Mui Ne, lots of fish sauce here.

(Jill blogging.) We left Saigon at 3pm Thursday on the open tour bus - $6 one way! - and did not arrive at the Canary Beach Resort in Mui Ne until 9pm! That is 200 km in 6 hours. Very slow, long, and A/C-less bus ride. Not only were we restless, but the Europeans were more cranky than usual. At least we met a local Viet dude who is interning in Mui Ne and helped a bit with the local 411. And how did we know we were in Mui Ne? The overwhelming smell of nuoc mam!! hahahaha when it first became apparent, all the Europeans yelped out in surprise at the "stench". Too funny. Our room - $35/night - was not something to brag about, so the next morning we upgraded to a deluxe. Much better!!! And what a great way to start the day's adventure.

Alex's assignment this morning was to check out the prices for bike rentals. I was more interested in bicycles than motorbikes, but he came back, gave me his pitch about why a motorbike is the better option, and I caved. I'm such a sucker. :)

So here's how we rented our bike: across the street from the hotel is a series of local shops selling sundries, tours, and rentals. Alex had originally scoped out a price of 140k dong for 1 bike and 2 helmets. Before we even crossed the street, another dude comes up to us and offers his bike for the day.

Viet dude: "You want to rent bike? 5 dollars!"

Alex: "5 dollars? No! Too expensive! ok, 100,000 dong!"

Viet dude: "ok fine!"

Two minutes later, we figure out that 100k dong is about $6 USD! doh! But the deal was made and after a brief warm up lap around the street, we were off on our rented bike!

Our first stop was the White Sand Dunes. I am not articulate enough to do it justice. The view was gorgeous. White sand with a backdrop of a small lake and lily pads. The dunes seemed out of place, like you were transported to Africa. Simply breathtaking. We rented plastic slides from a local boy ... His haggling started at 30k dong, and after going back and forth, we settled at 20k dong. The blogs said that if you are a hard-core haggler, they will reluctantly settle for 10k dong, but hey, we figured 20k is about $1 USD, so whatever. Then, another local boy showed us how to prep the slide for the ride: you put the slide on the "cliff" of the dune, pile a whole bunch of sand on top, then plop your body prone, and down you go! Man, it was a fun and exhilarating ride! We'll post it on you-tube when we get a chance! of course, the 2nd boy wanted money too. He and the first boy must have a tag-team system. In the end, we shelled out 50k dong total for two. Not bad, not bad! :)

Hopping back on the bike, we headed back towards town, but stopped briefly at the Red Sand Dunes. It was same same, but different, from the White Sand Dunes. ;). The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We got back to the hotel and were met with the Nguyen family reunion. [lol or rather, a large Vietnamese gathering... totally assuming they are family and that their name is Nguyen] ;) Three or four tour buses have livened up the previously quiet hotel. Alex played in the pool amongst the kids, practicing wading water; I washed away all the sand stuck to my body from the sand dune sliding.

Our day and evening has concluded with another motorbike ride. The restaurant where we dined for dinner offered shuttle service to and from the hotel, so we asked for a ride back. Alex hopped on the first bike, and me on another. Even in a dress, it's still a lot of fun!!! What a great way to end the day!

Lol, and upon our return to the hotel, the hotel's karaoke lounge was in use! Must have been part of the Nguyen family reunion. ;) Not bad.. but reminds me of those Friday/Saturday nights at Laura's house... her folks always karaoked to the Viet laser discs :)

Good night!! Tomorrow's agenda: early morning bicycle ride to the Fairy Springs and waterfall, then massage massage massage, and more nuoc mam!