From Ho Chi Minh City, SEED traveled northeast to the beaches of Mui Ne. This resort town can be more appropriately defined as a 15 kilometer stretch of hotels and restaurants lining the beach front to the point that a beach does not actually exist; just jellyfish-ridden waves lapping against concrete walls. We arrived at the tail-end of the holiday weekend and worried about finding a place to stay (as before in Rach Gia), were convinced to stay at the first place we found. For $5 we had a thatched beach-front bungalow with tiled floors, a cozy bed draped with a mosquito net, and our own private bathroom. In fact, we soon realized that the entire hostel compound would be our own private domain for the weekend. Despite warnings of crowds, we seemed to be the only people in Mui Ne.
Nonetheless, we relished our solitude and proceeded to comandeer the hotel town. Our first night we hired a cab to take us down the strip where we ate a gorgeous Italian meal. On the way back we dominated the road with 90s music (think Macarena and 7th-grade school dances) streaming from our open-air jeep. We arrived back at our bungalow intending to share a bottle of wine under the moonlight sky and found the place deserted. So naturally, we made ourselves busy in the kitchen looking for a corkscrew. In our search, we roused one of the hotel keepers. Unable to find a corkscrew, he returned with a long nail and a screwdriver with which he tried to uncork the bottle. He was successful after several attempts and shared his victory with us over a glass of wine.
The following night we discovered the restaurant next door, POGO. It was a beachside cafe with funky furniture, hammocks, colorful mosaics, bean bags, and phenomenal food. We made ourselves comfortable here for the next two nights where we hosted our own private full moon festivities with the bartender, the owner (a German girl), and a Canadian named Ash who we met earlier in the day. He was apparently the only other traveler on the strip, and made an 8 kilometer trek to "our end" for the evening.
We filled our days with visits to natural formations (such as sand dunes, and a lotus pond), unprofessional massages at the beach, a wobbly bike ride to the nearest fishing village, and countless hours of reading and dozing. After a fairly relaxing 4 days, we returned to HCMC.
Emily's father has accumulated points at the Marriot due to business travels, and being considerate of Emily's backpacker situation, offered to get her and Shana a room. Dimity and I would be staying with our Mamma who was arriving that night in another upgraded hotel. Until my mother's arrival, the four of us enjoyed various Marriot freebies including a pool, buffet, and cable tv. Obviously not belonging to the Marriot elite, we were continuously met with baffled stares.
