From 10/31
We woke up early at 6:30 this morning in order to get some activities done before we head off to Saigon. It was really hard to get up, but we figured we could sleep on the train.
(Shows how massive the landscape is)
(View of Lotus Lake from the middle of the dunes)
We hopped on our moped, found a place to grab a quick bite, and drove 35km out to the white sand dunes. We of course got a little lost on the way as we do most places, but eventually found it and slipped around driving up the hill. The sand dunes we massive!
There were a lot of Jeeps and four wheelers driving around, but since we had limited time we didn't want to spend a bunch of money to leave 20 minutes later. The dunes were like nothing I've ever seen. With Lotus Lake at the bottom it was such a unique sight.
It's really hard to show the texture of the landscape since all the sand is bright white, but it's was crazy.
After soaking in the views we walked back to our moped and headed back. The drive had amazing views as the highway we were on went along the coast. It wasn't a busy road which was nice so I could enjoy the views a little bit while driving. No pictures unfortunately, because I was being safe with two hands on the handlebars at all times.
On the way back I noticed two cops on one bike turn around behind me and start following us. I knew they were going to try to pull us over. They drove up next to us and had us pull over. They asked for my drivers license and I handed them my passport, because it's all I had. They insisted they need my local drivers license and I said I use this as my license in the US (how would they know any different?). They kept insisting and said no that doesn't work. They pointed to a truck and said go over there.
Two things I was thankful for at this moment. One, our host in Sapa telling me about Viwtnamese cops. They try to rip off white people. Even him living inVietnam they try to rip him off. He learned to just not take shit from them and they don't do anything about it. He said it's totally different than in the US and Australia (where he was from).
The second thing I was thankful for was reading a blog about Mui Ne (looking for things to do) and there was a person asking about motorcycle licenses. They heard that the cops scam the white tourists by pulling them over and insisting the moped needs to be impounded. Then you have to pay a bunch of money.
With these two pieces of information, as the cops were telling me "you go over there" and indicating towards the tow truck, I said "I know this is a scam. If you want to follow me to my hotel you're more than welcome to" and drove off. Of course they didn't follow me. I was extremely nervous at the time, but so glad I did it (not trying to pay for a bunch of BS).
It's crazy to think if I did this in the US I would be in jail and be in serious trouble. And if I wasn't white on the US and did this it would be even worse. At any rate, F those cops for trying to take advantage of us.
We got back to the bungalow, grabbed a quick Banh My from our favorite street vendor and packed up. We took a cab to the train station and hopped aboard.
It was about a four and a half hour ride. We got into Saigon around 6pm and took a cab to our hostel. The hostel is in a super busy area, but down a small alley and is a really nice place. It's more like a hotel or Homestay than your standard hostel.
We went out right away to grab a bite to eat. Our food guide Mark from Hanoi had given us tips on where to go in Saigon so we went to his favorite restaurant called the Secret Garden. This is another place he lead us to that we otherwise would not have known about. We had to walk down an alley that was poorly marked and to the top floor of a building. The first couple floors were residential but when you get to the top it's this quiet restaurant. The food was unreal.
We ate way too much so we had to wander around for a bit to help digest. We both like Siagon more than Hanoi so far. It has more of a city feel, better energy. It was super busy like Hanoi, but there was a fun energy to it. Being a Saturday probably helped with that, but it was a ton of fun just walking around. It was crazy how many people were trying to drive around us.
Needless to say it was nuts. We headed in and unpacked some stuff were planning to ship, and chilled for a bit. It was one of our later nights, but absolutely exhausted. Tomorrow we have some casual plans so nothing too crazy. But what a day in Mui Ne!
"It is better to fill your head with useless knowledge than no knowledge at all."
- Jim Hinckley
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