Mrs. ItchyFeet Did you know that Phú Quốc, Việt Nam is world renowned for its pearls? I didn’t either, but I certainly do now! There are loads of pearl farms and shops selling both freshwater and saltwater varieties. The first fancy-pants shop I visited sold necklaces starting at $1000 USD and ending at a whopping $15,000 USD for this gorgeous saltwater black pearl necklace that the salesperson graciously showed me, knowing full well it was above my price range. I ended up shopping for friends and family at the stalls in the Duong Dong Night Market at a more reasonable $20 USD range. The vendors take fire to the pearls and scratch mirrors with them to show they are real! Let the adventures begin.
To the beach!
After my adventures in all things Sunset Town, it was time to move someplace less Disneyland and more beachy. The new location is only 30 minutes towards the center of the island, but the change is drastic. I feel like I’m back in Việt Nam with all the delicious-smelling foods and motorcycles zipping past on the sidewalks. Plus, the beach is walking distance and really quite lovely.
I found the most amazing bungalow not far from Dương Đông, Phú Quốc. Each unit has a big porch that overlooks the swimming pool, so I get to read books and people-watch all day long if I want. All the neighbors are amazing, and I have a wonderful time chatting with them. I even went out to the bar one evening with a wonderful Czech family, and I hardly ever go out at night! We had a great time.
The bungalows are also nice because they have a shared kitchen with pots, pans, and dishes. The grocery store sells these fat, ready-to-eat tapioca and rice flour noodles. Mix those with some Szechuan sauce, smoked chicken bits, and veggies, and I’m a happy camper. I’m well aware that most meals at the local restaurants only cost about $2 USD, but making my own food is fun and saves me a dollar. The cost of living is really nice here!
Is it raining?
The really interesting thing about the bungalow is that there is a garden in the bathroom, complete with a hole in the roof. Luckily, they put mosquito netting up. Otherwise the pesky mozzies would get me during my after-coffee-poo. There is a large window in the bedroom that overlooks the bathroom and the garden, and it is very fun to see it raining into the bathroom! With that garden in the bathroom, I just assumed there would be cockroaches because this is the tropics. But with geckos and skinks and a bunch of baby chickens running around eating all the bugs, I haven’t seen a single one!
Phú Quốc is a small island in the Gulf of Thailand near Cambodia. It’s so close to Cambodia that I’m really surprised it belongs to Việt Nam. While trying to get the neighbor’s dogs, as well as some dogs at the local restaurants, to allow me to give them skritches, I discovered that Phú Quốc has its very own breed of (mostly) domestic dog. The Phu Quoc Ridgeback. Legend has it that if you remove the dog from the island, you must feed it bits of sand from here, or the dog will die! It’s probably not true, but I will not adopt any cute puppies just to be on the safe side!
I came for the world-famous aerial cable car. But the island also hosts a number of amusement parks and is also popular for scuba diving and snorkeling. I’m in! I found a company that looks respectable and messaged them directly to book a pickup and tour. They were very prompt, and I was one of the first people to be picked up. I had a wonderful time touring the island as we picked up more and more people.
At one point, the guide sitting next to the driver was talking loudly on the phone to a woman who boarded the wrong tour van. The guide kept asking the woman to give her phone to her driver so he could direct her driver in Vietnamese. It was a process, as English was not her first language, and he repeated, multiple times, “Give the phone to the driver.” After the driver and him talked, she got back on the phone and he told her that the driver knows where to drop her off and to stay there, review the picture of the van he sent earlier, and to make sure she gets on the correct van this time. He’ll be there in 30 minutes. We managed to get her into the van, eventually.
I’m absolutely floored at how many buildings on this island are brand new but completely empty. Some are still being actively worked on, but most are empty and some are starting to grow large plants inside them. And yet more are being built. Fascinating! Once at the boat dock, we all start walking toward this massive party boat (it’s called ‘party boat’ so I know), and I’m getting increasingly concerned that I got in the wrong van. They never did ask my name. I just jumped into the first black van that pulled up at the designated time. How awkward would that be!?!
Party boat?
