Vietnam: Mui Ne Fishing Village in Vietnam

I've always enjoyed taking the road less traveled. And this time around, that road led me to a fishing village five hours northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. Yes, I found myself in Vietnam once again. And I was going to the beach! How we got to Mui Ne in Binh Thuan Province was an adventure in itself.

Because one of our low-cost carriers arrives in HCMC or Saigon at such an unholy hour, there is a big risk especially if you need to travel outside city limits. Our problem was the first bus to Mui Ne wasn't going to leave until 6 a.m. So we had to wait several hours before we could even start our five-hour journey by land. We decided to wait in Pham Ngu Lao, the backpacker area of HCMC.

While asking around, we were badgered by xe om (motorbike for hire) drivers who said that they knew of a bus to Mui Ne that would leave much earlier in the Binh Thanh District of HCMC about 8km away. It was a risk, but for some reason, we trusted them. And they dropped us off in front of a bus station that looked closed and told us to wait in the coffee shop in front of it. At least it was a bus station. And so we waited and had some local coffee. Until finally, a van passed by and people inside started shouting something in Vietnamese. Unable to comprehend, we asked the lady at the coffee store if that was the vehicle to Mui Ne. And she signaled us to get on board.

All was well until they stopped somewhere to load newspapers at the back. It turns out, aside from taking in passengers, they deliver newspapers as well! So we were on a newspaper van that left at 4 a.m. We arrived in Mui Ne at about 7:30 a.m., earlier than expected. Mui Ne and neighboring Ham Tien Ward are very popular for their beach resorts. But what struck me about this town were the colorful fishing boats in Mui Ne Harbor and the vicinity. And I leave you with pictures of them.

Boracay: Boracay is just 35 minutes away

The belief that getting a flight to Boracay during peak season weekends is close to impossible is a myth! And I realized that myself after flying to Boracay on several fully-booked weekend flights as a chance passenger.

It was a hectic weekend. I found out last Thursday night that I had to be in Boracay Friday and Saturday night. But I already had commitments Saturday morning. So what was the solution? I was a chance passenger on the 3 p.m. SEAIR flight and that wasn't a problem. Then I was to risk being a chance passenger again for the 6:45 a.m. flight back to Manila the next day, hopefully to get to my 9 a.m. appointment in Makati. It's a good thing SEAIR has 35-minute flights to and from Caticlan.

Then it was another SEAIR flight to Boracay on the same afternoon to catch another event in the evening. I had to be back in Manila on Sunday since I had to catch a flight to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam on Monday!

As planned, I got on the 6:45 a.m. SEAIR flight back to Manila and made it to my 9 a.m. appointment in Makati. I was back at the airport after lunch and got on the 3:00 p.m. SEAIR flight as a chance passenger. The next day, I was back on the 9:30 a.m. SEAIR flight back to Manila, again as a chance passenger. And the first thing I did when I got home was to take a nap!

Backpackers accommodation in Manila

Since I reside in the Metro Manila area, there is no need for me to stay at backpackers accommodation in Manila. But I do get queries about cheap accommodation. So I checked out the backpackers haven of Manila which is in Malate to find out where backpackers can stay. Here are some of them:

Friendly's Guesthouse
One of the more popular backpackers accommodation in the Malate area. They have fan dormitory rooms at PHP290 per person and AC dorm rooms at PHP340 per person. Fan rooms with shared bath start at PHP450. AC rooms with common bath start at PHP800 a night. While AC rooms with private bath start at PHP900 a night.
1750 M. Adriatico corner Nakpil Streets, Malate, Manila
+63 2 4898897 / 4469908
+63 917 3331418
friendlysguesthouse@yahoo.com

Malate Pensionne
It's in the same complex as Portico Restaurant. You can't miss it since there is a Starbucks store in front. Fan dorm rooms are PHP350 per person. Fan rooms are PHP750 a night. While AC rooms with private bath start at PHP1400. They also accept credit cards.
1771 M. Adriatico Street, Malate, Manila
+63 2 5238304 to 06
info@mpensionne.com

Stargate Pensionne
Fan rooms with private bath are PHP850 a night. While AC rooms start at PHP988 a night.
1711 M. Adriatico Street, Malate, Manila
+63 2 3036572 to 75

Joward's Pension House
Fan rooms with common bath start at PHP275 a night. AC rooms with shared bath start at PHP525 a night. While AC rooms with private bath start at PHP625 a night.
1730 M. Adriatico Street, Malate, Manila
+63 2 3383191

Bukingham Pension
Fan rooms are PHP500 a night. AC rooms with common bath are PHP800 a night. While AC rooms with private bath starts at PHP1000.
Gen. Malvar Street, Malate, Manila
+63 2 5253663

Juan's Place
This is the cheapest it could get. And don't expect much since it's an apartment in a rundown alley right beside Malate Pensionne. They charge PHP180 per person for dorm rooms and PHP250 a night for fan rooms.

HOW TO GET THERE
There are no buses direct from the airport (NAIA) to Malate. So the easiest way to get there is by taxi. Remember though that airport taxis at the Arrival Area are quite expensive. So to cut down on costs, you simply have to go up to the Departure Area on the second floor and flag down a metered taxi from there. And if the driver tries to haggle for a fixed rate, find another one! From Clark, take a bus to Pasay and get a cab from there to Malate. Here's more on the Clark Airport: How to get to and from the Clark Airport.

Do you know of any other reliable backpackers accommodation in Manila? Leave a comment to let us know.