[monumentum]

Day #3: Mui Ne (2-May-2010)
Such a fine morning in Mui Ne. Reminds me of the Malaysian seaside. So then set off at 8am towards Ta Cu Mountain (a considerable distance from central of Mui Ne), of which renowned for its approx. 49m reclining Buddha. So this post shall solely be dedicated to Mui Ne. (The next too). Though most would consider Mui Ne to be a small coastal town to laze around on the beach, it's sad to say that resorts & inns have sprung up along the way, thus rendering the beach "private" to outsiders. Of course, privatisation has its conditions tied to it. So the beach is kinda cut into sections, each owned by their specific clusters of resorts, partitioned by brick walls. Fortunately the hotel I stayed at had a significant "length" of beach behind it. However, for me, Mui Ne is more than a tanning platform to spend the lazy afternoon seeping lemonade.
Ta Cu Mountain, to name its specialty, I'd say, the staircases. Of course that'd mean good excercise, but I was told it's a popular place for local tourists, people who fancy Buddhist pilgrimage up steep slopes to receive blessings. Admission + Cable car up & down the mountain costs 65k VND. That's.. Would you say it's costly? Perhaps that's nothing compared with the stunning views to come.
The above was already after a steep cable car trip up the mountain. Amazing scenery you'd catch from the cabin (Photo attached as you scroll down). Of course, witnessing in person makes a world of difference! Above, I couldnt get myself to count how many steps I'd climbed. But hell was it tiring. You could pretend not to pant if you were really fit, but trust me, the heat would get the better of you.
Rewarding climb it was. This was only a small portion of spectacle I captured. Catch some wind in your hair up here, & experience the sight miles ahead of you. The best part, as you climb, it gets more shaded by the canopy. You'd see that below. The reclining Buddha wasnt easy to spot (despite the size), for the path up towards the Buddha wound so elaborately. But all you need to do is to go by the old rule: Follow the crowd.

Yes, finally, the Buddha. Awesome how the little people are huh. Divinity manifesting itself.

Above are some more random shots I took of the Ta Cu Mountain. One thing about the cable car; the cabins are enclosed with worn fibreglass; scratched & stained. So perhaps memory would kick in here. You can't really rely on photographs. The above is one of the "better" shots I have from the cable car. As I mentioned, be there yourself to capture the sight in your mind - no regrets involved.
So apparently the town with the double triangular bridge is Phan Thiet town. Isnt a really tourist cluttered area, which means, the prices are kinda "local" too. It sucks to look too foreign. However, being Asian, I guess we get ripped off less than being blonde & angmoh-ish. Went to Cho Phan Thiet (market uh). It isnt too appropriate if you're intending to shop for souvenirs, but an awesome place to sample local specialties - fruits or otherwise. Haggling gets you far in places like this, for the starting prices of goods arent particularly jagged up like what you'd find in say... Central Mui Ne. Later on, perhaps I'd share some little treats I'd bought.
Mui Ne & Phan Thiet's economies rely mainly on their fishing 'industry'. So indubitably you'd see these sights so typical in Vietnam - colourful fishing boats. Quite a sight too, I'd say. Picturesque. It's as though they meant it specially for postcards, yet it's only mere livelihood & everyday sight to your average Vietnamese. This is when you start wondering what in your own everyday life is so special, yet overlooked. It's when thoughts like this occur, does travel make you really contemplate how life is fair to you - in some tiny ways or other.


At the mouth of Mui Ne leading on the the highway, is the Po Sah Inu Cham Towers. It's incomparable to the Cham Towers I'd see later on, but I guess I shan't skip it. It's still one place you should visit should you be in Mui Ne. Being high on the hill, the sprawling sea view you'd catch from up there is perhaps worth the 5k VND you'd pay at the admission counter.
So that's part of how Vietnamese youths spend their time uh? Hanging out at the foot of some random monuments. But then again, it led me to compare their lives to that of local youths. How we squander our lives away in luxury assets & forget about simple pleasures around us. That very moment I thought about the MP3 in my bag being a sin. Radical thought, yes. No matter how much one yearns to let everything go in a society like ours, I guess it's just.. Hard. We'd never be as carefree as them.



Fishing boats dotting the coast of Mui Ne. Not surprisingly, this little town thrives on producing the pungent fish sauce you'd encounter in most eateries in Vietnam. Later on during the walkthrough I'd bring that in. But anyway, for now, those rounded bamboo baskets are actually to help people get from the shore onto their fishing boats (without resorting to swimming ;D), which are likely to run aground in too shallow waters.
This afternoon I spent at the yellow sanddune. Yellow it is! & how fine the sand is. Local children provide rubber sleds for tourists to slide down the sandy slopes for a fee. No, the way I am, I did NOT try. Perhaps was feeling too blue from the very BLUE (literally) day I'd spent, but the fact was that I couldnt simply leave my belongings strewn in the sand & go sliding merrily. Especially this camera. OMG. ;X


& oh boy! Was it hot there! At this point I was already partially burnt on the thighs from the long motorbike trips. Wandering on the sand dunes simply made matters worse. No vegetation whatsoever as you can see. Direct sunlight stung the skin despite the 3-inch thick sunblock I'd smeared all over my hands. SPF50 was what I'd used. Please try to get something better than that! It did hurt bad.
At this point of time I was still trying to get used to my camera; constantly tampering with the settings. I kinda failed here. The sky looks rather gloomy, doesnt it? But in actual fact, trust me, close your eyes & you'd still experience the glaring brightness.
So I shall touch on the FOOD in the next post. Time's running out for now. For painstakingly toiling thru reality simply sidelines true happiness.