Vietnam? Oh no.

Hello. (as the Japanese say)

It is Sunday, January 15, 2017.

We have been heading towards Saigon again for a few minutes.

It was pretty good there...because the disappointment regarding Mui Ne came as quickly as the enthusiasm before.

We spent 3 nights there.

And that's enough. (for life)

If we were surfers, we would probably endure it longer...but we're not...

So let's get out of here.🏃

The accommodation was great. Really.

We couldn't have found anything better...but I think I understand now what the 'Vietnam critics' in my circle mean.

The people here are very peculiar.

Hospitality is not a priority for many.

From 'glaring' to complete ignoring, tourist prices that can be seven times the normal price, or completely frustrated expressions on their faces, we experienced it all.

And that was the case regardless of whether we were positive and smiled politely.

I don't want to generalize, but those were our experiences. (Partly.)

I have to say, I haven't really felt comfortable so far. Maybe it was just this one place.

But I often thought nostalgically of Thailand...the beautiful sea, the food, the shakes, and also the people.

Ah, yes. 😍

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Although I think that in the areas of Vietnam we have visited, it stinks less than in Thailand at times, somehow they are dirtier.

Right from the start, we noticed that many dead sea creatures were lying on the beach.

These are the fishermen (who there are thousands of) who throw everything on the ground.

This is just one example of many.

They throw a lot of things right onto the street.

And they don't care where it ends up (in this case, unfortunately, in the rivers and the sea)...

Overall, I actually only went swimming once in the 3 days.

Unusual for me.

The ocean was simply too murky, too dirty.

Not very inviting somehow.

Instead, we took a walk along the so-called Fairy River one afternoon.

It started at a waterfall and flowed into the sea.

We followed it back to its source and I would say that was the most beautiful thing we experienced in the 3 days.

Don't imagine a real river.

It looks more like a small stream. One that forms when there is a small 'basin' of rainwater nearby and then the water flows back into the sea.

And at its deepest point, it doesn't go higher than knee level.

And since I can't estimate distances, I don't have any official numbers for you.

But I estimate that we walked about 4 kilometers there and back to the waterfall.

The current wasn't particularly strong, but it was definitively there.

We passed by large toads lounging motionless in the current, who were probably very excited about our 'closeness'. ;)

...We passed by restaurants and small stalls that placed their chairs in the 'rushing tide'.

...We passed by a small canyon with amazing rock formations...

To high dunes and fallen palm trees...

Yes, even a small zoo.

Although calling it a zoo is an exaggeration...it showcased about 5 animals.

There was no entrance fee and we just felt sorry for the animals.

There were, for example, 3 monkeys that were chained up.

The chain was maybe 1 meter long.

No more.

Then there were 2 crocodiles, 1 squirrel, 2 porcupines, and a python.

We had a drink there because we didn't have anything with us and we were really dehydrated.

But when we tried to pay, we experienced firsthand how popular we Europeans are with them.

The gentlemen were sitting at a large table, eating together.

We stood directly at the counter and clearly showed our intention.

They were sitting right next to us and didn't give us a second glance.

Not at all.

We clearly showed them the banknotes.

Nothing.

I briefly played with the monkey, maybe hoping that it would understand that not all humans are complete idiots, and then went back to Jule, who in the meantime had been futilely trying to get rid of the money.

So there we stood again...just the two of us...

We were like air.

Invisible.

Ghosts.

Who knows...Anyhow, we eventually got fed up.

We naturally don't normally do this...(Xenia 💙), but if they don't want our money, then so be it.

Bad karma, I would say...

If they treat animals and people like that...tough luck.

We just left without paying.

(And yes, without a guilty conscience.)

...

Oh, yeah...And the most extreme, crazy (in a strictly negative sense this time), disgusting, humiliating (for the human race) thing I have ever seen

(at least in the top 10), there was also something to see there.

You could ride on an animal.

For about 6 euros.

It's not the duration of the ride that I want to criticize here (because it's only 30 seconds)...

No.

What made me sick was the choice of the animal.

It wasn't a horse.

Not a pony.

Not a donkey or a camel.

No.

It was a damn OSTRICH!!

These sick people saddled up poor animals and let stupid tourists ride them.

Of course, they were caught beforehand under the borderline laughter of those who wanted to ride them.

The poor creatures looked completely plucked and really unhealthy.

Sick.

