Fairy Stream (Suoi Tien), is located in Mui Ne, a small beach town in southern Vietnam. It is one of the least advertised sightseeing spots in the area, so while most people are heading to the sand dunes in droves, Fairy Stream offers a more peaceful day time adventure. It takes about 15-20 minutes on a bicycle to get there on the main road so it is fairly easy to find. Heading east you pass over a small bridge which is your clue to stop and look for a faded sign on the left hand side of the road that says “Fairy Stream”. You can park your bike for 5,000 VND and then stock up on snacks and drinks for the journey. There is also a place at the entrance to the stream to leave your shoes since you will be walking in ankle deep water the entire time. There are several kids trying to be your guide, however it is a straight shot to the end so it isn’t necessary to hire one. After a couple minutes of walking you will be presented with the opportunity to ride an ostrich if you are up to the challenge.
The stream leads you along a winding pathway with bamboo and palms on one side and brightly colored sand dunes on the other. The colors in the sand range from bright red to milky white to charcoal black, making beautiful patterns and colors when they swirl together in the stream. At the end of the trek is a small waterfall, usually filled with children jumping from the rocks into the shallow pool below. Above the waterfall is a grassy area perfect for a picnic and a cold beverage.
Our second day in Mui Ne started by waking up early and grabbing some lounge chairs by the ocean. Here we repeated the same routine as the day before, cocktails and sunbathing, until about 2 o’clock when we were scheduled for a bus tour of the Fisherman’s Village and the sand dunes. The Fisherman’s Village was interesting because the beach was nearly secluded but the water just off the coastline was packed with brightly colored fishing boats. There were a few stands set up selling freshly caught crabs, sea snails, and other marine life, but other than that there were hardly any people to be found.
The larger boats are used when the fishermen are at sea for several days. But there are also smaller boats, “bucket boats”, the fishermen use for only a few hours at a time. They take these boats about 100 yards at most away from the shore and catch fish in the shallower waters. Before we learned what these boats were called though we had been referring to them as “bathtub boats” since we had seen several from our resort.
And then there were the cows on the beach. There were actually cows all over the place; in the middle of the road, in people’s front yards, and apparently the beach. I thought this a little odd but the cows didn’t seem to mind.
From the Fisherman’s Village we went to the White Sand Dunes. These seemed oddly out of place and virtually sprang up out of nowhere. We had been driving through farmland when all of a sudden there were massive dunes across from a lake called Lotus Lake. At the base of the dunes people are renting quads, jeeps, and sand sleds. We grabbed some sleds for $1 apiece and then started the trek uphill. Despite the winds whipping sand across my face and sweat dripping off me from climbing the steep hills, it was all worth it once I was able to fly down the dunes. The trick is to lay on your stomach and get a good push-off from the top of the dune.
By the time I had made several runs I had sand in every orifice of my body and covering every inch of my skin. There was no getting it off either. From the White Dunes we got back on the bus and traveled to the Yellow Dunes, or the Red Dunes as they are called when it rains because they change color. After seeing the flawless landscape of the White Dunes, the Yellow Dunes were like a dirty, run down neighborhood park nobody ever bothers to clean up. There were hundreds of people everywhere, vendors trying to sell you trinkets and knick-knacks, but mostly I just couldn’t stand the amount of trash embedded in the yellow sand. After a quick picture, we returned to the bus, anxiously awaiting the arrival back to the resort so we could jump in the pool and finally get all the sand off our bodies.
After a quick swim in the pool it was dinner time and I was bound for the same restaurant as the night before. I had already decided after the previous meal there I was going to return for the lobster. A 2 1/2 pound lobster for $35 seemed like a steal to me, especially considering I would get to eat it next to the ocean it had literally just come from. This time our friend Nikki decided to join us as well and the 3 of us feasted on yet another mountain of seafood. For desert we split a banana crepe, putting us all over the edge and ready for bed.
The next morning we spent out by the beach until it was time to board the bus and head back to Saigon. This was another adventure in and of itself. I swear the driver was taking a note from the movie Speed, you know the one where there is a bomb on the bus so the driver is flying down the road, weaving in and out of traffic. Sqy and I decided it best not to look out the front window and just try to not get flung from our seats. But I must say this, I did appreciate his urgency in getting home because other buses spent an additional hour in traffic while obeying the law.
This past Friday was Vietnam’s Independence Day, celebrating the over 30 years it has been independent from France. For me this meant no work on Friday and a chance to travel to Mui Ne, a beach town about a 5 hour bus ride from where I live. The bus ride was rather enjoyable since I was seeing parts of the country that were new to me. That and there was the most adorable Japanese baby sitting in front of me who kept turning around.
When we arrived to Mui Ne Resort, we dropped our things off in our room, ate a quick lunch, and then beelined for the lounge chairs by the beach. It was here we sipped on cocktails and beers for the remainder of the afternoon. Something I found interesting about the drinks served here were they used freshly made fruit juices for everything. I ordered a Bloody Mary and instead of using that Clamato stuff we use back in the states, they literally took a tomato, pureed it, and then mixed in the vodka. I was skeptical at first but it only took one sip to convince that yet again, the Vietnamese knew something I didn’t.
By mid-afternoon I was starting to get a little hungry, but instead of getting something from the resort, we just ordered a kilo of fresh shrimp from a woman walking up and down the beach. There are several women walking around with buckets of freshly caught seafood for sale. They show you the shrimp or crab or whatever while it’s still alive, you place your order, and about 15 minutes later they are back with a bag of the most delicious seafood you’ve ever put in your mouth.
By the time dinner rolled around, Sqy and I were ready to venture out in search of something tasty. As we were walking past the various restaurants and resorts I said, “I want to find something with seats overlooking the ocean and a sign that says ‘Best Frickin’ Sea Food Ever, You Would Be An Idiot If You Walked Any Further’”. Well I think we found that place, only the sign was in Vietnamese so I will never be certain. But there were seats right on the water and the menu had everything from crab to eel to shark to scallops, you get the idea. It was time to feast. We ordered calamari, scallops in a garlic and butter sauce, crab, a seafood hotpot with tuna, squid, and shrimp. We ordered fried rice with vegetable, freshly squeezed dragon fruit juice, and of course Heineken. To end the meal we ate a banana crepe with the freshest bananas I’ve ever eaten. They probably picked them from a tree by the restaurant right after we placed our order.
Right as we were digging into our main courses, a torrential storm rushed in, driving us from the seaside tables to the covered patio area. After we resettled, the wind and rain caused the power to go out. Not just in the restaurant but for the entire street. I have never seen darkness that totally black. The only lights in sight were the tiny dots out on the water from the fishing boats, but even these were nearly invisible through the rain. A lantern was quickly brought to our table so we could continue eating. The lights went on and off for the next 20 minutes or so before the storm ended and all order was restored.
More people had been driven into the restaurant because of the rain and after dinner I was pulled from my seat by one of the ladies serving us dinner and taught the dance to some random Russian song. This prompted the Russians sitting at another table to get up and go a little crazy when the staff put on a Russian techno song next. Needless to say it was one of the most interesting dining experiences of my life. So much so we went back the next night for more.
