We've been in Mui Ne for a couple of days now and have settled in nicely. So far we've only spent a couple of hours on the beach, but we'll probably remedy that today (Saturday). The daytime temperature is always in the low 30's with humidity at about 94%. We've gone out for short runs at 6:00 AM a couple of times but even at that early hour it's almost too hot to exercise. Next week in Chiang Mai we're taking part in a 6 hour endurance run that starts at 2:00 PM. The weather network is forecasting a humidex of 41 degrees for the day of the event, so we're trying to get acclimatized. One word: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Despite the high temperatures, the locals all dress in multiple layers, including hoodie type sweatshirts! I have to wonder what they would wear if they ever had to spend January in Ottawa. I'm absolutely melting just wearing shorts and dry fit t-shirts.

On the surface, Mui Ne resembles any beach resort town anywhere in the world. One main road running along the coastline with resort hotels on the beach side and restaurant after restaurant on the other, most of them specializing in fresh seafood. Where it differs is in the abundance of street vendors lining the sidewalks, selling everthing from grilled meat and fish to pho, to fresh fruits and vegetables.

We were also struck by the huge Russian presence here. Most of the restaurants have 2 menus, one in English and the other in Russian. We've heard the clerks in the stores speaking fluent Russian (as far as I can tell) to the Russian tourists. We had expected to see more Brits and Aussies, as you would in Thailand.

Yesterday we hopped onto the local bus and rode into the nearest city, Phan Thiet, for about .75 cents each. I created quite the spectacle as there were no seats available when we got on and I had to stand in the aisle. The problem is the ceiling of the bus was only 6 feet high and the suspension on the bus was a little dodgy so I had to squat to protect my skull from impacts. A little woman kindly got up, offered me her seat and, in spite of my refusal to take her place, the bus attendant insisted I sit down. Embarassing.

We sauntered along the waterfront in Phan Thiet and marveled at the colorful fishing boats and the seafood and fish drying in the sun. We wandered through the streets and markets before succumbing to the heat and heading back to our hotel.

Overall, a pretty nice day.