Come for the View, Stay (Forever) in the Phu Quoc Immigration Line

When I originally booked my flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Phú Quốc, Việt Nam, I picked the very pleasant time of 2pm. This would allow me to sleep in, get breakfast, check-out, and head to the airport. Okay, in actuality, I had planned to take a bus 10 hours from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia, for two weeks to see Angkor Wat, but then Thailand closed the land border with Cambodia because the two countries are fighting over territory. So I, unfortunately, made the decision to skip Cambodia entirely and head straight to Vietnam. I don’t need any war zones in my life!

What is going on?

But then, two months ago, the airline changed my flight to 5pm. It’s not ideal but not horrible. I messaged the hotel in Phu Quoc to let them know the later check-in time. Then, two weeks ago, the flight changed to 6pm. What is going on? Is this about that Airbus software recall? Whatever. I contacted my hotel again. They are picking me up from the airport, so they definitely need to know. Then two days ago, the flight changed back to 5pm. I’m not contacting my hotel again! I’ll wait at the airport for the ride.

I won’t bore you yet again with all the packing details. Just know that I hate it, and it is even worse because both my backpack and carry-on are weighed together and the combined weight can’t be more than seven kilograms. That’s nothing! That’s like a standard bowling ball or a gallon of paint or a Cavapoo dog (this is for all my friends from the States who insist on measurements in anything but metric!). I basically only carry-on my medications and computer stuff… and a change of underwear in case things go terribly wrong.

A recent adventure by a friend to the airport using an “illegal taxi” that resulted in two hours of back-roading and latent fear of kidnapping (traffic is no joke here!), convinced me to instead use the delightful sky-train for my last trip in Bangkok. I have a station right next to my apartment, and the entire trip was very easy (thanks, Aussie and Portugal friends for all the advice!). Once at the airport, I found the line for tax refunds for large purchases, as my travel companion’s Apple Watch had recently gone kaput and he decided to get a new one rather than figure out repair and return while traveling.

Now we wait

After that, it was off to find the check-in counter for the flight… which doesn’t open for another hour. I had a rough guess about where the counter would be based on the airport monitors and tiny signs on the counters, but the monitors above the counters are blank. But after a while I notice that there is a subtle queue forming behind the ropes for the counters. Okay, I want that lounge after security, so I better get up and find a place.

Promptly three hours before the flight’s scheduled departure, the ropes open up and agents start manning the counters, but still no indication that this is the correct line. Hoping! Once I finally made it to the ropes, an older dude, who was clearly a heavy drinker, cut right in front of me. Here’s the thing… I should say something because he is not just cutting me, he is cutting everyone else who has been standing in this crazy long line.

But here is another thing… there are many countries in Europe (and Latin-America for that matter), where queueing is not the custom. Imagine going into a coffee shop and instead of the organized line of humans waiting to order that you are used to, you are instead greeted with a chaotic scene like you would at a crowded bar on a Saturday night. Your only hope of getting service is in catching the eye of the bartender.

The concept of not queueing can be hard for us Americans, who are so used to lining up that we sometimes get in lines for unknown things. “What’s this line for? I don’t know, but it must be good because look how long the line is!” I’ve had a lot of training in cultures that do not line up, and it becomes like a weird dance similar to crossing the street in Vietnam. It can feel harsh to cut off that old lady as she elbows her way in front of you at the counter or to get off the plane, but you have to stand your ground or you will never get anywhere.

To the lounge!

However, we are in Thailand, and they queue. This is apparent at the temples, in shops, at food courts, and most obviously to get on the Metro or Sky-trains. I’ve never seen such organization! But, I’m not going to elbow my way in front of this old guy who is clearly from an area that doesn’t queue because that could cause conflict, and we are going to be on the same flight together and he is definitely going to keep drinking. I can tell! Take a breath and let it pass.

Last pictures of Bangkok!

After checking in (they only weighed my carry-on and not my backpack, but I saw a couple of people have to check their backpack for being overweight, so there is that) and going through security (yes, sorry, I do have my liquids stashed in my jacket so I can carry on more weight), I make my way to the other side of the airport to get my tax refund. I will have to find a place to exchange these bahts for dongs in Vietnam (friends suggested gold retailers, which should be interesting).

