Novotel Ocean Dunes Phan Thiet

Sa har vi kommit vidare pa var resa i Vietnam, vi har kommit till Mui ne, utanfor panh thiet city.<br><br>En ratt slumrig liten gata med hotell vid vattnet och guesthouses pa andra sidan vagen bort fran stranden.<br><br>Efter vi hade akt buss fran kl 07.30 pa morgonen sa kom vi tillslut fram, hade inte en aning om vart vi skulle stanna sa vi tog forsta basta som vi hittade ...

... The coastline is absolutely beautiful! There isn't really any surf because the Philippines block any swell that might be coming this way, which I was bummed out about. We did however get a massage one day. The girl who was massaging Tara was a tiny little Vietnamese girl who was actually a lot stronger than she looked, says Tara. My girl, on the other hand, looked like a Vietnamese kickboxer. I think she said her name was named Bruce, or Moose... either way the name was fitting ...

... American jeep with our guide and headed down the street to this place called Fairy Stream, which was a muddy stream that we had to walkabout a mile up barefoot, past grazing cows through excement to see a waterfll that was about 10 feet high. Lol, oh well, the scenery on the way there was actually prettycool as you will see by my photos as the earth thereis like this dark red color nd there are like salt rocks everywhere. After our fairy stream stent, we headed ...

... do have our own cycle lane (not ours PERSONALLY, you understand) that we share with other cyclists and motorbikes going our way AND going in the opposite direction too. Sometimes, they are carrying wide loads but the lane isn't very wide, so we end up having to give way. Round about the 60kms mark a headwind picked up and by the time we pulled into Ba Ria we had had enough and decided not to continue the 24kms to Long Hai. That's when the fun began ...

... the white dunes my bike just cut out. Luckily there was a little garage about another 300m away, and i wheeled it there, and waited for the other guys who soon came back when they realised i wasnt following them. I put more petrol onto the bike, as the needle read 'low' and it still wouldnt start, and so i got the guys at the garage to have a look at it. (this was a pretty brand new bike let me first state) They proceeded to take it apart and so we sat down and ...

... desert area. There were only a handful of other tourists around, and of course a few locals trying to sell us on a magic carpet ride down the dunes, which we once again declined. There were a few clouds in the sky, so the sunset was not as magnificent as we had hoped, but still made for another good opportunity for some beautiful photos. We stayed on these dunes for about 40 minutes, and then made a quick stop at the lake for a drink. We were told we ...

... once on my knees! Not as bad as ive been before, dont worry! There is nothing to do here at all. So we are confined to our luxury resort where my activities have consisted of eating, sunbathing and drinking. There is always alcohol to pass the time! Its been a lovely little retreat. We've found out that travelling in Vietnam is quite tricky, which would explain the plentiful 'tourist centres' you can only really travel around ...

... resort ($20) with bamboo bunglows and a swimming pool which was right on the beach. The next few hours were spent in the pool (the first pool we've been in since coming away) and on the beach watching the Kite surfers. This is Vietnams premier spot for wind surfing/kite surfing etc. Bumped into a guy who we met in Siem Reap too, who was just starting his first kite surfing lesson. After lazing about we decided to do something with the ...

... on the eastern side of the main strip and bars/karaoke/restaurants filled the western side. Miles and miles of resorts trying to outdo each other in extreme makeoverness (shout out to popcorn) lined the main strip, obscuring our view from the car of the gorgeous beach just meters behind. We came upon Suoi Tien (Fairy Spring), a gorgeous red dune that had been carved out by a small stream, leaving eye-catching sand ...

... it was no lazy morning for us. Drawing back the curtains to initially overcast skies but with blazing sun inspired us to get out and about after a lazy breakfast on the decking 20m from our own "private" beach..The noises were soothing as the gentle waves lapped rhythmically and the palm trees swayed gently in the breeezes. Most people at our place went about their business tranquilly so conversations were distorted. But before the fab relaxation, it was ...