Great Snakes!

On the 28th of March, we all went to Mui Ne to celebrate Dad's birthday, as it is supposedly the nicest beach in Vietnam and fairly close to where we live. As we shambled out of the house at 6:30 in the morning though, we weren't really thinking about celebrating. Or anything else for that matter. We were catching the train for the first time since coming to Vietnam, so we were all interested to see what it would be like. There were a lot of xe oms (motorcycle taxis) outside the station hoping to catch a customer from amidst the people entering and leaving the station. Inside bore similarities to a Vietnamese airport, but we were only inside briefly before exiting to hop on the train. The carriage could have been worse; the seats were comfortable and everybody had one.

When we arrived (into a climate that was even hotter than HCMC!) the taxi we caught took us to the wrong place, a second beach resort owned by the same company as the one we were going to. Luckily, there was a free bus to the right place, and after a short wait and a drink we walked into our three bedroom villa. It was very impressive, even better than our apartment! Sadly, Dad was the only one taking photos, so we have but a few.

It was right next to the large pool, and if that wasn't enough we had our own pool in the garden!

 In the background above, you can see me sitting on our Vietnamese trampoline, made in 1200 a.d. As the spring wasn't invented until the late 1400s, they were made of wood and didn't really catch on for another few hundred years.

After enjoying the pool, we went for dinner at the resort's restaurant, where we would be eating all our meals. At the end, they told us that as it was our first day they had a "special dessert" for us. As it turns out, it was actually a birthday cake! They had looked at our passports and seen that it was Dad's birthday, so it was free. The staff were all very helpful and friendly. Makes you wonder what else they now know about us though...

Next morning, we went down to the delicious (and complimentary) Western-style buffet, where we met a family of Americans who were also staying there. Once we'd eaten, we headed to the beach for the first time. The area directly in front of the resort was lovely, but just 20 meters to either side rubbish stretched along the sand as far as the eye could see. Environmental protection doesn't have much publicity in Vietnam, and any popular spot quickly becomes trashed.

I took out a kayak and paddled around while the girls had a go at stand-up-paddleboarding. I was helpful and encouraging (yeah right), and we stayed out there for an hour or two. We were all pretty badly sunburned when we finished, and my legs were red and sore for the next three days.

Ambling back to the villa whilst reading my kindle, I failed to notice a long, writhing snake right in front of me. In fact I continued to not notice it until I actually stepped on it! As soon as I noticed, I rather hurriedly hopped around trying to create some space between me and it (I may have let off a hoot or two) and Lena screamed, which attracted the attention of one of the staff. As soon as I got clear, I recognized it as a vine snake, non-venomous, and might have even tried to pick it up had the attendant killed it with a long pole. I wish I'd had my camera on me.

Apart from that exciting incident, not much else happened while we were there; after lunch and another swim in the larger pool we rested for the remainder of the day, then the next morning we packed and left after breakfast. The train ride seemed to take longer, maybe because we were all tired and had missed lunch, but we all made it back safe and sound.