The bus ride to Mui Ne was 4-5 hours long and very comfortable with Sinh Tourist. On arrival, the bus dropped us off practically outside our hostel, Mui Ne Hills. Matt had done a very good job booking it as it was connected to one of the beautiful luxury hotels, so we were allowed to use all their facilities including two outdoor rooftop swimming pools! Our dorm was ok, it was clean and comfortable so that's all that mattered. Our original plan was to visit the sand dunes that afternoon but the weather was so beautiful we decided to spend the day chilling and exploring Mui Ne, and booked for the tour the next morning.

We explored more of Mui Ne to find it was very surf orientated, with lots of surf shops and surf schools. The place itself had a very chilled vibe, with a beautiful long beach. It seemed like a perfect holiday destination. For the rest of the afternoon, we relaxed by the pool in the sun. The food at the Breeze restaurant within the hotel was pretty good too!

The next morning, we woke at 3.30am, ready for the mini van to pick us up at 4am. It was an hours drive to the white sand dunes where we walked for 50 minutes before reaching the area we were able to see the sunrise. Walking uphill on deep, soft sand was hard work, especially as neither of us have done any real exercise for 4 months! Exhausted, we sat and watched the sun as it greeted us good morning.

The next destination was the red sand dunes, bright orange in colour. We hired a sand board for 30,000 dong (£1) and took it in turns to slide down the huge dunes. After a few goes each and red sand everywhere, we headed back to the van for our next stop, the fishing village. The village absolute stank of rotting fish but it was very interesting and authentic to see. There were Vietnamese men and women collecting shells with containing hermit crabs and pulling massive nets in from the sea. This was their everyday livelihood. Our final stop was the Fairy stream. We walked along the stream which ended at a waterfall but we never got that far as matt was keen to ride an osteridge. I have to say I wasn't keen on him doing this but I don't think he really understood what was involved as he felt a bit rubbish when he came off. Further along the steam, we were walking with water up to our calves when suddenly there was a drop of about 2 foot and I went flying! Matt typically just laughed at me soaking wet while another chap helped me up... so chivalrous!

Back at the hostel, we packed up our bags ready for our midday bus onto Dalat. We had a few hours to spare so we sat by the pool and chilled for a while. We originally weren't going to stop at Mui Ne but I'm so glad we did as we loved the chilled vibe there which was completely different to that of the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh.

Our bus to Dalat was another 4 hours North along the coast and we arrived around 5pm. The first thing that struck me in Dalat was the difference in architecture, the buildings very much reminded me of Eastern Europe, and it had the weather to match. We were freezing! I had nearly chucked away all my warm stuff in the Philippines as I was sure I wouldn't need it again, thank god I didn't! It's crazy how the three places we have been so far, have been so different! You could think you were in a completely different country.

The hostel we had booked into, Dalat Backpackers, was again very clean and sweet. We were on the 4th floor and had a gorgeous little balcony with amazing views over the city. That night, the owners of the hostel prepared a welcome dinner in which everyone at the hostel attended. Matt and I originally tried to get out of going when they asked us as we were keen to try some of the restaurants but were guilt tripped into it. I'm so glad we did though as the food was amazing... and free! The owners were so friendly and welcoming, they really made us feel part of the family which seems to been a common theme amongst Vietnamese hospitality. After dinner, we headed out for a drink just to soak up some of the night time atmosphere. There was a massive night market selling clothes and food, absolutely heaving with locals. We found a cafe called Windmills and enjoyed an Ice coffee and a piece of cake before calling it a night. I already really liked the look of Dalat and was super excited for the next few days exploring the City.