Now to finally find the lounge! That’s the only reason I even go to airports. My flight is supposed to be taking off from the satellite wing, which requires another light-rail ride. It was a bit disconcerting when my ticket would not open the turnstile to let me on. The agent asked if I was going to Phu Quoc and manually overrode the machine. Um… something must be wrong with the computer system.

Finally, in the lounge!

The lounge is lovely with lots of gluten-free items for me to eat… plus fresh popcorn! And I get a great view of the terminal with a throng of Christmas carolers singing and walking up and down the corridors giving kids free tree ornaments. The only problem is that I have to exit the lounge to read the airport monitor. They usually have one in the room. Because I am lazy, I downloaded Thailand’s official airport app to check the status from my seat… to find out that my flight is delayed.

Guess I get more time in the lounge. Here’s the problem, the airport monitor outside the lounge still states that my flight is on time. What to do? I decide to leave the lounge when my flight should be boarding, just in case. Low and behold, there is no plane at my gate, but the monitor still annoyingly insists that it is on time. Then, a few minutes later, the agent tapes a piece of paper on the counter with the new proposed departure time (30 minutes from now). They must be having issues with the computer to revert to paper.

I do have a good time people-watching as a large group head to a shop to get more beers. I was unaware you could openly drink beer at the gate (I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t). They all pretty much fell asleep once onboard. The flight was only an hour, but the crew kept turning the lights off and on for whatever reason. Once on land, I got into probably the longest immigration line ever. I must say that I have never seen so many Russian passports in all my life. Snowbirds!

Same guy!

And then after about 20 minutes, that same guy who cut in line before, cut in line again with a group he clearly knew. Whatever. Baggage claim was interesting because my AirTag said my checked luggage was with me, but it clearly was not on the assigned carousel. But then I turned around and spotted it on a different carousel. At least customs was easy-peasie, and I found my hotel’s driver in the sea of taxi and Grab drivers outside the airport.

Once at the hotel, and connecting with the host, the host helped me get change for the driver as he had to be paid in cash. Luckily, I still had money from my last adventures in Vietnam. But I handed him 300 dong instead of 250 and there was a lot of confusion because this is not a tipping culture. I’m pretty sure the host basically told him I’m an American, we’re bad at math or something, we insist on overpaying, and just to keep the money. But he helped me with my luggage, so he should get an extra $2 USD? No… lock it down! It just causes confusion and messes with the local economy.

You can’t imagine how surprised I was when I got to my room. I reserved a lower floor with a view of the parking lot because it was cheaper. But what I got was a top floor with a view of the entire Gulf of Thailand and The Kiss Bridge! In front of which I get three water shows a day, two of which have fireworks! OMGah!

Sunset Town

I’m at the top of the beach resort of Sunset Town, which is a recent addition to the island of Phu Quoc. It’s only about eight blocks long by four blocks wide. The entire town is Italian themed with smaller versions of the Colosseam, Roman statues, Spanish Steps, The Thinking Man, an Alps Chateau, etc… It’s a mix between Las Vegas, Disneyland, and an abandoned mall as 80% of the hotel rooms and shops are empty (as observed and overheard by a passing tour guide).

The land is starting to take back the empty spaces. And yet massive amounts of construction is happening all over. It’s incredibly strange. Plus, it looks like a beach town, but one beach is not for swimming due to “sharp rocks” and the other beach is by paid entrance or residence at the fancy hotel. There is a free shuttle to another beach that was quite nice, but it’s not what I was expecting.

Sunset Town is located in the city An Thới, which is historically infamous for being the location of the Coconut Tree Prison, aka “hell on earth” during the Vietnam War. The grounds have now been converted into a history museum so us humans don’t forget. However, the real reason I’m here is a friend recommended I visit, and the island has the longest over-ocean aerial cable car in the world, which is also the longest three-cable system in the world. You know I love me some gondolas! I’m in!!! But that is a story for another day. Stay tuned!