Escape from the city!

Hello again everyone! Firstly we would just like to thank all the people that have commented on our Blog, it's always lovely to get your messages. Keep 'em coming!
Well, after our Mekong Delta adventure we decided that we needed a well deserved rest, so Thursday was spent having a facial at one of Ho Chi Minh's many spas, sheer bliss! (Although there was a guy in the next cubical having a massage and it sounded like something from Snatch, lots of grunting and cracking bones!) Then we made our way back to the hotel via many places selling ice cold Tiger beer.
Ho Chi Minh was beginning to get a little noisy and hectic and we found ourselves yearning for a little peace and quiet and just being able to cross a road with everything still intact! So it was off to Sta Travel to book a trip to the beach, which we had anticipated being a whole day. It turns out there aren't any nice beaches that close, so we were forced to have a night away from the city at a idyllic resort in Mui Ne. Bed, breakfast and bus were all a very reasonable price, so it was with great excitement that we got up at 6am the following morning to get our bus. We had been told to be there for 7.40am so that we could all be on in time to head off for 8am. Now one thing we have learned about the Vietnamese is that they are not the most organised people in the world, so after alot of curfuffle we eventually got going an hour later than planned. The bus was to take four hours and drop us off safely at the canary resort. Oh if only! The journey in the "air-conditioned" bus (yeah right, more like being slowly roasted alive), ended up being over five hours. We eventually got to the travel agents office in Mui Ne and a man got on to give us instuctions on how to get to our hotel. It took me a full five mintues to realise he had stopped speaking Vietnamese and was now talking in English and I had absolutley no idea what was going on. I looked at Corinne, who always has a handle on these situations, the little man got off the bus looking rather pleased with himself and Corinne went off to get more details from him whilst I stood on the side of a hot dusty road being harassed by motorbike drivers who wanted us to get on the back of their bikes, no way! Corinne came back, none the wiser, and we decided to walk. Standing there, boiling hot and not having a clue where we were suddenly made Ho Chi MInh City seem like the best place in the world. So we began our hike, hoping we were headed in the right direction. When we westerners walk in the mid-day sun the locals have quite a giggle at our expense, they think we are absolute loonies (they have a point). So on this walk from hell, trudging along a busy road with no real footpath and being constantly accosted by motorcylists, we eventually gave in when asked for the 154th time if we would like a lift. Whilst negotiating a price and deciding what to do, a taxi pulled up. This knight and his air conditioned, not to mention far safer, steed seemed like the best option to us and we decided to get in with him. This started world war three. Oh dear! Now Vietnamese is a mystery at the best of times but irate Vietnamese is something else. The obnoxious motorcycle man was yelling at the taxi driver, obviously not impressed at having his tourists pinched. He had parked his bike so that we couldn't get in the cab and his friend kept grabbing my arm and saying "you no get in taxi". It takes alot to get me riled but now I was mad! We informed this motorcycle maniac that we were, infact, geting a taxi and shoved him out of the way! The taxi driver was so sweet and quite upset at being shouted at. He took us straight to the resort and charged us less than the bikes! We checked in and got our key to the cutest little bamboo bungalow, it had a mini bar, cable TV and two double beds! Wow! We changed in to our beach attire and managed the two minute walk to the beach before collapsing on sunbeds! It was everything we had imagined, sun, sea, sand and peace! We watched a beautiful sunset and then headed to the hotel restaurant for a delicious dinner. Then it was back to the bungalow to assemble mosquito nets and settle in for the night.
The next morning was much of the same with a lovely breakfast followed by reading on the beach and a swim in the sea! Perfect! It was a great little place, all the local people were fishing using traditional methods and a herd of cows even wandered passed. The time came to check out and it was with heavy hearts that we went to get the bus back to Siagon.
The next day, safely back to the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh, we went sightseeing again. This time we walked to the Jade pagoda, described by the lonely planet guide as being "the most colourful pagoda in Siagon". It wasn't. It wasn't jade either. We soon got over this disapointment when we went inside though and it turned out to be quite interesting. The best thing about yesterday was seeing all the preparations for Tet, or Chinese New Year. Everyone here goes mental for it and they have a three day national holiday. There are loads of decorations and light displays on a far grander scale than anything we're used to.
It's off to Cambodia tommorow and it is with mixed feelings that we'll be leaving Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh. I wonder what adventures the next place has in store?

Escape from the city!

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam