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

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.