Excitement reigns again! When leaving Nha Trang the bus driver lost his cool when a small truck tried to cut him off. With a bus full of shouting passengers the bus was driven all over the road as the driver tried to force the truck off the road. To end it all, when the truck stopped to turn off the road, the bus driver jumped out and picked up a weapon to go and fight the driver of the truck. Before anything more could happen the truck drove off. Did anyone do anything, was anything reported? Not as far as I know. Perhaps this is the result of using the cheapest transport available. We have more bus journeys ahead during the last two months of this trip so I can only hope we have no more adventures like this. There are better bus companies available but if course they would cost more money, an anathema to Madventure/UKTOOZ. The safety of their clients does not seem to be important to them.
Since coming too Mui Ang I, and others, have wondered why we have been brought here as it is the undisputed sex capital of Vietnam (in one respect definitely). There are more ‘massage and spa’ parlours here than hotels or so it would seem, and all reputedly owned by Russians. There are certainly plenty of Russians about and just about every restaurant has signs and menus in Russian. The place consists of one street in the middle of no-where with both sides covered with resorts, hotels, restaurants and expensive shops, most with the word ‘spa’ in their name. Some even advertise wifi but why someone would want wifi in a spa really beats me!! The place meanders along the coast, which in itself is pretty enough, but definitely not pretty or interesting enough to stay here for nearly three days, or stay at all as far as I am concerned.
About 16 kilometres away is the town of Phan Thiết where local people regularly pray to a whale god, which is believed to give good luck in nautical pursuits as there is a large fishing community here. The Van Thuy Tu Temple, built in 1762, is the final resting place of more than 100 whales, whose skeletons are on display, the largest being 22 meters long. Whales were believed by local fishermen to be helpful and benevolent animals, and whenever one became stranded on the beach, its body was taken to the temple for keeping.
The Fishing Area
Making a coracle
It takes a week to make one of these with the smaller one costing about £90 and the larger one £45. They will export one to the UK if wanted.
Town views
Binh Quang Ni Pagoda (Convent)
Since coming too Mui Ang I, and others, have wondered why we have been brought here as it is the undisputed sex capital of Vietnam (in one respect definitely). There are more ‘massage and spa’ parlours here than hotels or so it would seem, and all reputedly owned by Russians. There are certainly plenty of Russians about and just about every restaurant has signs and menus in Russian. The place consists of one street in the middle of no-where with both sides covered with resorts, hotels, restaurants and expensive shops, most with the word ‘spa’ in their name. Some even advertise wifi but why someone would want wifi in a spa really beats me!! The place meanders along the coast, which in itself is pretty enough, but definitely not pretty or interesting enough to stay here for nearly three days, or stay at all as far as I am concerned.
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| The main road (the only road) |
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| Our hotel, the Dragonfly. |
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| The coast at its best |
About 16 kilometres away is the town of Phan Thiết where local people regularly pray to a whale god, which is believed to give good luck in nautical pursuits as there is a large fishing community here. The Van Thuy Tu Temple, built in 1762, is the final resting place of more than 100 whales, whose skeletons are on display, the largest being 22 meters long. Whales were believed by local fishermen to be helpful and benevolent animals, and whenever one became stranded on the beach, its body was taken to the temple for keeping.
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| Whale and swordfish bones |
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| The skeleton of a Fin Whale |
The Fishing Area
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| A sinking boat |
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| Derrick and Gabriel in their ferry |
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| Local transport |
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| It is safe really |
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| Mending nets |
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| Drying fish in the sun |
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| The river |
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| An ice shaving machine |
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| Unloading fish |
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| Fish everywhere |
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| Coracles on the boat |
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| Sorting out shell fish and things |
Making a coracle
It takes a week to make one of these with the smaller one costing about £90 and the larger one £45. They will export one to the UK if wanted.
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Town views
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| A very old Honda engine |
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| Wooden coffins |
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| Vietnam War Monument |
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