21 December 2011 – Kep to Phu Ouoc Island
Got up early as we were taking a “shortcut” to the Vietnemese border and weren't sure it would actually take less time. The ferry from Ha Tien to Phu Quoc Island left at 1:00 so we wanted to make sure we made it through the border and there in time.
We saw four cycle tourists heading the other way. Each time waved and said hello. The guy we saw at the border gave us a Vietnemese phrasebook which we were pretty stoked about.
Casino in between the border of Cambodia and Vietnam
Entering Vietnam
It was crazy as we crossed the border and now we were in Vietnam! There was no transition zone...no slowly changing from Cambodian to Vietnemese. The peoples attitudes, driving style, language (obviously), and appearance were strikingly different. Not to mention the landscape was now hilly. It left me wondering “How do people that live so close become so different?
It's very interesting because in Europe the border towns really have a feel of both cultures but here that wasn't the feeling.
Once we got money we headed to the riverside looking for the ferry terminal. It happened to be on the other side of a bridge.
It's funny because entering a new country has implications that I never had thought about before. How do I say hello? Is that a restaurant? How do I say bathroom. It's funny the things I once took for granted as being simple tasks that can take long periods of time to figure out.
Anyway we bought our ferry ticket, had lunch and then went and had a coffee. Lucky coffee is very similar in most languages! It was a nice introduction to Vietnam.
Ferry
Fun on the ferry...trying to do the awesome Cambodian korma wrap
Epic Fail!
After the ferry it was a dusty 20 km ride to Duong Dong. It seems every road we were taking was in the middle of construction.
We found our guesthouse quite quickly. The best part was that as we arrived the ice cream man came by and we got a scoop of ice cream with evaporated milk and peanuts on top! I had one of these in Phnom Penh and was hoping that I would find another some day!
boats in Phu Quoc harbor
picking through the catch
We went and found soup for 1st dinner and then were excited by the setting up of the night market as we knew we would have 2nd dinner of fresh seafood later. And that was exactly what we did. Oysters, scallops, shrimp, and grilled eggplant and seafood were the choices of the day.
22 December 2011 – Phu Quoc
We went for a snorkeling trip today. We were picked up at 8:30 to go down to the boat and get in two sessions of diving plus some time for fishing. On the way to the boat we stopped at the pearl farm where they showed us how they harvest the peals.
The snorkeling was fun. The second spot had more fish and different coral formations. It was a fun filled day and the lunch that was provided was a good selection plus fruit for dessert.
Once again ended up heading to the night market. This time for a giant snail, bbq squid, clams w/ lemongrass, and more scallops. It's great to eat such fresh seafood!
23 December 2011 – Phu Quoc
Today John and I went our seperate ways to see/do what we wanted. I wanted a leisurely ride around the island with stops at beaches or where ever. While John was looking for a hard day of riding.
I started by going on what I knew to be a deadend road. It took me to the northside of Duong Dong and meandered until it finally became a single dirt track, this lead to a litter filled beach. I wandered along the beach hoping that I would find another little path to take but that was not the case so I had to go back the way I came. A lady I met told me how to get to the main road without backtracking so I was heading that way when 3 boys about ten years old or younger offered to lead me. I was confused by what was going on but let them lead me on the only path there was...of course when we got to the mainroad they asked for commission for showing me the path...I politely declined, mostly because I didn't have any small bills and headed on. Now they tried to get me to turn the wrong way...sorry little dudes I know my directions.
The road north was a nice wide paved road for 15 km or so. I realized I missed the coast road I was planning on taking but knew I could decide to loop back on that if I didn't feel like going further east. Shortly the road turned to rough, loose gravel and I was glad for Mabel with her fat tires.
The roadway came to yet more road construction but just prior to it there were two boys on the side of the road. The younger one put out his thumb for a ride...and before I knew it I had my first fare on Carissa's Taxi Service! We both laughed as I'm sure he didn't expect to be on a Falang's bicycle and I for sure did not expect a passenger on my rack. I had to have him get off so I could get through the bridge construction but then he hoped back on and I left him at his home a short ways up. He then asked for a pen...which I did have one in the bottom of my bag and gave to him. Cheeky one...not only got a free ride but a pen!! (Guess that's what I get for not paying my earlier guides.)
Kept heading down the road he lived on where a nice beach was waiting for me to enjoy. Had to have a chat with a young french boy prior enjoying a swim. It was definitely an interesting couple of hours.
Ate and drank at the beach and then slowly meandered my way back on the coast road. Stopping to go through villages and almost getting to take the coast all the way back but a bridge was out and by the time I made it back to the main road I was too lazy to back track to the coast.
And right when I got back to the guesthouse what do I hear? The beautiful tinkling of the ice cream man! So I got a perfect little treat for making it home.
All in all it was a great day of wandering.
No comments:
Post a Comment