White Sand Dunes, Red Sand Dunes, Dune Slides and More Dunes!

@ Fishing Village

Today, I signed up for a 2-day-1-night Mui Ne tour, this time with the highly recommendable Sinh Cafe.  I decided to get out of the bustling city of Saigon as I’ve pretty much seen everything there is -- city sights: checked; cu chi tunnels: checked; cao dai temple: checked; Mekong Delta river: half checked :)  I did not find it appealing and I’ve basically seen it and in fact crossed it when I went to Cambodia, that for me was enough.  Hehehe

This time, I wanted to check out Vietnam’s provinces.  Originally, I intended to go as far as Nha Trang, said to be Vietnam’s finest beach and where the Miss Universe pageant was held but as I do not have the luxury of time, the nearest that I could visit would be the town of Mui Ne in Phan Thiet. 

Departure time was 7:30 A.M. with an estimated time of arrival of 1 P.

me & fishing boat

We arrived at Mui Ne past 12 noon.  I did not book a room at Sinh CafĂ© hotel as advised by my friend, Dimple, since according to her there are cheaper hotels that lined up along the beach.  I was hesitant at first because I don’t want to experience my “cheap-hotel-disaster” in Phnom Penh again.  But she’s right after all.  Hotels lined up along the shores of Mui Ne, small and big resorts ďż˝" a lot to choose from that’s within everyone’s budget.  I found one that fits my budget without compromising comfort and security and just a few steps from Sinh CafĂ© where I signed up for the afternoon tours.

Since the tour starts at 3 P.M., I had enough time to enjoy my oh-so-yummy-shrimps meal.  I even had my nails done at a nearby beauty parlor, just in time before the mini bus left for the tour.

@ White Sand Dunes

First stop was the Mui Ne fishing village with its colorful fishing boats and typical small fishing boats and the Mui Ne beach with pine trees along its shore; then a few minutes of clicking at the disappointing Red Sand Canyon and the nearby fairy stream.  I was not really expecting it to be as grand as the Grand Canyon, as the guide told us it would just be a mini Grand Canyon but I never thought it would be that “mini.”  Nevertheless, it was still a charming sight, seeing a sandstone canyon.

Then off we went to the White Sand Dunes, passing the Red Sand Dunes, while enjoying the famous white sand beach of Mui Ne.

Located on the outskirts of Mui Ne town, we reached the most famous Vietnam sand dunes, the White Sand Dunes.

footprints

No trip to Mui Ne is complete without dune sliding.  So with the help of Dao, the Vietnamese girl I met, I sat on a plastic mat/tray and, at great speed, went down the sand hills.  It was fun!  And I had a blast!  Well, not really because after a few rounds of dune sliding, the sand gets everywhere and I mean everywhere!!!  A mix of sand and sweat equals a real itchy feeling.

After a few rounds of dune sliding, I just sat there chatting with Dao while enjoying the beautiful Mui Ne bay and South China Sea as the sun sets.

Then it was time for us to get back to our hotels.

dune sliding! Weee!!!

I was starving when we reached the Sinh CafĂ© Resort; I went to a nearby seafood restaurant and ordered a shrimp meal, again.  :)  With a full stomach, I went back to my hotel to freshen up before going out for drinks.

Unfortunately, it rained the whole night so I just stayed inside my room.  The room that I got had no telly.  :(  So it was a boring Saturday night for me.  I’m glad my iPod still had batteries; at least, some entertainment.