Mui Ne? Mui YAY!

After Tet, we were ready for the beach! On Monday afternoon, Jenny, Khanh, Matt, and I hopped on a bus for Mui Ne in the Eastern part of Vietnam. Bus seats were assigned with zero room for negotiation. When a woman asked to sit in front because she gets sick, he started yelling and informed us that we could sit in our assigned seats or stay in Saigon. The 4 hour bus ride turned into almost 6 and we arrived hot, tired, and ready for a shower. We had originally paid for bungalows on the beach...instead, we got a room with a small window overlooking the green, algae-filled pool. We negotiated hard for a better location and ended up slipping the security guard money for an extra room. Jenny and I snagged a bungalow overlooking the pool with bugs thrown in at no extra cost. We showered and left with the boys to go in search of dinner. We walked along the deserted highway with only motorbikes and taxis passing us. Most restaurants were closed, since it was almost 10:00pm. We wanted seafood and lucked out when we came across a seafood place full of plastic chairs and plastic tablecloths. The dinner was family style without much shellfish. Jenny has a wicked allergy to the tasty creatures. The boys and I shared crab with tamarind, which was spectacular. Feeling full, we hopped in a taxi and went back to the hotel to sleep. Jenny and I have been in the habit of sleeping late, and our first morning in Mui Ne was no exception. We slept late and got only to wander down the beach for a day of sun and sea. The South China Sea was beyond pretty. We drank iced coffees in the shade of palm trees, before beginning the ultra stressful task of basking in the sun. That evening, we met the boys for dinner after massages. Beauty treatments are so ridiculously cheap, so I am partaking as often as possible. The massage was heaven and a perfect completion of a day of rest and leisure. Since I had been in the sun all day, I opted for the aloe vera massage. As we were waiting for the appointments, we watched fresh aloe arrive. I love Southeast Asia! Everything is fresh! Seafood was on the menu once again for dinner, however, our choice was an epic fail. After 2.5 hours, we were served a plate of raw fish and a kettle of broth to cook the fish in. Apparently, it takes 2 hours to plate fish for a hotpot. We were lucky that the company was good and the conversation effortless. The boys had found a sweet restaurant earlier in the day, so that was our destination for after dinner drinks. We walked into Sankara, which was like a scene from a Puff Daddy video. The bar was filled with cabanas, white curtains, and an open bar. In short, the place was fabulous. In Vietnam, alcohol is not served past 11 without a major bribe for the officials. In Mui Ne, most things are open late, so we took in as much of the night life as possible. The following day, we slept late again and awoke in time for facials. The dragon fruit mask used fresh fruit and my skin soaked it up. I met up with the boys and sat by the beach watching kite surfers. We ate dinner in a little place that looked dingy but had great food. I've decided that the dirtier the place, the better the food will probably be in Vietnam. We left Mui Ne the next day, but not before checking out Joe's Restaurant for breakfast. It's run by an American from Vermont and has a super chill atmosphere. It is the only restaurant opened 24 hours a day in Vietnam. Gotta love that tradition of being able to get food anytime you want. The bus back to Saigon was roomy, and I slept well. We did see a terrible motorbike accident while stuck in traffic outside the city. The body had already been moved, but the image of the blood on the street has stuck with me. I'm amazed I haven't seen more accidents. Khanh, Jenny , and I walked in search of the best deal for a guesthouse and ended up at Hotel 96 in the heart of the backpacker district. Rooms have been super cheap, so Jenny and I got a double room for $15. Gotta love those rooms for under $10/person. Friday brought a beautiful day in the city and a plan for seeing the sights. We went to the Presidential Palace. The palace was totally uninspiring, especially since it was historically the locale of the fall of Saigon. We also went to see the War Remnants museum. While at the museum, I stood in front of the display about Agent Orange and cried. It's hard to be an American in Vietnam and not feel horribly about the war. There were pictures of babies born in 1997 that suffered from deformities due to Agent Orange poisoning. It was so tragic, and I had to get out of there. I understand that most of the museum was propaganda in support of the communist government, but the people suffered regardless. Jenny and I went for a lovely dinner of tapas and sangria. On Saturday, we meant to get up early and go see the Cu Chi tunnels, but we both ended up sick. We had gone to bed early, yet spent the night with stomach cramps. Instead of seeing the tunnels, we laid in bed nursing our painful stomachs. We did roll out of bed and ate a little something around 1. Food helped a bit, so we were off to the market and the Notre Dame Cathedral. The post office was beautiful and designed by Eiffel, so the building contained tons of French architectural flairs. Since we still weren't 100%, we went back to the guesthouse to pack and get ready for the next day. I left super early for my 2 day adventure through the delta and entrance into Cambodia. It was sad to leave Jenny, and I was nervous about traveling by myself. The Mekong and more adventures awaited.