Mui Ne

This weekend I had some unexpected time off, so I took my first real trip outside of the city. On Saturday afternoon, I caught a sleeper bus to the beach town of Mui Ne, which is about 200 km to the Northeast. Mui Ne is not one of those iconic Southeast Asian beach paradises, but is known more as a weekend getaway. So for my intents and purposes, it was perfect.

I’ve been told that Mui Ne is like, a mediocre beach town in Vietnam… okay.  

I met up with some of my friends who had been staying at a place called LongSon Resort Hostel. This hostel was my favorite ever. Instead of sleeping in a dormitory-style room, you can rent a tent for $4.00 a night. And if you get too hot when the sun rises, then you just go nap on a beanbag or mattress in one of the shaded bungalow lounges.

The place is fairly isolated and away from the buzz of town, so there’s no danger of night intruders or people trying to snatch your stuff. The location is prime and the ambience is splendid. Even though we were not on an island, the atmosphere had that really laid-back vibe that I’ve always associated with the Caribbean - come and go as you like, but let’s hang out while you’re here. Both nights I ended up passing out around a campfire of vagabond travelers.

Oh, and the best thing of all – no bugs! I didn’t use any insect repellent all weekend and I came back completely unscathed. Not sure how this is possible given the tropical climate, but I’m definitely not going to go looking for them. So anyways, there's no humor or reflection in this post, my only point is that I’d recommend this place in a heartbeat. Really great, refreshing weekend.

Phở Appreciation Post

So, last night, one of the few wholly unpleasant things that has happened to me here, happened. I got food poisoning. Basically, I hadn’t eaten much all day and I was ravenous by the time dee-rish-us Indian takeout arrived at 11pm. So naturally I chowed tf down, like the #NoRagrets glutton that I am (hashtag just for you, Dad.) A few hours later, the eagerness with which I had welcomed this food into my body was met by brutal rejection from my GI tract. Raaagret. So much ragret. You know what they say – first impressions are misleading, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Or something. The only wisdom I’ve pieced together from this unfortunate episode is a rule of thumb: the more delightful it tastes on the way down, the ghastlier it is going to feel coming back up. One of those punishing inverse relationships on the spectrum of pleasure and agony.  

Thankfully I seem to be fully recovered now. This is in large part due to the magical healing properties of world-renowned Vietnamese Phở. Listen people, there is NO better recovery food in the world than phở. Not on the face of God’s green earth. It doesn’t matter if your ailment is a mammoth hangover, a chronic condition, a broken heart, or some horrific combination of all three. Phở is the answer to your prayers. I promise. Just look at this bowl smiling at you:

Note: Phở is pronounced “fuhh.” Not “foe.” It's not your foe. 

If that doesn’t convince you, consider my 100% non-expert nutritive analysis.

• Phở is made from only fresh ingredients - broth, chicken or beef, rice noodles, a few herbs and greens. 
• No sugar. No dairy. No gluten. No chemicals.
• It's the perfect solution of protein, sodium, carbs and vitamins to revive you from your pitifully weak, dehydrated state.
• The toppings come on the side so you can have flavor at your own risk.
• It tastes awesome and it's easy on your stomach.

So what do you do when you’re sooo over the gatorade and toast diet, but you know that a good ole burger would send you right back to the bathroom-shaped hellhole you just crawled out of? You say phởckkkkkk yeah.

Your body will thank you.