Serious Destination: Phu Quoc Island

 After my somewhat self imposed exile on Koh Phangan, I traveled north back to Bangkok, a 12 hour trek by boat and bus.  The following morning I flew to Viet Nam, where I spent a week on Phu Quoc, the country’s largest island located southwest of the mainland in the Gulf of Thailand.  I arrived in Phu Quoc after a 50 minute flight from Ho Chi Minh City to a brand new international airport that opened less than a month ago. The island appears to have a fast growing tourism sector though it is still quite undeveloped, possessing dense emerald coloured forests, the Ham Ninh sandstone chain of mountains and small vibrant fishing villages. Here you’ll find long quiet stretches of sugary sand combined with temperate water that is both turquoise and tranquil.  It’s naturally a wonderful place for water activities like snorkeling, sea kayaking or diving.  It’s also a great place to do a whole lot of relaxing in a hammock with a good book and of course…you can also cruise around the red dirt roads on a motorbike.

Road near the national park

 My friend rented a Sirius motorbike and we immediately personified the bike, referring to her as “Sirius” (or perhaps the spelling should be “Serious”.)  

Here she is....It's Serious!

During a long afternoon ride on one of the aforementioned roads, Serious suffered a punctured tire. It wasn’t long before we were taken in by a local family who realized our predicament and gave us rides to their home to fix the tire. It’s really amazing how much you can communicate with hand signals, a vocabulary limited to a couple of words and stick figures drawn on a map.  In the process of the tire repair, we were each offered numerous shots of homemade rice whiskey accompanied with fragrant leaves and thick slices of boiled sea snail.  The kindness and generosity extended to us that afternoon turned Serious’ wounded tire experience into one of my sweetest travel memories.

If you’re planning a trip to Southeast Asia in the near future, I highly recommend adding Phu Quoc to your itinerary. With all of the extensive development plans, the island is certain to be a very different place within 2 years.

Inside Phu Quoc's New International Airport

My 1st meeting w/ Serious

A Long Beach Restaurant at Sunset

The Seafood Selection at Dinh Cau Night Market

Banh Mi Vendor Near Sao Beach

In the Jungle with Myself on Koh Phangan

Spontaneity, it’s one of the things that I love about travel.  It’s in those moments when you encounter the unexpected that you’re given a gentle reminder of just how resilient you are.  I had taken a solo detour south to Koh Phangan, an island in the Gulf of Thailand that is famous worldwide for its Full Moon parties which draw 8,000 – 10.000 revelers on a monthly basis. The island itself has an almost mysterious air to it that I can’t quite put my finger on.  The landscape possesses a magnetic pull that seems as equally beautiful as it is dangerous.  I was there during an off time from the full moon event and had the opportunity to meet many locals who were amazingly friendly.  I also met several individuals from all over the world who told me tales of how they had succumbed to the island’s vortex and were either now permanently living there or spending several months there each year.

And so it was that I found myself in the Jungle.

I made a plan to spend an afternoon in Than Sadet, a beach area near the eastern tip of the island that can be easily reached by boat from Haad Thian. I was told that there was a road that ran north to the area from Thong Sala, a popular area on the southern coast of the island full of guesthouses, bungalows and boutiques.  I was also forewarned about the condition of the roads should I attempt to make the trek by motorbike.  Naturally, I opted for the roads and the motorbike rather than taking the boat route. 

The ride was quite exhilarating. The paved road soon gave way to dirt and I found myself surrounded by the jungle in all of its gorgeous hues of green and lush rolling mountains in the distance.  The road was quite uneven, at times like a treacherous path of crevices that sometimes dipped more than 2 feet.  I would walk the bike up the hills between the crevices and then I would ride down, maintaining my balance on the bike while navigating the uneven gravel.  The jungle, dotted sporadically with tall slender swaying palms, was vibrant and moist. The wind was softly blowing through my hair. This was exactly what I was looking for. 

With a bit of effort, I made my way to Than Sadet beach where I spent the day climbing through a small cave and up several flights of concrete stairs to find an astonishing view of the surrounding area.  It had taken me close to an hour to travel by road from Thong Sala, so I planned to head back around 4:15 in order to make it back before sunset.

I began to head back along the same road and after about 30 minutes, I realized that I didn’t recognize my surroundings.  There were leaves and foliage growing through the road, something that I didn’t remember seeing on my way in.  I noticed that there weren’t any vehicle tracks on the road.  I was going the wrong direction.  I turned around and pushed the motorbike back up the hill that I had just ridden down.  At times the wheels of the motorbike would grind in place as I tried to push the bike over the gaping holes in the uneven dirt. 

