Within our first few days in Vietnam we knew two things, the Vietnamese people are extremely friendly and helpful and they are funny. Within a few minutes of crossing the border Jon was already causing problems by refusing to hand over passport to the man in charge when he had just handed it over to the driver for the border crossing. The man totally called him out on it and asked what was wrong with him. It was hilarious!
A short ferry-ride later and we were at the gorgeous island of Pu Quoc, the same island we saw from the top of Bankor Mountain in Cambodia. The island is covered in powder-white beaches and more than 600 square kilometers of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is quite now but Jon and I saw mass development in process, including a Disneyesque water park.
Our first day out we rented a motorbike and headed up to the National Park, figuring we would grab lunch and do some hiking. In the middle of the park our motorbike broke down. There is not much out here so fortunately we broke down directly in front of someone’s house. The owners who spoke only a few words of English were so kind letting us use their phone and wait inside their house. After waiting almost 2 hours for someone to come fix the bike I was starving and needed to eat!
Jon trying to fix our broken down bike.
The owners of the house gave Jon and I a ride about a mile down to a community of fishing village directly on a gorgeous piece of ocean. He directed us to walk along a really long pier at the end of the village. From the pier we took a boat out to a stilt house restaurant. Keep in mind that nobody spoke English. Feeling nervous about we were going to get served (there were no other tourists and only one choice). Jon and I sat down to one of the best meals of the trip of grilled fish and Hot Pot. The flavors were like nothing I have ever had before.
The best part of the experience was the kindness of complete strangers. This is something we have experienced throughout our travels but that still amazes and warms me.
The long pier to the restaurant, the restaurant, and our hot pot.
Our dive location of the coast and our favorite white-sand beach Bai Sao.
Where we stayed, Coco Valley Garden Hotel, we had a room with a fan and bathroom for about $13 a night including breakfast. This price was a 30% discount from normal rates due to a grand opening promotion. The property was really nice with romantic lighting, lounge areas and a small pool. There was a good variety of food served for breakfast and it was tasty. They were slightly unorganized being newly opened and couldn’t help us with onward transport but for the price and brand new facilities.
Journey with Christina 