Bubbles on the Balcony, Chaos on the Cable Car, Why I’m Not Allowed Near Washing Machines in Phu Quoc

Gondola! The longest three-cable system in the entire world! The longest over-ocean aerial cable car on this planet! Yes, please. This is the main reason I made my way to Sunset Town on Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam. Where do I buy tickets? There are a ton of tour operators who will sell you admission for inflated prices, or you can wait in line to buy directly from the cable car station (which is designed like the Roman Colosseum). But wait, if you buy the tickets online from the cable car app, you can save 5%. Done!

Amusement park…

Here’s the thing… the aerial cable car takes guests to Sun World, which is a fancy amusement park being built on the island of Hon Thom (Pineapple Island!). You can’t just buy tickets for the gondola. The tickets sold are for entrance to the park, and you ride the gondola for free. All told, about $28 USD. Whatever, I’m in! I get up all early and eat leftovers from the night before. It’s weird not having Vietnamese Pho for breakfast, but I suffer through it, then walk to the station.

I’m definitely glad I bought tickets already because that line is pretty long. I skip that one and head to the line for the cable cars, which is moving pretty fast. There are signs everywhere stating that you can’t bring outside food or drink of any kind to the park, including water, so I’m really surprised when they don’t check my bag filled with an empty water bottle, swimsuit, towel, hat, and sun-shirt. You mean I could have filled up that water bottle and brought snacks!?!

The aerial cable cars are way bigger than I thought they would be and can fit up to 30 people. Luckily, only about 20 get on, and then off we go into the air. The ride is absolutely spectacular! I, one-hundy, squeed with other families (eyes all wide) each time the gondola jostled over the towers. It’s so-so-so-so high up! The views are amazing. I already feel like I have gotten my money’s worth.

Where to?

Once out of the cable car, and after getting pictures in front of the island’s letters, I head directly to the toilet. My intestines are very sensitive and are rejecting breakfast. Too rich and too much salt. I should have gone out for Pho. Luckily, Sun World has very nice, free bathrooms all over the park. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have been surprised. It’s probably a really bad idea to not provide free bathrooms at a water park. What they don’t have are potable water refill stations, and I kick myself for not filling up my water bottle before I left the hotel.

Sun World is actually two parks in one. They have amusement park rides (like a giant wooden roller coaster and lots of spinning rides) and all the water park rides (like slides and a lazy river). Both parks are still under construction and there is a lot of that going on, but they have done a good job hiding most of it. The bathrooms and changing rooms are very nice, and there are outdoor showers everywhere. It’s very well thought out.

So I’m lazily walking around and people-watching with the idea of eventually finding a shaded lounger in the water park. Here’s the thing… it looks like lounger culture here is much like at all-inclusive resorts and on cruise ships. You get there first thing, drop your stuff (usually spread over multiple loungers), and then wander off, your stuff claiming the loungers for the rest of the day. I just assumed that people would remove their items from the chairs when not in use so that others could use the loungers. WTF is wrong with people!?!

Now what?

Every single lounger has stuff on it. It’s not very considerate. Whatever. I find a perfectly good log to perch on so that I can watch people go by in the Lazy River. There is this little old lady actively scrolling away on her cell phone while floating around on an inner tube. There are actually quite a few people on cell phones. Fascinating! Then some dude floats by, fully asleep. I make up stories about their lives and how they got to this point. I could do this all day, but I need liquids.

The park entrance pass came with a free beer, so I head over to a coffee shop and enjoy an iced coffee topped with homemade coconut ice cream and shaved, toasted coconut (I could die, it is so good!) while my travel companion enjoys a local brew. The statues around the cafe are so much fun. There is a shark-dinosaur thing that demands humans put their heads in its mouth for photos. That is fun to watch!

After that, I head out of the water park to go people-watch at the amusement park, when I spot a sign for the beach. I think once the park is complete, you will be able to walk to the beach, but for now, there is a significant amount of construction to navigate over and around. So the park provides a buggy for free! The beach is practically deserted and it’s surrounded by many large, brand-new, empty buildings, which is fascinating.

The coconut iced coffee has completed its journey, so I head out to find a restroom. The bathrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms for the beach are all still under construction, but there is a swimming pool that might be operational. I take advantage of a bathroom the construction workers are using and head back. I can definitely see how this is going to be really big and popular in a few years’ time. For now, I get my pick of any shaded lounger I want. They have kayaks and life vests for free, and the people and boat watching in the Gulf of Thailand is great. The lifeguard whistles dramatically if you try to swim outside the flags. This is the life!

To lunch

I don’t know enough about Vietnamese culture to know if they queue, but a lot of European countries do not, so it was a mad dash to find a seat on the buggy to get back to Sun World Park. I just relaxed and waited for the next buggy that came, like, two seconds later. The new buggy driver was speedy and got us back before that first packed one. Ha!