I found my way back to what seemed to be a slight intersection in the path and this time I veered to the road slightly to the left.  After another 20 – 30 minutes, I passed a pile of coconuts across the street from a thatched roof structure.  Again, I noticed that there weren’t any vehicle tracks on the road and soon foliage was growing through the dirt in the path in front of me.  I was on the wrong road again.  I turned around and with sore arms, began pushing the motorbike back up the hill. The bike slipped from my grasp and fell to the right of one of the crevices as I slid to the left braking my fall with my hands.  My hands were throbbing in pain and I looked down to find them slightly bleeding.  At this point my mind began to race. ”My hands are bleeding a bit….I’m not sure which road to take. My liter bottle of water is not quite ¼ full and it’s going to be dark soon…”

A small snake then slithered its way in front of me.  It was about a foot long and was the width of an electrical cord, but nonetheless it was a snake.  I can be pretty intrepid and at times friends and relatives have even referred to me as ‘fearless’, but if there’s one thing I have an absolute unnatural fear of… snakes.  I stood frozen in the gravel.  I could only hear the quickening of my heart beat, which was deafening in my ears.

”It’s getting dark and I’m in the jungle….and there are snakes….”

“There aren’t even any tire tracks. How long would it be before anyone finds me?!”

“OK, Breathe….Breathe….”  

Sweat was slowly trickling from the back of my neck down the middle of my back as I tried to calm myself by repeating the mantra that I had been given.   My arms were lightly shaking as I continued pushing the motorbike back up the hill.  I once again found the intersection and I pulled out the compass app on my iPhone which confirmed that the road veering furthest to the left was headed south.  I proceeded along this path and soon enough I spotted a grey truck on the road heading towards me.  As I approached the window of the truck I asked the driver “Thong Sala?” while pointing to the path in front of me and wishing that I spoke more Thai. 

Yes” he replied, motioning for me to turn right at the end of the road. 

“Kapoon ka!” I said with a large smile of relief.

The uneven dirt soon returned to a paved road of comfort that took me back to the civilization of a Thong Sala beach lounge restaurant where I had gone for lunch the day before.  In the back of the lounge facing the beach is an intricate network of tree houses.  The conversations amongst the clientele seemed to always be in mixtures of English, Thai, Swedish and Japanese.  I ordered an orange pineapple shake and shared some laughs about my day long journey with my rented motorbike. 

“Is this your first time to Koh Phangan,” the bartender asked.

“I’ve been to Thailand before, but yes it’s my first time on this island,” I responded.

“Ah, you’ll be back,” he said with a smile as he handed me my drink.  Soon after, everyone in the lounge seemed to pause to witness the sun as it began to set over the sea. I found a peaceful solace observing the sun as it bled itself across the horizon, leaving the sky streaked in fiery shades of orange. It was in that moment that I began to look forward to my return trip to this island.

A January Sunset on Koh Phangan

The Visa on Arrival

The Grounds of Wat Pho

I had initially planned to stay in Bangkok for a maximum of one week and now it’s been a full 10 days.  As we waited for visa approval letters for Viet Nam during the holiday period, one day easily became two, which naturally became three.

I think after a couple of trips here, I’ve finally managed to fully grasp the concept of allowing myself to become a part of the traffic when crossing the street.  The traffic here is a sort of friendly chaos that makes crossing the street part instinctive, part intuition and all confidence that the approaching vehicles will effortlessly swerve around you if need be.  Everything is to be taken one lane at a time.

Khaosan Road at Night

The locations where we’ve stayed so far have been in close proximity to Khaosan Road, a well developed backpacker haven somewhat known for its debauchery.  Every evening the street explodes in bright collisions of colorful lights, with the bass lines of several dance tracks grooving at different intervals from the bars on the sidewalk and right now there’s no escaping ‘Gangnam Style’. It can be fun, but too much of a good thing can be an assault to the senses.  In contrast, a short ride on the Chao Phraya River will bring you to Wat Pho, where you can immerse yourself in the peaceful atmosphere while visiting the place where the largest reclining Thai Buddha resides.  It’s also possible partake in a massage at the excellent massage school on the premises.  I was fortunate to take a private long boat through several undulating curves of the city’s canal network and along the way had the chance to dangle bits of bread with my fingers into the water from the side of the boat to feed a large population of thick plump grey catfish with hungry oblong mouths.

Usually when the term ‘visa on arrival’ is used, it means that the entry visa is stamped in your passport at immigration when you arrive at a border with little preparation beforehand.  Although the visa for Viet Nam is consistently referenced as a visa on arrival, what I didn’t realize is that this visa is really a pre-arranged one.  This means that we had to obtain approval letters beforehand to be presented when entering immigration in order to obtain the actual tourist visa.  The visa approval letter did eventually arrive by email and I was very much looking forward to traveling to Ho Chi Minh City today only to be told this morning that my flight had been cancelled.

Inside the Long Boat

With yet another added day in Bangkok, I took the opportunity to revisit the Chao Phraya River. Gently rocked in the river’s bosom, I slowly fell into a light slumber amidst the sound of the water.  Although the boat was swaying, the surroundings today seemed eerily still as even the wind seemed to hold its breath.  I’m anticipating what tomorrow will bring and I’m quite certain that I’ll finally be on the way to my next destination.  In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the stockpile of mangosteens that I’ve gathered…those small dark purple coloured fruits with thick skin and citrusy flavor.  Like Bangkok, these delightful balls of perfection are slightly sour and incredibly sweet at the same time.