palace, we walked next to Tao Dan park. The CNY festivities has made the streets of HCM colorful and they culminate in this park with a week long Flower Festival.  We were lucky to see the different flowers on display and the children wearing their traditional costume for the Lunar New Year celebrations. 

From Tao Dan park we headed back to Pham Ngu Lao, the famous backpackers street. I had a good Vietnamese traditional massage and pedicure here.  There is a bounty of street food to choose from and once again, a relaxing coffee break.  Here's a quick guide to our walking trail from Google maps.  

To sum it up, when in Ho Chi Minh, you must:
1.  Try Beef Pho noodles - this is very common to find in the streets of HCM.  Pho Thanh Canh is one of the best places to go according to the locals.  Other Vietnamese food is equally delightful.  You will find yourself in a gastronomic adventure here so just be open to try local food.
2. Savor the coffee experience and drinking culture at Pham Ngu Lao -- Vietnames drip coffee is strong and sweet (because they add condensed milk). It is best taken chilled since HCM is also a very humid city (like Singapore). I prefer my coffee hot, I added a little bit more of hot water to make it bearable to taste.  At night, don't miss to check out Pham Ngu Lao, i find it really awkward to be sitting in rows and rows of people staring at the person across the street but, it is again one of those unique experience you can only find in HCM.
3. Be prepared for miles and miles of walking -- wear comfortable shoes and dry fit shirt.  You need to also bring with you a bottle of water and don't bring too much stuff to carry along.

I hope this has been helpful to you if you plan to visit HCM.  Be open to new experiences, learn new culture, appreciate the history and rich food.  Most important of all,  don't forget to savor the moment and perhaps take snapshots on your camera as memento.  Happy travel!