See Emilie play

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Lazy aren't I? It has been far too long since my last entry and legitimately I can only blame my indolence on stunning beaches, blazing sunshine and lots of fun. Of which, if you look at the photos from this wonderful island, you hopefully get a flavour.

After the mania of Saigon (which our cab driver explained is the old school and much preferable name for Ho Chi Minh City that he and all of the older lads still use) we needed a break. Travelling through Vietnam had to be done at breakneck speed, so once we landed in Phu Quoc we decided to chill for four days. We found a nice little hotel right on the beach, which offered a clean room for a relatively reasonable $20 a night. No air con or hot water, but the weather was so hot that didn't really matter. You also get an awesome mosquito net, intelligently secured to the bed using curtain poles.

Culturally, the island is bereft. Or at least we didn't make much effort to see anything cultural. The main charm is the beach. We spent the first day in the sun, with fine white sand between our toes. On day two we decided to strike out and see some more of the island, which I think is roughly 50km long and about 30km wide. But with only about 2km of Tarmac, that makes for challenging motorbike riding. Especially considering neither of us have ever piloted anything more gutsy than a pedal-powered Raleigh.

Being Vietnam, health and safety is an alien concept (Nige, Mrs. Donelly would be mortified). We hired the bikes from the hotel, and the guy threw us the keys without even asking to see a licence or getting us to sign a liability waiver. He showed us the throttle, the brake and the helmets and then it was up to us. Getting out of the hotel was almost the toughest part, but we navigated the slopes, sand and jagged rocks to make it to the "road".

The roads on the island were pretty much all red dirt tracks, which are dotted with patches of sand that like to swallow your front wheel and cause you to wildly swing your legs in a generally futile attempt to steady yourself. Luckily though, we escaped without serious injury, the only scrape happening to my foot when I used a passing bush as a stabiliser. We rode to the north of the island, from where you can stop at deserted beaches for a swim with the sea to yourselves. It was a long ride, especially as we repeatedly got lost due to to a complete lack of signposts and road names. But it was great fun and the freedom to explore is much greater than you ever get on one of Asia's many organised tours.

We took bikes the next day too, heading to Star Beach, which you can only reach by bike (or boring taxi). I've never been to a beach like it. It's got utopian sand and heavenly turquoise water that breaks in gentle waves. There was hardly anyone about, too, which made it even better.

Anyway, bar my first bout of proper food poisoning (from a dodgy breakfast) it was a stunning few days. We ate on the beach and relaxed in the sun, and if you get the chance you should definitely go. It's not exactly a secret getaway, but it's certainly a much rarer, less populated spot than anywhere else we've been.

To break it up a bit, I'm going to write the next couple of entries separately, which should hopefully stop you getting too bored with my big chunks of writing. We've been to Cambodia and Singapore (and are currently in Bali) since Phu Quoc, so they'll be the next installments.

Thanks to everyone who has sent us a message or posted a comment, we really appreciate it. Unfortunately there's no option to reply on this Travelblog thing, but keep them coming, it's great to hear from you all.

That's all for today. We're off for dinner in a bed on the beach, which apparently was inspired by Pink Floyd and I'll explain about soon. It should be amazing. But won't cure my laziness.

Bye for now
Love us x

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Photos

Island explorer
Em cruising along the western coast, on a typically dusty red road and a sweet little Suzuki

Skinny dipping
We stopped here for lunch. The restaurant was right on the beach, deserted, and you could swim while they cooked your food. Perfect

Long Beach
We stayed at Long Beach, and this the view from our hotel. With a total lack of the gang-related activity associated with LA's Long Beach, we were free to take outrageously indulgent arty shots like this one. Magnifique!

Star Beach
Not a bad bit of sand

Dinner on the beach
Hope you like fish...

Babe, Pig In The Sh!t
Or pork...

Last day
As comfy as it looks, although you feel a little like a banana when the canvas cocoons you