Blogs from Kien Giang, Mekong River Delta, Vietnam, Asia - page 8

We've been a bit busy lately, and yes, probably a bit lazy so thought its easier to do a big blog. Well, Phu Quoc.. Gorgeous island with clear blue sea and white sandy beaches. We didnt do a lot here. Ended up staying 6 nights in a bungalow just off the beach which was lovely (but a bit much for the budget! with no hot water or a/c). We had a good night out with an American guy who we met on the way there. He was called Zev, Craig shared a bottle of rum with him. I wasnt invited, probably because they both new I would be able to drink them both under the table. He showed us some card tricks and I picked them up straight away, haha! They should have gave me some ... read more

After 8 months of Shanghai and 4 days of Saigon, Phu Quoc island was just great. 6 days of nothing to do. It took a day or 2 to adjust to the emptiness, the quiet, the nothing happening past 9.30 at night. It was still the rainy season so we had torrential downpours and thunderstorms with occasional sunny spells. But we didn’t mind the weather. If it rained we read on our veranda, if it was dry we read by the pool. And it made for some great stormy seascapes. Our days were a variation on the following - getting up for breakfast, reading, walking along the beach, paddling in the sea, finding places to eat, walking into town (once), having massages by the beach and sleeping. Lots of rest and relaxation! On our way back ... read more

Our last stop in Vietnam was Phu Quoc Island. Phu Quoc is a tropical island surrounding by white beach’s and turquoise water and is a great way to while away a few days incidentally, the Vietnamese government is planning to make the island a massive tourist destination, they are building an international airport on the island so that tourists can fly in and out of Phu Quoc without having to go on to the mainland, there is even talk of foreigners not needing a visa to visit Phu Quoc at all and having spoken to an English chap when we were there who owns a guesthouse and bar on the island in very uncharacteristic of Vietnam the local government officials don’t take backhanders unlike everywhere else in the country - so it looks like the government ... read more

We have had several holidays within the holiday that has been this trip. Unawatuna, was the first, followed by Mirrissa, Kota Kinabalu and now Phu Quoc. What they have had in common has been staying for a period in one place, and beaches. The children are instantly happy doing very little but urgently. They run around and cast spells, dig holes, build sandcastles and irrigate water trenches. Our accommodation this time is on the beach so they can run about paths and explore. There are only 10 rooms and we have 2 of them. Each room has its own front door and porch, with a barrel of water outside and a coconut shell ladle to wash the sand off. For the boys these have made cauldrons and they have sat doing lessons as the next generation ... read more

Note: We've had a little trouble getting our blog to everyone we wanted it to go to. Sorry if this is the first time you are receiving notification about our blog. We have two previous ones that can be viewed from this website. Our four day visit to Saigon included a visit to the Reunification Palace, which was the home of the South Vietnamese president until April 30, 1975 when Saigon fell to the North and the Liberation Army crashed through the gates with their tanks. We also toured the War Remnants museum where we saw pictures of the profound horrors that took place during the “American War.” We walked around that museum in shock and disbelief that this country could be so utterly ignorant to repeat all the same monumental mistakes time and time again. ... read more