How far shall we travel after Mui Ne? While looking at the map, I think about it. In this heat, you can’t travel very far on a scooter at a time.
Again, fully equipped for heat stroke, we ride our motorbikes from Mui Ne to the north-east. A pleasant drive on the road.
比較的平らで大きな土地が広がる。
Bright orange sand.
Stunning scenery.
Sand dune area, more motorbikes.
Beautiful scenery continues.
It is still too hot to travel by motorbike.
An oasis on the dunes.
The heat is making me feel worn out very quickly.
On the way, I checked out a beach I was curious about.
We are approaching our next destination. We are almost there.
This time, travel without booking an accommodation. The plan is to find a nha nghi near the destination and stay overnight.
Arrived at destination, Tuy Phong District. The beachfront nha nghi that we had searched for in advance was full because of a funeral, so we had no choice but to change to the beachfront nha nghi next door and check in. Something about this area, this hotel, the atmosphere is different. Maybe it’s because it’s very local. I was tired from the trip and decided to go to the room.
Dirty. It is a one-storey building, not so big, and is in a rural area. However, the room number is 54.
Entering the room, which is about 9 sq m. Small. Is that why they were able to build 54 rooms on this small plot of land? By the way, it was surprising that there were also smaller rooms for more than one person. However, I don’t have the energy left to change accommodation now. Somehow, I managed to think positively. I put a lot of luggage and my surfboard in the corner of the room, open the window, go to the toilet and lie down on the bed. This room has a lot of insects, no mosquito nets, only cold water in the shower, unsanitary bedding and very thin walls between the room and the next room. Looking abruptly at the wall of the room, there is a hole like an air hole of about 10 cm x 50 cm, which is in open space and allows circulation to the outside of the room. I have seen this design in the homes of Vietnamese friends. The one where insects are free to come and go at any time of the day or night. Hopefully nothing tonight.
Take a break and check the waves in front of you.
Onshore, about waist high. Not even doable. All the swimmers are probably Vietnamese.
It appears that we have come to a locals-only beach tourist spot.
Here is where the nasty incident occurred. We were detained by a Vietnamese man who smelled of alcohol. After an hour, we were released. It was an unwanted experience. We wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. But we were hungry and decided to freshen up with food.
There was a 200-metre-long street with food stalls in the immediate vicinity. First, we went back and forth and choose a shop. However, there is no variation because all the shops are of the same type. Then we chose a seafood stall where the products were beautifully arranged.
Ordered grilled fish and shellfish. The fish was tough and tasteless. The shellfish was also tasteless. Both could have been rotten, so we left them uneaten. I’ve never been to such a bad seafood restaurant. Then we changed restaurants and went to a barbecue restaurant.
Tasteless with tough, chewy meat. I have never had such bad barbecue. What a line of low quality stalls. The third stall was a Vietnamese noodle dish selling bun for 15,000 dong (approx. 70 JPY). It tasted just fine. I wonder if I’ll have bun here again tomorrow morning.
Children gathering around toys.
After lunch, we return to the inn, took a cold water shower and went to sleep in the worst room ever.
The next morning, we decided to change our plans and check out immediately, because of last night’s drunken incident, bad food stalls and insect bites while we slept. This accommodation, this food, that person – we can’t stay here. That’s what we came to the decision.
Before leaving here, we went to the street where we had breakfast last night. There were quite a few restaurants open in the morning, but, not wanting to have the same experience, we decided to eat a noodle dish called bun at the same restaurant as last night.
Ask the same lady as last night for the same food as last night. It’s still not great, but the taste is totally OK considering the rest of the food. And the bill: VND 50,000 (about 250 JPY). Hey, wait a minute. Last night it was VND 15,000. This morning it was VND 50,000. The difference is more than three times higher. This shopkeeper, with a clear face, has been ripping us off. But it can’t be helped. This is the reality here. Let’s move on.
After checking out of the hotel, we were back on the motorbike – two days in a row of long-distance motorbike travel under the blazing sun was hard. Next, we decided to travel to Phan Rang-Thap Cham, where Nui Chua National Park is located. The plan is to proceed to the destination, stopping at pre-checked wave check points. It will take more than six hours to arrive. Unlike yesterday’s comfortable and spectacular road, we drive on a busy industrial road.
Surf spot check. In front of the fish farm. There are no waves and it’s not good. Intuitively, I felt that I did not want to enter the sea here.
This would probably be a surfable surf spot if there is a swell. It is in front of an aquaculture farm where there are concerns about the quality of the sea water.
I think this is a reef break. Maybe it could be good. But for me, the atmosphere of Tuy Hung province does not suit me at all. There is a huge energy industry, a bleak landscape and no resort atmosphere. Anyway, I don’t enjoy being there.
The point checks in this area have consumed a surprisingly long distance and time. I’m already tired, but let’s keep going without resting.
The landscape is changing. Tuy Phong District is almost over.
Wrong way and took a long way round. Made a painful mistake.
More goats on the road. Still, the wind is quite strong here only. Then we enter Ninh Thuan Province, where Phan Rang-Thap Cham is located.
(Surf trip record: Co Thach Tuy Phong District, Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam – September 2019)
