Little Girl. Big World.: Vietnam Recapping: Phu Quoc Island Part 1 (Super long post, you have been warned)

It is the Fourth of July, and this time last year, I was on my way back from Brazil. Today, I am staying inside trying to avoid the heat, sunshine and people. This weekend in the valley saw the temperature up to about 100+, this used to be a normal deal for me before college, but SD has spoiled me, and now, I do not go outside unless I absolutely have to or only when after the sun is down.

The three days weekend has been well spent so far, I think. I caught up on my sleep and all my shows. I got my first pay check from the job and spent it all on the same day on loan repayments and a new pair of glasses. Can't wait for two more weeks to get pay again.

Moving on, on to the recap.

April 18th-19th: Phu Quoc Island and Mekong Delta

A is where I was, and B is where the island is. Obviously... right?

The largest island in Vietnam locateing in the Gulf of Siam bordering Cambodia, Phu Quoc Island is only 50 minutes away by plane from HCM. It's famous for producing fish sauce, and stable in Vietnamese cuisine and pearls, a stable in rich house wives' wardrobes.

As of now, Phu Quoc is still very much in the midst of development, it is not yet and hot spot for tourists and vacationers. There are only two ways of getting to Phu Quoc from the mainland, plane and boat. By boat, it takes about 2 hours on a "super speed" ferry. The price is 225,00 VND or approximately $11/$12. My 50 minutes flights was about 500,00 VND which is about $25. Anyone who wants to get into Phu Quoc has to go through Vietnam mainland first, though not for long, as an international airport is currently being build in Phu Quoc for easier access in the future. Once it's completed, travelers will no longer have to go through mainland VN to get through Phu Quoc, thus decreases the hassle of traveling by half while tourism revenue increases.

international airport in progress

Most of the island is still in its natural habitat, lots empty land and wild plants, but as my xe om (honda tax) driver/guide for the day told me, all these lands have been bought by big foreign investors companies to build golf courses and casino and resorts here. Soon enough, this place will be another Phuket or Singapore swamped with tourists looking for cheap get aways.

By this time of the trip, I have managed (thanks to my relative) to have a trusty honda taxi driver who would take me places when I give him a call. That saves me the trouble of having to bargain and get rip off every time I want to go somewhere. That morning, we left at 7am... I think (getting up early in the morning regardless of which hours all feel the same to me).

I guess he didn't have
anything else better to do

the closest to "forming a line"

airplanes

Only a handful of people, including myself were there waiting for our flights. Some were locals and a sprinkle or two of foreigners. There were three guys who spoke English, they were talking to a gentleman who seem to be a local but I later found out was a Vietnamese-American. I tried to trike up a conversation with those guys later, since after some weeks of just Vietnamese, I didn't want to complete forget all my English (it's possible, okay...), and seeing that they spoke absolutely no Vietnamese what so ever, I wanted to help. However, the guys didn't seem very much interested in talking to me at all, especially after they found out that I wasn't a local and from California. The Vietnamese-American gentleman, however, was very nice. He's a frequent returnee who has some sort of a English school in the country and trying to teach English to the locals. He even gave me his business card in case I want to teach English in Vietnam and should contact him.

All of this was even before I got on the plane.

Only about 2/3 of the plane was full despite it being a weekend. I sat next to a seemingly proper business man who struck up a conversation with me. Before the plane even took flight, after finding out that I was traveling to Phu Quoc by myself, he suggested that we should trade phone numbers so that when we are in the island and he is done with his business, the two of us could grab some coffee together. Needless to say, that got uncomfortable real quick. I didn't really know how to refuse, so I gave him my number anyway, but ended the conversation at that. Once the seatbelt sign was off, I nonchalantly got up and moved to another empty row of seats and when the flight stopped, waited for him to get off first.

It wasn't anything that he did, but it was something in the way that the conversation went and ended up that I didn't feel comfortable with, and I didn't want to take any chances being so far away from any safety nests. The guy ended up calling me sometime later that day, I didn't pick up because I didn't hear my phone going off, but I listed him under "creepy airplane guy don't pick up" just for future reference.

Once I got off the airplane, I had a giant moment of "now what?". My planning only went as far as getting myself to the island, but I didn't plan anything else in term of hostels or transportation around. The nice Asian American guy was heading to a hotel and offered to get me a ride to the hotel so I can get a room there. Since my original plan for the trip was only to spend a day in the island and head back to the mainland later at night, I didn't want to do that. I wanted to find a ride out of the airport and check out some local sceneries.

A team of honda taxi/tour guides were outside the airport swamped over, and after a few seconds of contemplating, I agreed to a half island tour for about 400 VND, which is about $20. As the guide getting ready to get start, I joked "Please don't kidnap me and sell me to China". They didn't think it was that funny.

Tired of reading yet? No worries, the rest of the post is just full of pictures. I tend to get overzealous with pic posting...