Phu Quoc Part II

My trip to the south of Phu Quoc was pretty good as I visited some interesting places such as very famous dog supply, pearl workshop and some souvenir shops. The most disappointing place was Phu Quoc prison which is not what I would call a tourist attraction. The people who take care of this place were eating in the entrance way on the floor when tourists were there, their kids were crying and shouting all over this place. How disappointing! It has quite a lot of potential if it is managed better.

I also went to the old port for some shots before heading to the most beautiful beach in Phu Quoc named Sao - Star beach. This is truly a beautiful long white sandy and wild beach with lots of coconut tress along it. I had a really nice seafood lunch there for only $15 including a cold 333 beer, grilled prawns with salt and black pepper, steamed squid with ginger, stir fried shell fish with lemongrass and black pepper and salad. I felt regret that I didn't swim there as I forgot to bring my swimming shorts. Perhaps I should have gone in my underwear!

On the way back, the driver intended to show us a waterfall but I wasn't in the mood for that as I was a bit too tired to climb up to the waterfall and I decided to go back to the hotel for a cold shower then head to the beach to relax and swim. Finally, we got back hotel and I was so pleased with my room right on the beach with two bathrooms, one inside and one outdoor. I love having a shower outdoors which is nicer and cooler.

After a long morning, I finally made it to the beach and had a swim for 30 minutes. It was so great swimming in the cool blue water that was so refreshing. In the evening, I hired a motorbike to drive down to town for dinner and stopped at the night market that is opened mainly for tourists. There are lots of local restaurants and bars there as well. I chose a shop in the middle of the market, which serves BBQ, hotpot and the specialties of Phu Quoc, meaning lots of seafood. They cooked it really well and people working in the shop were so nice and sweet.

I had two cold beers, a small seafood hotpot, grilled squid, steamed crab and crab with tamarind sauce. The food was so yummy and I could have eaten more even though I had already had too much. Compared to Hanoi, Saigon and even Nha Trang, the seafood here is amazingly cheap.

I went back to the hotel bar named Rainbow for one more drink before I went to sleep. I was surprised about how cheap the drink and wine prices were there - only 180,000Vnd per bottle which is much cheaper than in any bars in Hanoi. I decided to order a bottle of Sailing Colombard Chardonnay from Australia. It was good and after half an hour I had finished the bottle and felt a bit drunk. I asked for the bill then went straight back to the hotel room for a good night's sleep. I slept so well and deeply.

To be continued