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Published: September 27th 2009
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A Rough Schedule - Read, Nap, Sleep
When we left Dong Ha, we were exhausted, both physically and mentally. Our teaching schedule was fairly rigorous and I was sick our last week there. We were tired of talking - to students, to teachers, to friends, and even to each other. We were also treated to numerous farewell celebrations. We left Dong Ha around 9pm on Saturday night in a car that drove us to Hue. We had a flight at 8am the following morning. When I went to bed that night I felt as though every muscle in my body hurt. And, I had no interest in talking with anyone, not even Eric.
We flew from Hue to HCMC and then onto Phu Quoc, and island off the south side of Vietnam, closer to Cambodia than Vietnam. We have wanted to go to PQ since we planned our first trip to Vietnam in 2007, which was cancelled because of work. We heard the island was like Phuket was 20 years ago - not very developed. I did not know what to expect. I researched the island more in 2007, but limited my research this time to finding
a decent place to stay and figuring how to get there from the airport. That was all I wanted to.
We arrived at the airport in PQ with transportation pre-arranged. We drove through the area surrounding the airport, which looked even busier that I anticipated. Then, the paved road we were on turned into a bright red dirt road littered with puddles. It was definitely on the rustic side. We then turned down a dirt alley that ended at the Sea Star Resort. We reserved a Sea View bungalow. The one we were shown had a view of two other bungalows with a little bit of the sea between. I was not thrilled. So, we upgraded to a Beach View bungalow. It was on the outside of our budget range at $45 a night, but in the end totally worth it.
Our bungalow was right on the beach, about 50 feet from the water. From our balcony we could see the water and not much else. It was perfect for what we had planned - nothing. We wanted to do nothing for four days straight - a wonderful combination of sleeping, eating, reading, and more sleeping. And we
accomplished that task; although I threw in some massages for good measure. There was a woman giving one hour beach massages five feet from the steps to our bungalow, and at less than $4 an hour, well worth it. So, our schedule became, wake up, eat, sit and watch the water, read, massage, eat, read, nap, eat, watch a movie, and back to bed. And, in that time we barely spoke to each other at all. I, personally, enjoyed the silence.
I could have stayed at the Sea Star for a month. Unfortunately, we were in PQ during the wet season (remember the rain from Dong Ha?). It rained; a lot. The rain was beautiful from our spot under the balcony, and when the wind picked up too much to sit outside, I took a nap. I figured so long as we had a few hours of sun and dry weather I day I was happy. On our third day it seemed we were not going to have that break in the rainy weather. I woke in the morning but forced myself to go back to sleep, until the wind picked up enough to blow the rain through the
Squid Boats
Heading out at sunset for the night fishing. open window to hit me in the face while I slept. I had to wake up enough to shut the front windows. That morning it rained several times and I had to squeeze my massage into a dry but windy spell. The wind picked up so much that I wrapped a sarong around my waist and actually wore a long sleeve jacket. It was a big change from Dong Ha, which even with the rain is generally the hottest place we have been, hence the reference to “Dong Ha Hot” when it is hot as can be anywhere we travel to. In the afternoon, though, the clouds broke and it became so hot I was sweating walking down the beach. The wind that was so strong in the morning I thought a tropical storm would hit stopped dead in its tracks. It was like two different seasons in just a few hours.
We woke to an unusual sound our last morning - no rain. It was beautiful outside. I woke early, a little after 7am, to sit outside and read. Then I walked down to the water to stick my toes in. It was wonderful. I walked back to
Umbrella?
I could not understand this women walking down the beach in her bathing suit with an umbrella to protect her from the rain??? the bungalow to throw my bathing suit on, encouraging Eric to get out of bed and join me for a swim. We had so little time to enjoy the water while there. And, it was sunny all morning, with very few clouds in the sky, certainly none that threatened storms. It figured that our last day as we made our way to the airport the sun came out. It just means we need to return to Phu Quoc, back to the Sea Star Resort, bungalow 3A, and enjoy the sunny peacefulness of a quite unspoilt beach.
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Maria Hudson
non-member comment
You guys okay
I heard there were typhoons and tsunamis in your part of the world. Everything okay? Are you anywhere near that stuff?