I Guess It Can't Be Paradise Without a Little Touch of Hell.

We were stunned by the sheer expanse of China Beach when we arrived
at the aptly named Sandy Beach Resort.
(If you click on the picture, you can make out a white dot on right side
of the island in the background. That is the world's largest statue of Kwan Yin,
hewn from local marble, and about 200 feet tall.)

It was baking hot, but look at all that empty beach to loll on! Paradise!
Turned out that there was a good reason why the beach was empty--the sand
was like burning coals. Even wearing flip-flops, the few grains that touched
your feet from time to time were very painful. And the air was so hot
that lolling was insufferable, even in the shade.

Ditto for the pool and the tiled deck around it. You're looking at third-degree burns
in seconds if you're barefoot.

The grounds, however, were lovely.

As was our beautiful air-conditioned villa.

King bed (most unusual in Vietnam).

Two bathrooms and a spacious sitting room.

Everyone emerged from their rooms in the late afternoon. A cool breeze
wafted in from the sea, and the temperature became quite pleasant.

The sunset was gorgeous, though it was odd seeing it over the land,
rather than the sea.

Truly idyllic until we walked down to the section of beach were the locals hang out.
There was trash everywhere. Very depressing.

They just dump whatever, wherever. So much for paradise.

P.