Sand dunes, fairy trails and Tokyo disaster

Our last day in Mui Ne was great - even though it began at 4 am. We left early to beat the heat, and travelled along the beautiful coast to some white sand dunes. They were pretty incredible! It was like being in the Sahara (I think). I could not walk too far on them as it was a bit of a tough walk through the sand going straight uphill in some places, but Nate was able to trek quite high.


Then we went to a fishing village where all the fisherman were just arriving from their night out on the sea. It was pretty fun. Dozens of round salad bowls (large ratan bowls that have a paddle and carry a lot of fish) full of sea snakes and crabs and fish and shrimp...and then dozens of tiny Vietnamese ladies yelling and screaming at each other as they haggle over the price. I was so upset because the batteries of my camera dies and I was unable to take photos.

The we walked up a stream that was so neat! It meandered through a canyon - where blood red and white hoodoos were being slowly dissolved by tiny underground springs...so it was as though the canyon was melting. The sand was pink, and layered the bottom of the stream, making it incredibly nice to walk up. No rocks - just pink sand. In the canyon there was also lush green areas that were shaded, and further up some waterfalls. All I could think about was how much my Stephane would love this spot. It would be perfect to spend an entire day there - splashing in the pink water and climbing up the melting canyon and then finding a cool spot to picnic in.

At 2pm we caught our "sleeper" bus back to Saigon. Now this was about the coolest bus trip I have ever been on! The bus did not have seats...it had beds! Seriously! Three rows of bunk beds...one down each side and one down the middle. The beds reclined or you could sit there upright, but stretched out. Very comfy. It would be an awesome way to travel the whole country...catch a sleeper bus every night and wake up in a new city every morning! It only cost us $7 each for the 6 hour journey.

Upon our return to Saigon we had several hours to kill as we had to be at the airport for 4 am...so we hung out at a Mexican restaurant playing cards and drinking shots of tequila ($1 each). Beside us was a group of Aussie men who lived there (not at the bar) and told us about life in Saigon. At times I found the men quite disturbing. One was an x-American soldier, and he was incredibly offensive in the way he talked about the Vietnamese. He was loud and obnoxious, and at times I was very uncomfortable. So we headed to the airport early, and I ended up sleeping outside the airport on a metal bench, while Nathan read.

We arrived in Tokyo, after an uneventful flight, only to discover that bank cards do not work in Tokyo, and most places do not take credit cards, and neither of us have PIN numbers on our credit cards to take out cash. So, we find ourselves penniless. Could not buy food, take the subway - NOTHING! We went to an America bank, and even they could not give us cash off our credit cards. So, by 7 pm we were getting pretty hungry (and panicked), so we travelled to the business district in search of a restaurant that took VISA or MC. We finally found one, went in and ordered chicken wings. We had heard how expensive Tokyo was, and were quite surprised to see the wings were only $5! The our plate came. It had 4 wings on it.

So, hungrier - for having whetted the appetite with 2 wings...we headed out yet again in search of food. Went to an area that looked much like Time Square in New York City...all lights and people and tall buildings. It was Nathan's dream district. Everywhere were arcades - filled with games - all being played by men in business suits! Restaurants were on every street corner...with plastic food in the windows describing their menu. All delicious. None of them took credit cards.

Finally exhausted, and even more panicked, we pulled out the trusty Lonely Planet guide, and looked for clues as to where we might find food that accepted cards. We found one - a fairly expensive one- in the book, but after 20 minutes of staring at the map, Nate could not figure out where we were on it - let alone where the place we wanted to get to was. As he was looking at the map, I was people watching and looking at the stores around us. Then I spotted a sign - just 50 feet from us that said "Ibuzi" ...the name of the restaurant we were looking for. We had been standing right in front of it the whole time! So we went in and had some traditional Japanese hot pot, where you place little pieces if beef and vegetables in a pot of broth which is kept boiling on your table by a stove top built right in to the table! The food was very good - and yes, very pricy.

After that we headed home to our hostel. We have a 3 mat room. It is big enough for 3 mats. Which makes it about 7 feet by 6 feet. If our suitcases are on the floor, there is not room for our small mattress. It was a bit claustrophobic...kind of like sleeping in a closet. And what's worse is this is the most expensive accommodations we have had all trip. More than twice what we paid for our beach bungalow. But the cool toilets here make up for it. They have gadgets on them. Music, bumb sprayers, flushing sounds to mask the real tinkle...pretty neat. The one at the airport had a built in baby seat that holds your baby while you pee, and the one at the hostel has the tank in the corner of the cubicle - that when you flush, water comes out a spout for hand washing.

Today we are off to receive a money gram from Kelvin, who Nathan called on Skype last night in a desperate search to solve our money issues. I put Nathan in charge of Japan, so myself had done no research on what we needed here, where to stay, what to see etc, so when we discovered our predicament here, I made him solve the problem - which he did very well...called his dad and said, please send money! Thanks Kelvin :-)