Jungle Beach

There is a place on the Central Coast of Vietnam generically named, Jungle Beach. The experience is nothing like the name. There may be places like it but I have neither heard of nor been to them. Jungle Beach is a 3.5 acre parcel of beachfront property owned, built, maitntained and run by a Canadian ex-pat. The 'resort' offers a variety of hand-built, beyond spartan accomodations that allow the land and atmosphere to dictate the experience. There were no windows and we could hear the ocean 20 feet away as we drifted to sleep. The huts were almost entirely coonstructed from bamboo and even the furniture was hand-crafted by the exceedingly creative owner.

Meals were included and prepared on-site and served family-style at tables that fostered conversation and new friendships. A perfect beach reached our front door and the warm water and steady breeze easily replaced the need for air conditioning.

We spent three nights at Jungle Beach. Our time was fairly evenly spent swimming, drinking and just sitting. I finally had the perfect opportunity to break out the guitar in a setting I imagined while packing it. We could have stayed much longer if our schedules had not been set for our return to Saigon.

The place has entered our travel lexicon. 'Well, it's no Jungle Beach.' is likely its most common use. Perhaps the best thing about Jungle Beach was its honesty. There was no pretense, it was not trying to be anything, it just was. Even the owner who was washed with 2,000 travelers a year and had earned the right to be jaded over his 13 years was highly personal and sometimes too honest. We took away many things from Jungle Beach but above all the knowledge that we will be back.