Part 77: Saigon here we come....
It felt so strange saying our farewells to the guides who we formed such a bond with once we reached Mui Ne.
The reality is that we would probably never see them again - sometimes it hits you quite hard knowing that, and I couldn't help but feel sadness.
For me this certainly doesn't get any easier when you meet amazing people, who in a short space of time, leave an impression on you, but they left us with so many unforgettable memories.
Thankfully we were dropped off right outside a pre booked hostel before they hit the road to head back to were it all started in Nha Trang, beeping and waving as they disappeared in the distance like three cowboys.
I was weary and completely exhausted if not a little emotionally drained from the whole journey, and couldn't wait to wash the sticky mixture of sweat, sand and sunblock off my skin, and after a shower and food, we turned in for an early night.
Our hostel was yet another winner; like most of them I had stayed at in Vietnam so far; well, apart from the first one in Hanoi, they have left a very high bench mark and certainly amongst the very best in Asia for value and comfort.
Much like the majority of the coastal towns and cities, this was a popular tourist destination. I didn't have a problem with that after all we'd seen in the central highlands of Vietnam, it was nice to have the balance, but thankfully there were no legions of drunken backpackers roaming the streets by any means.
It was still 250km to Ho Chi Minh, but right now I was going nowhere and planned on staying put for a few days to rest - and this seemed the perfect destination for doing just that.
Other than the sand dunes, Mui Ne is famous for its unrivalled coastal winds, giving it the name of the windsurfing capital of south east Asia!
Keen kite-surfers and water sport enthusiasts from all over the world flock here, but it used to be nothing more than a small inhabited beach less than 20 years ago; now it boasts a 15km strip of resorts, restaurants, budget accommodation, bars, and much like Nha Trang, another trendy getaway for Russian tourists too.
Over the next few days we discovered some amazing beach side bars, and seafood restaurants to unwind, and that is exactly what we did for 3 long days - venturing no further than the beach and surrounding bars, all within a hundred meters of the hostel. Lapping up the sun, eating seafood and being generally lazy. We'd met a decent bunch of travellers here too and made some good friends, but there wasn't too much to report in terms of incident or adventure for a change, apart from one guy in a strong Aussie accent who introduced himself as John, got talking to me after he noticed my turntable tattoo on my arm, whilst I was waiting for my laundry.
We got into a decent conversation, and he began asking me about my background - turns out by chance he was opening up a new hostel with his Vietnamese wife right here in Mui Ne.
Next thing I know, I'm walking down the main strip towards the site where he was constructing what he was describing as the 'perfect hostel'.
I was intrigued, and when he invited me to take a closer look to see for myself, I jumped at the chance.
It was a hugely impressive development and exactly as he had described to me, although still in its early stages, and a bit of a working progress, with dozens of Vietnamese builders working away, but you could clearly see this was going to be a big project! John, who was a keen traveller in his day, and came into some money, deciding to invest it here.
I told him a bit more about my work back home, and right there and then he offered me a job; just like that, explaining to me he was after a music and entertainments manager! I almost couldn't believe my luck!!
Time wise it was a perfect opportunity, and the start date he tells me, would be around June, giving me plenty of time to keep traveling in the meantime, so I accepted. Basically if this job was to work out, it would give me a fantastic chance to extend my travels even further, especially since he offered to throw in accommodation and food as part of the deal - every backpackers dream!!
We shook hands, exchanged contact details and I headed back to the hostel to tell Jack and Corina the news so later that night a bunch of us all went out for food and drinks to celebrate.
The few days we spent in Mui Ne served mainly to recharged our batteries, but me and Jack had to get to Ho Chi Minh city; which would be the last part of our journey in Vietnam.
Thankfully there would be no sleeper bus this time for the relatively short trip of 5 hours, and that in it self was such a relief, especially since the motorbike adventure perfectly broke up the long journey for us now.
We said our goodbyes to Corina who had been absolutely fantastic company, but sadly she decided to stay in Mui Ne for a few more days.
Something told me this would not be the last time we would be seeing her infectious smile.
Me and Jack boarded the bus after a huge 'all you can eat' Vietnamese breakfast buffet, which perhaps wasn't the best thing to do after hearing it was a pretty winding road all the way there.
Anyway fast forward a relatively painless 5 hours, and we pulled up to Ho Chi Minh, or Saigon. Vietnams most chaotic and largest city, with even more motorbikes and scooters on the road than Hanoi - around 4 million in total I'm told.
We immediately ventured out for a quick walk to get our bearings and at a first glance it was a real metropolis of a city, full of atmosphere.
Apart from the traffic, the intense heat, and the overflowing streets this was an awesome city although certainly not the place to slow things down.
Just one of the many highlights in Vietnam had been its culinary delights, which were mostly amazing don't get me wrong; but after all the street food we had eaten for the past month, both me and Jack were craving some western food.
So as a little treat, we ended up unashamedly stuffing our faces on the biggest portion of steak and chips with all the trimmings at the Hard Rock Cafe, and we didn't even feel guilty about it either. Even though this extravagant craving cost us more than nearly a weeks food budget!!!
The Pham Ngu Lao area, right near our hostel was the main place for travellers, it’s not quite as overrun as Khao San Road in Bangkok, and feels a little grittier than a lot of touristy joints - I liked it a lot.
No trip to Ho Chi Minh would have been complete with out a visit to the war museum, but we had to pick the hottest day to walk there.
By chance we bumped into one of the German travellers we'd met in Hanoi 3 weeks ago and he decided to join us too.
When we got to the museum it was unmistakable with its range of American military hardware outside that had been captured or abandoned by the US.
Continuing Inside it pulls absolutely no punches towards the Americans about the conflict at all. Here the war isn’t known as the Vietnam War - it is referred to as the 'US War Against Vietnam'
There were colourful propaganda posters on the ground floor, very graphic war crimes pictures on the next floor up, then the aftermath effects which is a harrowing look at the brutality in grotesque detail. That's as far as I got before we were all quickly ushered out whilst they oddly enough closed for lunch - even though it was still packed full of tourists!
Seeing all the images was heavy and most certainly left a mark on me for the rest of that day, so it was perhaps for the best that I bit my tongue after over hearing a group of American girls at the hostel voicing their discontent at why anyone would not like the Americans here because they didn't do anything wrong!!
The few days we spent in this amazing city was not nearly enough but with the job offer on the horizon I would be coming back for sure.
Now It was time for me and Jack to go our separate ways. He was heading to Cambodia and I had to go back to Manila.
Meeting him was an absolute pleasure, we instantly clicked and shared a magnificent experience travelling more than 3500km together to reach here and did the entire journey from north to south by road. It was painstaking at times, but the most rewarding way to see this amazing country was by land and well worth all the effort; now I was on my own again reflecting, savouring and appreciating every moment.
Trying to do this epic journey justice through my blog was proving to be my biggest challenge yet but I felt even more inspired to continue writing.
On the plane it was hard to not be over come with mixed feelings. Happy, sad, and hopeful - but constantly challenging the things I thought I knew. Travelling is becoming friends with people I may never see again, travelling is feeling alive. The excitement of stepping out of the airport in a new city - being alone sometimes, but never lonely, and falling in love with the world.

Next stop, Manila.......