Sick.

Sick.

.................................................

The rest of the day was pretty good, though.

Just lying on the beach and enjoying the (truly rare) sun, which despite being covered, burned hot on our bodies.

I couldn't get used to the food in Mui Ne until the end.

One day, I ate fries and fried eggs, a crepe, and mostly survived on fruit juices and sweets... (it's a wonder I don't have diabetes)

The village itself is no longer a real village.

Mui Ne discovered tourism a while ago.

Refueling in Vietnamese.

You can't blame them. (We don't either)

They're just doing what they can.

But it ruins the charm when a place that was and IS known for the fact that there used to be hundreds of boats (truly countless and a really great sight) of fishermen throwing their nets now is mainly popular among drunken Russians as a cheap vacation destination.

(Well, the dear, well-behaved (caution: irony) Chinese were naturally also present in reasonable numbers. But they are always everywhere.)

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Russians. (Xenia ❤), but sometimes you just thought you weren't in Vietnam.

As the first language, even before Vietnamese, Russian appeared.

Everything was in Cyrillic.

Every menu. Every sign. Every advertisement for tourist centers.

Even the Vietnamese themselves only spoke Russian.

Yeah. Now I'm exaggerating.

But really,

I've never experienced that anywhere else.

No complaining Germans, no obnoxious English or Australians,... Only Russians, who by the way, when they approached us, naturally assumed that we were also Russians and started speaking in the local language... :)

Yes, even the selection of goods at the market was tailored to them.

Vodka as far as the eye could see. :D

Well, let's leave it at that. :)

Anyway. Hmm. What else can I tell you.

It's been a while since my last 'diary entry', but not much has happened,... And to not overwhelm you again, this time I wanted to keep it shorter... ;)

Except for riding around on the scooter all day and driving with broken brakes along the one street that basically makes up the village/town/city and looking at all the hotels for the 1000th time, we didn't experience much.

Just boring.

Although.

That's not true.

Mui Ne has a desert!!!

Yes, really.

No. Not a service desert. (well, that too)

I mean a real one.

Lots of sand and such.

Well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

And...oh yeah.

Instead of eating fish (only Jule, because I don't eat fish), we thought we would give something back and let ourselves be nibbled on for a change...

Do you know how ticklish that was?!

Oh boy.

Unfortunately, one didn't survive Jule's cheesy feet. :(

Rest in peace, buddy.

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One more thing,

...because I found it funny and have never experienced it in this way before...

So, two bungalows away, there was a small pond in our resort.

It was beautifully arranged. Many water lilies and just cute.

One night, when I stayed up longer than everyone else because of the blog, I passed by it.

It was dead silent around me.

You couldn't even hear a cicada.

But when I walked past the little 'body of water', it started.

First, it was a short sound.

Then a longer one.

High.

Low.

Off-key.

Then 3, then 10, then 65...

More and more.

Then all at once.

In canon.

In rhythm.

Without.

Together.

Chaos.

Or one after another.

Frogs!!

One million. (Yeah, I'm exaggerating again, but I'm trying to be vivid so you can imagine it)

I have never heard so many frogs.

And even the way they croaked, just like the rooster in one of the previous blog entries (RoostEH...Blögge....bla-di-bla...!?🤔)

These animals just sounded different than in our regions...

And actually, it's not even the sounds that I want to mention here (yeah, Vivien, the old city girl, goes hysterical because she hears a frog, right!? :)

No. So...the reason why I'm publishing this experience here is simply the 'approach' of these green creatures.

So let's go back to the beginning:

Dark night.

Everyone is asleep.

No noise (except for the sound of my slippers as I walk).

I get closer to the pond.

One million frogs start croaking.

Either at each other or at me.

I walk on.

The croaking gets weaker until it eventually fades away.

I (like a little fox) notice the connection.💡

I go back.

The same game.

It gets loud again.

A frog concert of the highest order.

There must have been an incredible number of them.

And simply the best protection for the owners of the bungalow against unwanted intruders or the like.

A frog battalion!!!

You couldn't see them.

But you could probably hear them all the way to Thailand.

Better than any guard dog.

#pinkypromise

Just one step too close and deafening noise.

I repeated the 'self-made' concert a few times until it got boring, finally went back to our bungalow, put on my nightgown, and went into the night...

Okay.

That's enough now. :)

OVER AND OUT.