Ended up watching the World Cup final on big screen at beach just outside Hoi An. One of the bars in town were running free mini buses to the beach bar and everyone seemed to be going there so we decided it was best option as Treat and the main square didn't seem to be pulling many people in for it.
Squashed ourselves into mini bus with god knows how many people! Got to beach and found over 1000 people had went along, great atmosphere. Lots of people dressed up and/or painted in team colours. 'Dutch Lady' had got her 4 year old to drink lots of Dutch Lady chocolate milk so she could make a headress and sash for the night. Joined a group of English guys with their Vietnamese pals plus a couple from Australia who we had met in Before & Now earlier. Boys were very impressed with lewie's non stop football chat - for the first time since we got here he could talk football to people who understood and were more than interested in carrying on the chat! The game wasn't very exciting but everyone had fun, Lewie wasn't best pleased when Spain won but cheered up when I said we could get a motorbike home. Sun was starting to come up when we left the beach so the drive back was amazing..and not too scary seeing as the road was almost empty, don't think I'd do moto taxi at rush hour!
Slept most of next day then went to Cafe 43 for dinner and to say bye to Rum the dog and Whisky the baby (never actually found out his real name!)
Spent our last day wandering around and saying bye to all the nice people we'd met there - 'nice lady' cafe on river and then baby Vhi in particular. Vhi lives with her family a few doors down from the hotel and looks out for Lewie and Tess coming along the road. We always stop to chat to her and the family, she just lives Lewie and always blows kisses to him (yammi yammi!) then chases after us when we say bye (never gets very far..she's only 15months old and just started walking!) then her gran picks her up and she waves until she can't see us anymore.
Went back to hotel to wait on bus so Lewie has final game of shuttlecock with the boys while Tess got big hugs from all the girls - they even bought us presents because we had stayed so long! Beaded bracelets for kids and a special Nhi Nhi plate for me.
Got on bus at 6pm to start 12 hour journey to Nha Trang. Kids were really good and read for a couple of hours (bizarrely they have decided to read the Twilight books, great though as I can pinch them when they're done) then they both fell asleep. I couldn't sleep at all. Was like bring on rollercoaster, the driving here is mental and worse in pitch black as you can't see what the bus is going to hit or roll down. Had a half hour stop about midnight and found that the kamikaze driver had a full on buddha covered in flashing lights, a vase of flowers (big bunch not just a few wee stems) and 2 teddy bears on the dash board. If that wasn't enough to obscur his vision he had hung a huge Hoi An lantern from the roof which had 2 smaller lanterns hanging in from it. Didn't want to double check but I'm pretty sure that when he sat in the driving seat the two smaller lanterns would be in the exact position to cover both eyes. Needless to say sleep was not an option that night. Spent the next 6 hours looking out window at the amazing stars and hoping that , despite completely blocking all view of the road ahead, the drivers paraphenalia had a 100% success rate at securing a safe journey.
Managed to arrive at 6.30am in Nha Trang in one piece although very tired. Had to wait for an hour for next bus which I thought I'd sleep on seeing as I was shattered but when it turned up it had similar,NAND even more elaborate, interior design of the driving cab, in particular the window. Realised that bus driving involves bot actual skill, just a complete faith in Buddha. Personally I prefer a basic understanding of the highway code and a concern for passengers health, safety and indeed life. In Vietnam however Buddha appears to do his job as we arrived in Mui Ne 6 hours later and still alive.
The 18hour trip was well worth it. Mui Ne is beautiful and completely different to any part if Vietnam that we've been to so far. It's basically one street (it used to be the main highway through here) for 10 km. On one side is the beach resort hotels and some beach BBQ restaurants and the otherwise has cafes and restaurants and bars. We're staying at the Grace Resort which I, thankfully, paid for a few months ago as it's much more expensive than anywhere else we've stayed and now that I know the standard of budget hotels I doubt I'd pay more again. On saying that the hotel is gorgeous. It's meant to be a mini resort so the rooms are massive and have everything you could possibly need. We have an incredible power shower in giant wet room. Our front doors open out to the patio which if we go to the left leads straight onto our own wee bit of White sandy beach or straight ahead to the massive infinity pool. The girls bring out free coconut drinks by the pool everyday and it's just lovely and peaceful and relaxing. Have found a beach bar next door with a pool table and a place that has 18 hole crazy golf so planning a nice few days of doing not very much at all!