Mui Ne Vacation

We took a four day vacation to Mui Ne, Vietnam.  It is a beautiful tourist town right on the beach.  We found a great room at a resort on the water and have had a blast splashing around in the ocean, looking for sea shells, and exploring the surrounding area.

We took the Reunification Express from Saigon to Phan Thiet early Wednesday morning.  The train ride took about four hours, and Oliver slept nearly the entire time in my arms.  It was a short cab ride from the train station to the resort.

We checked into Phu Hai Resort shortly after noon, and immediately went to check out the water.  It was simply incredible!  We then ate lunch at the resort's restaurant and went back to the room to put the dudes down for nap.  Oliver, of course, didn't want to nap since he slept all morning, so Owen and I rested while Derek and Ollie explored the resort.

When Owen woke up, we got in a cab and went to a vegetarian restaurant in Mui Ne.  The owners spoke zero English, but the food was incredible and super cheap!

After dinner, we put on our suits and splashed around in the ocean a bit.  Then we went up to the resort's pool so that the boys could swim in calm water.  (The ocean here is a little rough.)

We snacked on the delicious tropical fruit left in the room for us before bed and all had a great night's sleep.

Thursday morning, we went to the beach early (mostly because Oliver woke up at 5am) and saw a gorgeous sunrise.  We splashed in the water a bit more and then got ready for a day of sightseeing.

We went to Ta Cu Mountain on Thursday to see Vietnam's largest lying down Buddha.  It was quite the adventure, so I'll save that story for its own blog post.  It deserves it.

On Friday we took a Jeep tour and saw a fishing village, white sand dunes, red sand dunes, and a beautiful little river called "Fairies Stream."  At the white sand dunes, we got to take a ride on a four-wheeler.  Owen loved zipping around the dunes, but Oliver was not a fan.  We got to see a lake full of lotus flowers too.  It was interesting to see the natural beauty of the area, but I am way more interested in the cultural experiences--like ancient temples and what not.  The Fairies Steam was very pretty too.  The boys loved walking in the water and splashing around.  Oh, and at one point, Derek and Owen got to ride an ostrich.  Seriously.

Friday night, we ate dinner at a German restaurant in Mui Ne and got to have real beer for the first time in nearly four weeks.  Apparently Mui Ne is a very popular destination for Russians and Germans.  All of the store fronts have their names in Vietnamese and Russian, and we are quite literally surrounded by Russians.  It's a very interesting experience.  At the pool Friday afternoon, we were able to pick up on Vietnamese, Russian, German, French, Korean, Hindi, and English (British version) all be spoken in the same area.  It was pretty cool.

On Saturday morning, we got to see the Poshanu Towers which were built by the Cham people around the 8th century and the remains of a castle built by a French prince around 1900 when the French occupied the area.  The castle was mostly destroyed, but one tower and several underground buildings remained.  The view was magnificent.  Then, from what I understand, the Poshanu Towers were built by the Cham people to worship a Shiva Genie.  The Cham people are still around, though their numbers are few.  They are known for their beautiful textiles.  We purchased a table cloth and scarf from the local tribe.  It was incredible to meet the woman who made the items we bought!  While Derek and I were admiring all the beautiful fabrics, Oliver and Owen hung out with a Cham guy.  Both guys instantly took to this man.  He showed them around their garden and let them feed some birds.  Their little garden and shop made the day incredibly memorable.

We spent Saturday afternoon at the beach and in the pool (and have the sunburns to prove it).  We headed back to Saigon early Sunday morning via the Reunification Express.  The return trip was significantly less enjoyable than the trip there due to a very full, very old coach.

PS: A sure fire way to get our boys to nap is to go on a bumpy jeep ride.  Every time we rode in a jeep for more than 15 minutes, the boys fell asleep.  (Carseats are not used here which seems absolutely crazy to me still.  I literally just hold on to my children on bumps.  Very few taxis even have seat belts in them.)