Our ride into Mui Ne from Dalat was not exactly 'downhill all the way' as the guide book and the brochures sell it. Doing the one day option, we were driven about 60 km from Dalat towards Mui Ne, then dropped off on a much less traveled highway that was to take us the way down. It started out great, with a nice coast downhill, then we got hit with the hill. For the next hour, we ground down the gears and sweated our way to the top of a pass. It was beautiful though: Jungle scenery and sounds and a road almost virtually to ourselves. Finally we hit the top, took a quick rehydration break, then got to coast. For the next two hours or so it was up and down riding, but mostly down, with a short stop in a minority village. Then a very long, spectacular ride down to our lunch spot. Stunning scenery and a fun winding road. From here, things got a little harder. It was flat the rest of the way, but for the first 20km the air was extremely still, the road dusty and it was HOT. Then we hit the coastal winds, and were treated to a lovely headwind for the next and last 20 km (we rode about 90 km in total), and it was still HOT. We enjoyed the trip thoroughly and were glad we did it, but by the end we were wiped out...mostly by the heat, but my legs were a bit tired as well from that persistent wind. We booked with a company called Groovy Gecko and promised them a mention here. They did a great job, and come highly recommended by us (since we know this website is read by untold masses...). Our guide was fun, informative, and let us set the pace, the equipment was top of the line, and lunch was deeelicious! (Our guide gave me the "Groovy Gecko" shirt right off his back as a gift) Thanks guys!
So then we were in Mui Ne. In short, Coos Bay + Utah + tropical heat = Mui Ne. Mui Ne is famous for its sand dunes and its wind and kitesurfing. Mui Ne sits in a bay, so no big ocean waves, but from about noon on, perfect windsurfing and kitesurfing weather. The area is surrounded by sand dunes, most of them white, but some of them red. We never successfully found the "official" white sand dunes, but the parts we did see, looked strikingly familiar. Some of the red sand around here is truly beautiful, and the streams carve out some quite impressive canyons. Have a look for yourself.
Fairy Stream at Sunset:
Fairy Stream Canyon:
Mui Ne is a huge fishing village. There are so many boats and nets going out on the water everyday, it is a wonder there are any fish or shrimp left out there at all. Overfishing has got to be a problem. The tourists don't stay in the town though. North of town is a 10 km stretch of road that follows the beach that is nothing but hotels and restaurants, with new ones going up every day. Right next to our place, they were in process of chopping down all the palm trees, making way for the next set of bungalows. A nice enough area, but because it is so spread out, it is hard to explore and doesn't have a central feel. So two days of relaxing at our place (which was right on the beach, as they all are) and we were ready to move on.
Red Dunes:
Now we are in Saigon, and will probably be here one more day. Did some sightseeing today taking in the Reunification Palace and the War Remembrance Museum. The palace was the former home of the South Vietnamese president before the north took control of the country, serving the same function as the White House. Now it is mostly a tourist destination, but is still used for receiving VIP's. The museum was a bit one-sided, but nevertheless, did depict how devastating the war was for both sides. It has a great collection of vivid and graphic photographs shot mostly by journalists on the 'American' side. A very moving display.
F5 Fighter at the War Museum.
2 comments:
So colorful, Fairy Stream was just beautiful, that water even looks red. You two are looking good too, I think the biking, hiking and eating Asian cuisine is suiting you well. The biking trip sounds like a challenge but worth it.
CJ
Hey, good looking shirt on the dunes, Em.
Mom
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