We super enjoyed our stay in our hostel, tucked into the small and tight alleys in HCMC. The maze of alleys and streets had us passing though a lot of residences and small local businesses to get to our hotel each day – and was always something new going on! The local butcher had his shop setup, and there were always seniors hanging out in the alley watching the world, playing mahjong, or sipping tea as a group. Out on the main strip at the park across the street, there was constantly gardeners taking care of the landscape: with the heat and the moisture, things were a thousand shades of green, growing everywhere.
Making our arrangements at a local travel shop, we booked the first of the series of ‘sleeper-bus’ for the 5 hour, 220km journey: double decker seats three wide with AC blasting on the journey. Half way, there is always an obligatory breakpoint at a food stall or restaurant that has a toilet available as well. It’s a short stretch and we hover around the bus after 10 minutes: not ever exactly sure when the departure is! Snacks are always healthy, and we’re really enjoying eating ‘locally’ with all the fresh fruit.
Continue along with the bus trip, we approach our destination and passing through the nearby town of Phan Thiet, and admiring the fishing boats that are safely anchored in the river sanctuary. Arriving in Mui Ne, we deposited our gear into our rented bungalow at the edge of town, and checked out the oceanfront. The beach is narrow and rocky, though peppered with small Vietnamese basket boats for the fishermen. They are also colorful, filled with nets and other gear. Exploring the area more, we enjoyed the day, and made plans to visit a nearby attraction: Fairy Stream that we’ve seen described in the guidebooks. Weather warm, it’s always great to have a cold beer on the patio to catch up on the journals and social media. Fantastic getaway!
Wandering Canuks 