Mui Ne, Vietnam – a Quick Getaway

Romana Resort – Mui Ne, Vietnam

Just a quick one here (yeah, like THAT’s gonna happen – I mean, when has my blather EVER been brief?)  But seriously.  Lots to do here lately – 2 additional classes (one, ILA summer school, plus helping my chum Hang out teaching a class at her new English school, ECE), plus I’m anxious to tell you about what I’m planning for my next adventure – the next chapter in this crazy expat romp in Asia.

But first I want to share some pics from my most recent little getaway – to Mui Ne, a sweet little beach just 5 hours from Ho Chi Minh City.

The impetus for this little escape (following so shortly after my wonderful 5 days in Cambodia) was the annual school retreat for all the Teaches and staff at ILA.  They foot-the-bill for piling all of us (more than 200 of us!) into buses and heading to the tropical shores of Mui Ne beach on the South China Sea (otherwise duly known as the “East Sea” to politically sensitive Vietnamese) for an overnight at an (OMG opulent!) 5-star resort, including transport, all meals and…

Did I mention “OPULENT”? digs at the Romana Resort.

As a single lass, they paired me with a roomie, Maria, a fellow Teach about my age who was delightful.  But our collective karma must have been off the charts the day we arrived ‘cuz… somehow we lucked out and were assigned a “villa” with… our own PRIVATE SWIMMING POOL!

Seriously.  This place was over-the-TOP, drop-dead FABULOUS!

The retreat included fun and games on the beach – a treasure hunt, sand-castle building, volleyball, and some (apparently “American”) beer-drinking game involving ping-pong balls and cups of beer (yep, we Yanks are nothing if not creative with our get-blotto competitions).  Me?  I merely watched the youngster’s swiftly submerge into oblivion as I demurely sipped but a single can of Tiger, and then headed back for a dip in…

I KNOW! I couldn’t believe we had a PRIVATE pool, neither!

DID I NOT MENTION???  MY OWN PRIVATE SWIMMING POOL!

The meals at the Romana were incredible, especially the evening’s pool-side “Seafood Collection” dinner lit by twinkly lights with BOATLOADS of THE most deliciously fresh seafood I’ve ever eaten (I must have had two dozen barbecued clams ALONE!)

And the following morning (those of us crazy enough) opted to wake up before dawn and head to the nearby “White Dunes” (as opposed to the apparently lesser “Red Dunes”) to watch the sun rise.

But best of all – given that ILA had already transported me to such a glorious beach haven on a Monday (and me, with nary a single class during the week) – I opted to stay an extra two nights and head back to Saigon on my own on Thursday.  Of course, that meant I uh, moved out of the opulent digs so kindly provided by ILA (bye-bye private swimming pool!) and transferred to a (perfectly comfortable albeit not nearly so luxurious) place (Sunshine Beach Resort) down the beach.

O.k., o.k. (as predicted) this is turning out to be not so “quick” after all (sigh…)  Enough already, I’ve got lesson plans to write.  So best I cease my incessent chatter, and swiftly wrap this little getaway up by simply dropping a bunch of pics so you can see for yourself what Mui Ne is all about.