So we all board the party boat only to walk through it to our actual dive boat attached to the other side. This looks more like it. Within minutes we are off, slowly weaving our way under the aerial cable cars, through the various islands to the south of Phú Quốc. It’s very pretty.
Fresh fruit is available and plated on the tables, and I let this German guy sitting next to me know that the tiny bananas here in Việt Nam are amazingly delicious. With a flourish, he produces a couple rambutans (the hairy cousin of the lychee) from his bag and offers one to me. Yes, please! After that delightful treat, he offers me a longan berry, asking if I’d tried one before. I have, and yes, I would like another. People are so nice.
After a bit, one of the guides gives us all a briefing in English, and only English. The Vietnamese family from Hà Nội sitting on my other side is clearly not happy about this. The briefings should be in English (bridge language) and Vietnamese (local language). With that, the scuba people start setting up all their gear. I’m a snorkel person, so I can just relax and people watch.
You know what you absolutely should not do immediately before scuba diving or snorkeling? Put on sunblock! It should be put on at least 30 minutes before going in the water (otherwise it just washes off), and hopefully not used at all unless it is ‘reef-safe’. Sigh. Grumble. Grumble. After the divers jump into the cool Gulf of Thailand waters, I head in following my snorkel guide. He said to stick with him or we could get swept away to Cambodia (like, for real!).
That kid can’t swim
So many fishes and anemones and corals and even squids! I’ve spent so much time snorkeling by myself that I’ve forgotten how to snorkel with other people. Really, I tried sticking with the group, but the guide was trying to teach this little kid (who clearly has not learned to swim yet) how to snorkel. I got bored and wandered off. Nobody seemed to mind. After the little kid gave up and went back on the boat, the guide was free to swim among us snorkelers.
He was free-diving down and blowing bubble-rings for us all to enjoy. That’s pretty impressive. He said he teaches free-diving if we want to learn. Nope. I can’t scuba dive because of my ears, so I certainly can’t free-dive. But it is fun to watch. Some of the other snorkelers are making videos of themselves. I still wonder who watches those. I understand making videos of the fish and coral, but videos of swimming humans? Weird.
The temperature of the water is not bad, but after a while, I’m very cold and have to go in for some sun and snacks. The German guy gave me more delicious fruit, which is so nice. Though I am curious if anyone is doing headcounts. I still don’t remember giving anyone my name, and I never got one of the liability forms that they were passing out earlier. I certainly don’t see a clipboard or anyone counting people on the boat. Hopefully, no one got left behind!
Off to the next spot
Once everyone is presumably onboard, we head to the other side of the island for a second go. I’m still so cold when I jump into the water, but it’s really pretty here so I try to stay in as long as possible. There are schools of trumpetfish and lots of colorful anemones. Plus, I get to swim through the scuba divers’ bubbles! There is an actual current here, and I can feel it picking up. I can swim in one direction and let the water carry me slowly back while searching for unusual critters. How cool is this!?! But so cold. I should have rented a wetsuit. I think it may have been free. But maybe only if you sign the liability form.
Once back on the boat and dry and warm again, we all enjoyed an amazing family-style lunch. Vietnamese food is so good! Some of the Europeans clearly didn’t know how family-style worked, so the Vietnamese family and I had fun directing food around the long table until almost everything was devoured. Is family-style not a thing in Europe? I know it’s a thing in Italy, even if they don’t use that term, but what about Russia or Germany or the Netherlands? Or are people just shy? I have questions!
Now that food is out of the way, the bill is being passed around, and I quickly discover that they do have my name! At least when it comes to the bill. While I usually like to pay in the local currency, it’s a really long walk to a reputable ATM to get out Đồng, so I’m glad that the boat takes USD. With all that settled, we enjoy the relaxing boat ride back to the main island as we chat about all the things we saw underwater.
This older Dutch guy had some really great stories of various places he has been. We continued chatting during the van ride back, while commenting on all the empty buildings. They are so fascinating! It’s like various movie sets after the apocalypse. Since I was first on the van, I’m last off the van, but the tour was worth it. Time to start preparing for my upcoming trip to Đà Nẵng, Việt Nam. The adventure continues!
