Mango's, mopeds, Duong Dong and Mai House
Trip Start
Jul 10, 2008
1
15
20
Trip End
Jul 10, 2011
Phu Quoc Island,
Vietnam
Monday, December 15, 2008
The Vietnamese are a conservative people and we didn't see any of the locals wearing shorts or low cut tops for the trip to this tropical paradise. I wonder if it would be different on the island!
Our plane was a small prop plane, Erica looked at it with a little trepidation but it got us to our destination safe and sound. We flew over the Mekong Delta, it seemed like I lot of the land was flooded, I'm not sure if this was true and this was the rice paddies or I was just seeing things.
Flying over Phu Quoc we could see it was quite a hilly little island. It is 48km long and rather thin. We could also see Cambodia close by, it's closer to Cambodia than Vietnam and they lay claim to it. Another war just waiting to happen!
Our hotel was a short taxi ride away through the town of Duong Dong, a bustling fishing port. We had splashed out for a beach view, although we were set back a little and the bar/restaurant was where the prime view was. We were also a little close to a fence that went over into a little valley and a poo stream
Erica on Beach
. It was fine but we did get the occasional whiff coming up our way if the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. If you stay at Mai House I'd recommend a room on the right when looking towards the sea. We checked out the restaurant and had some nice fried squid in a sweet tamarind sauce while we waited for our room to be ready. Flowers on the bed were definitely a nice touch.The local massage girls were calling us from afar but it looks like they had strict orders not come on any of the beach area right in front of Mai House that I'm sure would save us some hassle in our time here.
We had some lovely breezes coming of the sea where we were and during our short stay it seemed like it would be stronger early morning, easing off in the afternoons and evenings.
The place was a family run business but Gerard, a Parisian, seemed like the main driving force behind the business. He was married to a Vietnamese lady, I think this is the only way foreigners can own a small business in Vietnam. We had noticed a few other French names when looking for hotels though and I think there were a few French ex-pats around.
After Erica had dipped her feet in the Gulf of Thailand, part of the South China Sea we were ready for a walk south down the beach. Man that girl loves the sea J We made it up to the Thousand Stars Resort, past a bunch of other beach front hotels and bars. It was all a very relaxing atmosphere and the palm tree lined beach was spectacular
Duong Dong Harbour
. The Thousand Star Resort brought you back down to earth with a bang; plaster animals and naked mermaids, true tack, Blackpool would be proud.The next day to our surprise we found we had a buffet breakfast. Bread, jam, coffee, cereal, multiple fruit juices. I have to say I was a bit disappointed with my coffee - I'd got use to my Vietnamese stuff and the coffee here seemed more like one of Gerard's French varieties J We also got a plate of eggs and bacon in some combination, omelette, on toast, boiled etc. as part of the deal. There was lots of fruits, banana, mango, pineapple but there was one that we have seen in the markets in Darwin and weren't sure what it was. It was pink on the outside and white with black spots on the inside. It turned out be a Green Dragon Fruit and very tasty it was!
After breakfast we took a scooter to go and explore the island a bit. After braving the busy streets of Duong Dong town centre and a few wrong turns we managed to get on the road north. It was road works and red sand and the first few kms were big trucks coming past throwing dirt and dust everywhere. The white shirt I was wearing had definitely been a bad idea! There was also some loose sand that the front wheel kept hitting and sliding away from us. It was Erica's first ever scooter ride! After a bit of apprehension at first I think she came to rather like razzing around on it! Gerard hadn't helped the cause, even though he rented us the bike he kept going on about death on the roads and giving us dire warning about having no insurance and no licence and having to pay bribes to the police! He followed those warning up with horror stories about the boat ride back to the mainland, how rough it was and the Vietnamese not travelling well and throwing up everywhere
Mango's
. Funny as the sea even of the western side of the island was like a millpond! That guy was definitely a pessimist.Erica had wanted to go to Mango's, another eco tourist resort that had been recommended and check it out. We unfortunately missed our junction but did end up in this cool little fishing town. The wooden bridge we went over with no sides dropping down into the water was a bit scary. We parked the bike up on the crest of the bridge and got off to take a few pictures. Funny how things work but because the bridge had no sides I kept having to look back to see if the scooter had fallen in to the river!
We continued on up the coast along these long unbroken beaches and stopped at some resort at the head of the bay for a cool down drink. I thought I'd try the winter mellon and see what it was like; Erica stuck with a safe 7UP. That will teach me to be adventurous! It tasted so foul we dug a small hole in the sand and poured it in when the owners weren't looking so as not to offend!
We did find Mango's on the way back. The resort looked very nice. Very rustic raised up cabins with it's own beach. We had to go to the restaurant to try the lemon grass shrimp stir fry that Erica's friend had recommended and it sure was tasty. It was a bit pricey, but I guess when you own a restaurant with captive hotel guests and no other places in walking distance you can charge a little extra.
There were lots of birds around and we did get to see these cool hornbills with white beaks up in the trees
fishing village
. We had a swim before heading back to the bike. The water was so clear here. I tried to sneak a pee on the roadside close to the bikes but was caught by one of the resort staff! He kindly pointed me to the toilet - the backside of a small wooden building close by! I should have just gone a little further into the bushes to start with!Gerard had put us off the boat and we stopped at Vietnam Airlines main office to book a flight to Rach Gia for two days time. It was a strange place with 5 girls all sat there, not doing too much but facing forwards. After 5 minutes of enquiring about times, prices, dates, availability we said we'll book. Too late the girl turned around and said sorry we're closed! It was 5pm and time for the 5 girls to leave! Crazy, but they did point us towards a hotel where we could book our flight and told us to turn off the light switch as we left and they all rushed out to their bikes!
We headed down to the lighthouse in Duong Dong where the harbour empties into the sea. We could see all the squid boats leaving for the evening with their big spotlights. We can see these shining out on the horizon at nighttime from our beachfront restaurant.
After walking north up the beach that evening looking for a restaurant we decided to return to the safety of Mai House for dinner. It was a nice little walk though and the bioluminescence we could see out in the water was a new experience for me. Out of all the fantastic seafood dished available I plumped for hamburger and Erica for tasty crispy rice. Talk about adventurous!
Next day was 'rip off massage day'. It was 60,000 dong or $4US for a one-hour massage. We were a bit green though and one lady started rubbing our feet with a pumice stone and another lady had some cotton she was using to remove hair from Erica's lower leg. These turned out to be extras and our 120,000 for 2 massages became 370,000 dong! We didn't say anything but I'm onto those ladies now J
Not too much else going on that day part from a little uneventful snorkelling with our only creatures being a few 8-legged starfish!
We had happy hour and sundowners up the beach but return to Mai House for our final din dins.
