Day 4... updated with added pics

As we travel through the different provinces, we notice how the local food varies. Last night we were served this meal in the tiny cafe next to our Nha Nghi; a bowl of some kind of sausage meat in broth and hard boiled egg with bean sprouts and the same little pancakes that we had previously, which kept on coming as fast as we could eat them.

Then a walk around the local market with all the usual fruits, vegetables, fish and every kind of meat you might, or not, want to buy. A favourite here is pig's knuckle and feet; much like in Lancashire in the old days, but not to my taste.

We left La Gi this morning on the next leg of our drive up the south-east coast of Vietnam but didn't get very far.
This is the Rickety-rackety bridge where the bike broke down...

Mark had to turn around in the morning rush -hour...

and get it repaired before we resumed the journey.

The road moved away from the sea for some way, but we reached the coast again by 9.00am and stopped for a welcome coffee at a small fishing village on the beach. I asked to use the loo with trepidation (usually a squat with no loo paper) but they unlocked an outhouse and to my surprise, it was a proper toilet!

These are pics from Mark's camera, which we finally managed to download.

The locals were busy landing their catch and consequently the beach and shoreline were littered with detritus including a dead dog, which wasn't exactly us inviting us into the surf.

We walked some way along the beach before reaching a rocky headland, with a lighthouse on a small island just offshore and we enjoyed a warm paddle where the sea was cleaner. This was Ke Ga at a beautiful part of the coast.

We were making good time and soon reached the town of Phan Thiet. After a relaxing coffee in a beach cafe, (we do drink a lot of coffee) we discovered a Co-op Mart like our supermarket back here, where we had a cheap lunch. Naturally, Mark found someone who speaks English (women are especially keen to practice speaking as soon as they spot him,) and asked about English schools. We visited two that were within walkingdistance, just to make contacts for possible future work opportunities. That's a nice thing about this town; it's still almost small enough to walk around.

However, we were making for Mui Ne, that everyone says is the most beautiful place to visit and were keen to find somewhere to stay for the night before it got dark. A few kilometers further up the coast we rode through an area of plush hotels and restaurants set by the palm-fringed sea. Nice if you can get it, but not what appeals to us, even if we could afford it. The real Mui Ne is a typical crowded fishing village and we found our Nha Nghi perched on a cliff overlooking the beach, which turned out to be very reasonable. As the sun set, we walked along the beach, picking up fantastic shells, till we came upon a nice restaurant, where we sat back and ordered seafood for our late dinner with cold beer. Lovely!

I realise I haven't said much about the people we meet, who are, without exception, so friendly and helpful. Even with the difference in languages there is no barrier to communication and we always keep them amused!