Earth Wind Water Fire

Day 88- We took a quick 1 hour taxi to our semi secret hide-away, Jungle Beach. Friends told us about this secluded beach and I read about it in many backpacker blogs prior to coming. Upon arrival, we were welcomed with a cold glass of fresh lemon water. One of the staff walked us around to each hut, letting us scope out our options before we chose our home for the next 4 days and 3 nights. We chose a hut overlooking the beach that was stocked with 5 beds to choose from. I assume when large groups come in they easily fill each hut but Mike and I were lucky enough to have it to ourselves. Two different types of huts were available for our choosing; a hut with a shared bathroom for $35 dollars per person, or a hut with an ensuite bathroom for $40 dollars per person. Folks, this place is paradise and you are pretty much alone on the beach, as well as in the whole surrounding area. No restaurants or other options for food are available. Therefore, included in the prices above are three meals a day, a mid-day snack, bottomless water and bottomless fresh lemon water. We dropped our bags in our room and I ran upstairs to check out our view. It was my first look at the beach and I got a feeling in that moment that this would be a visit that would not only leave a stamp in my passport but a stamp on my heart. And I was right. 

A picture from the outside of our lovely abode.

                           

And the inside.

                           

We slept upstairs so we could enjoy the view of the beach first thing every morning. 

Nothing like showering with mother nature.

And then, there was nothing but time to enjoy this stunning location.

Here is a look at our place from the beach.

There are so many things that I want to share about Jungle Beach that contributed to our experience. The affect of having communal meals was one which suprised me as being very impactful. Lunch and dinner were served at the same time everyday and anyone staying at the hotel ate together, family style. Over the next 4 days, we got to know each person and we learnt a little about their stories and what brought them there. Each person was on their own journey and I believe that Jungle Beach was as impactful to them as it was for me.

All meals were delicious and different and we were happy to get together twice a day to talk about our daily activities or about other interesting worldly topics. We got to enjoy an assortment of local Vietnamese food and try things I wouldn't normally opt for.

                         

While at dinner our first night, the owner Sylvio told us that we must go for a night swim. When we asked why, he said "because its magical" and we replied "magical how?" and he responded, "it's just magical, you have to do it".  We agreed that we would go the following night. One of our new friends, James, decided he wouldn't wait until tomorrow and not only 5 minutes later he returned and with raw passion in his voice he said "you guys need to come out, it's F%$&KING magical". No one could argue with that review and none of us even bothered to ask why, we all ran to our rooms to change. We got onto the beach in the dark of night with the glow of the moon shining down on us, as 6 of us walked slowly into the ocean, warm and mysterious, waiting to see what magic was to come. With each suttle movement, light began to appear at my fingertips, then as my body accelerated, I was covered in gold! It was as if Tinkerbell had powdered my body in pixie dust and being that a "happy thought" was inevitable, we were all feeling the magical effects of flight underwater. At one point or another we all shouted with joy at how amazing the experience was, each lacking the embarrassment associated with showing our inner child. Our new friend described this phenomena perfectly, it was as if we were Mickey Mouse in Fantasia, commanding the seas. Mike mentioned that his little sister knows all of the actions to the fantasia soundtrack and I quickly corrected him by mentioning his sister is 26... not so little anymore. I felt totally and utterly alive and rejuvenated. Most of us had never seen anything like it before. James mentioned that it was even better before the moon had risen so we all made a pact that we would return the next night to experience the magic once again. 

Day 89- Our day was spent enjoying the tranquility of the beach, reading books and me writing my blog. One of the recommended waterfall hikes was not possible due to the season and lack of rain but we didn't mind, we just chilled on our quiet beach.

After dinner, we all kept our promise and meet at the beach to experience the magic once again. James was right... I didn't believe it could get any better but it had. Other than feeling the wetness on our skin it would have been hard to tell the difference between the sky and ocean. Stars surrounded us at every angle and for a few moments, we were all lost in space. We attemped to get a photo and video of the bioluminescence but we were unsuccessful. Once again James put it perfectly, saying, sometimes a thousand words is better than a picture. This one would just have to be a memory in our minds.

After we were all recharged once again, we congregated on the beach with a few bottles of local rum and a bonfire. It is crazy how 7 completely different individuals from different cultures and walks of life, can come together and all find something in common. No not rum. Ok Maybe a little.  But as we sat around the fire, listening to the Beatles and Bob Marley, we spoke of travel. We all had unique stories to share and each one sparked the interest of a possible new destination for another. It was a beautiful thing. 

 A crab joined our discussions and for some reason kept walking toward the fire, so before we saved him and brought him back to the ocean, we named him Sergeant Pepper, after the Beatles song playing at the time.

Day 90- When I doubted our experience could get any better we were caught in the middle of an incredible storm!! Mike and I were swimming in the ocean and we could see dark clouds moving towards us. Thunder shook the sky and lighting cracked through the clouds, hitting the mountainside in our valley. Suddenly, the sound of rain was overwhelming but we were not getting wet. I looked around to figure out this mystery and noticed approximately 15 meters away, the ocean water was being thrashed about by heavy rain fall... but Mike and I were still standing in dry air? As I screamed at Mike to look beside us, the rain slowly crept our way, Mike said it felt like he could have run away from it. Before we knew it, we were right in the middle of the storm. I continued to scream and shout with excitement and it wasn't long until one of our fellow guestmates came screaming down the beach and joined us in the ocean. 

I loved the way the rain drops looked as they hit the ocean. They came down with such force that they were like tiny meteors hitting the water, creating a reverse rain drop to jump in the air. 

We realized that we could be at some risk in the water with lighting around us, (duh) so we stepped out for a bit while waiting for the lightning to pass. I still couldn't keep myself from shouting as I ran with my arms up, back into the stormy water. 

And Mike... well... he was practically weightless. 

After dinner we returned to the dark ocean one last time to see the magic. It was no less captivating but this time we had a lightning show to compliment our underwater spectacle.

Day 91-We were catching the night bus out of Jungle Beach to Hoi An this night so we were lucky enough to enjoy another full day in paradise. We chilled at the beach and soaked up the sun until we could see another storm coming our way. 

As quickly as it appeared in the sky, it wrapped itself around us and we witnessed the storm travelling across the ocean... and it was awesome. The rain cut the sky in half until blue was no longer visible from one side. 

Right before the storm hit, I spent some time with some of my new favorite insect buddies, the butterfly. There was something on the trees that they must have been eating because there were dozens flying around. 

Some people question how I could leave my family and friends for a year. To sleep on the ground with bugs, risk eating something that could make me ill, constantly get ripped off and taken advantage of, while rarely knowing what situation we'll face next. The moments we lived at Jungle Beach are the reasons for all of my dreams. I will quote James Thurber who wrote the book that inspired one of my favorite movies, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; "To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life" and that is what drives me everyday, to experience new things. 

Mike, myself and James shared a taxi to the highway where we hopped on a sleeper bus to take us to Hoi An. The ride would take 11 hours to get from Jungle Beach to Hoi An and we expected the night bus to have some sort of sleeping arrangements for the long journey. The bus had an interesting set up and they manage to pack a ton of travellers into a very small space. Three rows of beds fit on the bus length wise and the beds were the perfect size for anyone under the height of 5 feet. Although, I managed to sleep quite well, Mike and James didn't find it as comfortable, not to mention the driver was driving erratically, almost flinging me out of my bed at one point. But we made it to Hoi An around 7:30 am, so I guess that is all that matters.

Thanks for the good times Jungle Beach.