The aerial cable car back to the island of Phu Quoc had way fewer humans. With no line, some families were just riding the gondola around and around. Should I do that? No… I’m hungry. I wasn’t willing to pay the $12 USD for the buffet lunch at the park. There is no way I can eat $12 worth of food (an entire bowl of Beef Pho with all the fixings costs $2 USD here), and I do not trust how long that buffet food has been sitting out in the hot tropical sun.

Plus, I really want Bun Cha at this restaurant in Sunset Town. It’s so good. So after enjoying the aerial cable car with a couple of families, all taking a ton of pictures, I said goodbye and headed to a late lunch. But my day is not over yet!

Kiss Bridge!

You know what else you get included with your Sun World tickets? You get tickets to The Kiss Bridge, same-day only! In the morning, I get to watch couple after couple heading up there to get photos taken without the crowds. But by evening, that bridge was packed. And now I know why. People get off the gondola and head straight for the bridge. I have been enjoying the water shows and fireworks in front of Kiss Bridge from the comfort of my balcony, but it’s time to join the throng.

I used my ticket to get onto Kiss Bridge at around dusk and was surprised that my timing was perfect, the first water show of the evening was just beginning. They have electric surfboards, hydro-jets, and jet-skies and there are lots of flips and swoops and waving to the crowds. It’s really cute and fun. After, I head on up to get a glimpse of people kissing in the middle of the bridge.

The kiss part of The Kiss Bridge doesn’t go all the way across the water. There is a gap where lovers or friends embrace for luck (or the Instas!). So before you get there, you have to split off from your person, and one of you has to go the long way to the other side. If you want pictures, you have to have a third person stationed somewhere for those. In the morning, I watch people do fun things like run toward the gap and kiss in the middle, but in the evening, you have to wait in line with everyone else.

Is there a line?

Well, some countries queue and some countries don’t, so it’s a chaotic line-ish thing. Let me tell you, it was fun people-watching. Some lady suddenly realized she didn’t have anyone down on the lower bridge to take her picture once she made it to the gap. Some other couple handed their phone to a random child who hung it over the open ocean to get a shot of them kissing. That’s trust!

I waited and people watched and eyed my friend across the gap as we slowly made our way to the gap. Then, when it was clearly our turn, some couple cut in. Nope! We swooped into their shot, embraced, and quickly went in opposite directions without pulling out our phones. Sorry, peeps! No pics for you. I did get some nice shots of the sunset, though. What an exciting adventure!

I should end this article here, but I have one more fun short-story for you. In my travels, I tend to find useful things, such as hair-ties, socks (left in a hotel), and an absolutely ridiculous number of Jibbitz shoe charms for Crocs (Kenny from South Park, half a cooked chicken, a blue flower, and a Jolly Roger). Crocs shoes are really popular here, with just about every other shop selling them. Some clearly trademark-infringing third-party with extra C’s.

So it’s no surprise that I would look behind the washing machine on my balcony. What did I find? A single arm sun-sleeve, a dirty cloth, and… a pair of brightly colored floral trousers. It took some effort to fish out the items using chopsticks and broom handles, but I managed. I disposed of the first two items and almost tossed the pants due to their crunchy nature. They were covered in a white crust that was clearly paint, plaster, or mold.

They were, however, my size, so I decided to throw them in the front-loading washing machine on my balcony with a tiny bit of soap. Within minutes, the window of the machine was completely filled with soap-suds. A few minutes more and the suds were seeping out of the soap dispenser and running down the front of the washer. Um… I guess I figured out what the white powder was on the pants!

Did I just break this washer?

I scooped out some of the suds, but it still took probably 15 rinse-spin-drain-spin cycles to get all the soap out. But now I have a wonderful new pair of pants that fit me perfectly! And I match the local Aunties wandering about. Definitely worth the effort, but I should have rinsed the trousers in the shower or something first. I’m glad I didn’t mess up the washing machine. Yes, I did get a rash from the waste-band after the first outing with the new digs, but after another full wash with other clothes, I have had no issues.

Weird tourist behaviors as seen from my balcony:

1. Hours of videos and photos taken at the pool. Who is going to watch those? Is this vlogging or for the Instas or people getting paid for sexy photos? I have questions!
2. Washing shoes in the pool. I’ve seen multiple people do this. Why not use the shower so the dirt goes down the drain? Most people take off their shoes before entering a home. Why take them to the pool? The pool is a closed system. It’s not a river. Gross.
3. Spitting off the rooftop. There are people eating at cafes and walking around below you. Gross.
4. Ball games on the rooftop (17 stories up). Again, there are people on the street below you. This is a safety hazard.
5. There are two types of people who use the pool: those who worship the sun and want to get as burnt as possible, and those who do not want even the slightest of tans. I’ve seen everything from budgie-smugglers to full head-to-toe sun protection gear. It’s fascinating.
6. Using the safety rings as play floaty devices. Safety hazard! What if that ring is needed to save someone from drowning? The lifeguards don’t seem to mind, so I guess I shouldn’t either? It’s an adventure!