Asia, Here I Come – Phu Quoc Island

Asia, Here I Come – Phu Quoc Island

December 23, 2009, 3:47 am
Filed under: Asia

The tear shaped island lies in the Gulf of Thailand, 15km south of the coast of Cambodia. This is Vietnam’s largest island and is deemed to be everything a tropical island is supposed to be – white sand beaches and turquoise waters on the coast and dense tropical jungle inland. The main resort area is Long beach, just south of Duong Dong town. The resort area consists of accommodation catering for all budgets. I set up camp here for a couple of days. The area is very peaceful, I arrive just before the onslaught of those wishing to spend Christmas on the island, it’s a very popular place for families and couples.   It’s easy to while away the time sitting by the beach, but I want to see some of the island as well.

This island is my first real experience of Vietnamese people and culture. My first impressions are built around the vast difference between these people and their Cambodian neighbours. I’m interested to see if these first impressions are correct. Time will tell.

My two full days on the island involve long walks on Sunday, right down beach – there is no time for lying by the beach! A trip to the town in the evening and I take a walk through the market, which is amazing. I’m the only traveller there. Monday is taken up with a snorkeling and fishing trip, both of which I have little interest in, but it’s  a great way to see some of the islands located around the south. Known as the An Thoi archipelago, it consists of 12 islands. The trip very much caters for all types – families, couples, groups and so on. However, it appears that there is little concern for the environment here. These independent operators make a living from the local environment, but there appears to no thought given to protecting this beautiful area. The anchor is thrown down into the coral with little regard, snorkelers and swimmers are given no guidance on responsible behaviour and the rubbish is just thrown overboard. These actions are not sustainable long-term. Who knows what this island will be like in ten years time! While I was there, there was major road construction and building works going on.  This place will be the Puket of Thailand in time.

After two days it’s time to leave. Taking the 8am ferry to Rach Gia, the trip takes three hours in rough seas. I managed to keep all thoughts of nausea out of my mind, although many others didn’t. The fast ferry was battered by high winds and big waves for two of the three hours. I was glad to see the end of that journey. A seven hour bus ride takes us all the way over the Mekong Delta, where at one stage, we cross over this vast river in a car ferry.   There are many private bus companies, and the competition between them makes bus travel very affordable. Five dollars for the trip. I meet a group of English lads en route and go District 1  of Saigon which is equivalent to Bangkok’s  Khao San road area of the city. This is real backpackers territory, with a wide range of accommodations to choose from. By the time I arrive, I’ve been on the road for 10 hours.

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