Jurnal de calatorie in Vietnam: Phu Quoc (2)

Jurnal de calatorie in Vietnam: Phu Quoc (2)

Asa cum va promiteam recent, am revenit cu ultima fila din Jurnalul de calatorie in Vietnam, in care o sa va povestesc mai pe larg experienta noastra in Phu Quoc.

EN: As promised, I am back with the last chapter of our Vietnam Travel Log, in which I will tell you more about our experience in Phu Quoc.

Nu este prima postare legata de aceasta insula. Daca nu ati vazut primul set de poze o puteti face printr-un click aici. Insula se afla in sudul Vietnamului, foarte aproape de Cambodgia. Si cand zic foarte aproape, chiar e foarte aproape, intrucat se vede tarmul cambodgian de pe anumite plaje ale insulei. Pentru noi, trecerea a fost super spectaculoasa si brusca de la Hanoi la Phu Quoc, printr-un zbor cu low cost de 2 ore. Acolo erau 10 grade si ne cumparam disperati haine groase, iar aici, de cum am coborat din avion, ne-a lovit o zapuseala incredibila, la o temperatura de peste 30 de grade.

Ne-am indreptat spre prima noastra cazare, in vestul insulei, aproape de celebra plaja Ong Lang, al carei nisip scartaie cand paseseti. E foarte frumoasa plaja, va sfatuiesc sa o treceti pe lista daca ajungeti vreodata in Phu Quoc. Legat de zona de vest, unde se afla si capitala insulei – Duong Dong – trebuie sa stiti ca e si cea mai aglomerata. Acum depinde ce va doriti: daca vreti multe restaurante, acces pe jos la o piata de noapte, multe magazine cu marfa vietnameza, lume multa, sunt convinsa ca acolo veti gasi si un hotel sau resort pe gustul vostru, caci oferta e foarte mare. In urma cu 5 ani imi spunea cineva ca foarte putine drumuri erau asfaltate in insula si ca abia se construia aeroportul nou. Acum e inca santier, iar in zona respectiva au construit hotel langa hotel, bungalow langa bungalow. Pe de alta parte noi am nimerit o cazare foarte buna, cu piscina, de unde marea si plaja erau foarte aproape (se si vedeau, doar ca nu puteai merge direct, fiind despartite de o proprietate privata, asa ca trebuia sa mergi vreo 10 minute pe jos). Noaptea, in schimb, drumul spre plaja l-am facut cu lanterne! Nu glumesc 🙂 Vlad in rucsacul lui la Radu in spate, cu lanterne pe cap sau in maini, pasind cu grija printr-o “semi-jungla”, care facea mai dificil accesul la plaja. Ca acolo sa ne intampine unrestaurant cu o terasa superba, chiar pe plaja, luminata cu lampioane, cu peste proaspat si preturi destul de mari pentru Asia. Imi aduc aminte ca pana am ajuns la restaurantul mult dorit, Vlad a adormit in rucsac, asa ca de cum am intrat – ca doi parinti iresponsabili ce suntem – am intins pe jos doua perne de pe sezlonguri si l-am culcat acolo. Turistii straini ne zambeau prietenos. Cred ca in Romania imi luam niste observati… Dar Vlad a fost extrem de fericit in insula, dupa cum se vede si din imagini.

Pentru ca nu rezervasem decat o noapte din tara (crezand ca vom putea prelungi la fata locului sau reorienta catre alta cazare mai pe gustul nostru), am ramas fara camere disponibile, asa ca a doua zi ne-am mutat! Am luat un taxi spre Estul insulei, la Mango Beach Resort, la vreo ora de mers cu masina, la un resort superb, aflat in the middle of nowhere. Vedeti mai multe imagini de acolo in postarea anterioara legata de Phu Quoc. Asa ca dupa alte 2 sau 3 nopti, cand ne-am dat seama ca suntem totusi prea departe de restul lucrurilor de vizitat si testat in insula, m-am documentat temeinic pe tripadvisor si am ales Nord-vestul insulei, la Gold Coast Resort. A fost cea mai buna varianta dintre cele 3 pentru familia noastra, fiind destul de departe de galagia capitalei, dar nici atat de departe, incat sa faci un drum de jumatate de ora cu scuterul prin jungla pana la prima piata (cum era in cazul lui Mango Beach Resort, unde de altfel erai nevoit sa mananci in fiecare zi…).

De acolo am pornit toti 3 in explorare. Am vizitat orasul pescaresc din Nordul insulei – Rach Tram, unde am luat o masa chiar in casa plutitoare a unor pescari. Sunt cateva imagini de mai sus care surprind aceasta experienta incredibila. Cand am ajuns in acest satuc, printre localnici, ne-am mai intalnit cu un singur cuplu de suedezi. In rest erau doar vietnamezi, care isi vedeau de rutina zilnica, mai printre gunoaie, mai printre animale moarte… ideea e ca nu era nimic cosmetizat de dragul turistilor si eu tocmai asta am apreciat. Casele pescarilor erau pe apa, drept urmare trebuia sa mergi pe niste podulete chiar si de 30 – 50 cm latime, dar fooooarte lungi, rugandu-te la toti sfintii nostri si ai lor sa nu sfarsesti in apa, cu bagaj, si eventual cu copilul din carca. Dar departarea asta de mal avea ceva magic. Din casa in care am luat masa se vedeau stelele de mare pe fundul apei. Era o familie modesta, dupa cum vedeti si in imagini. Cu toate acestea, Vlad s-a integrat perfect. A comunicat cumva cu copiii, intr-o limba a lor, s-a plimbat descult peste tot prin casa lor si s-a relaxat in hamac. Ce sa iti doresti mai mult? Pestele si fructele de mare proaspete au fost delicioase, iar ideea de a le taia cu foarfeca mi s-a parut super practica. Vietnamezii nu cunosc engleza, nici macar cei de la resorturi, dar pai cei de aici. La hotel pentru “ice cream”, dupa ce am depasit momentul penibil in care le mimam ca ling o inghetata, am fost nevoita sa le arat o imagine pe google cu ce imi doresc. Aici, in casa pescarilor, am cerut sa imi aduca ce au, am zambit politicos cand mi-au aratat un peste si un calamar si asta a fost 🙂 Pe bune acum, esti in vacanta, ce sens are sa te superi ca un chelnar ti-a adus pentru a treia oara alta mancare decat cea comandata. Nu o fac cu rea intentie, nu rad de straini, sunt extrem de respectuosi si dornici sa te ajute in orice moment. Doar ca limba engleza reprezinta inca un obstacol pentru multi. Dar pe mine nu m-a dernajat deloc acest aspect. Mi s-au parut mai atenti si mai amabili chiar decat thailandezii, care s-au obisnuit sa ne tot aiba pe acolo prin vacante (nu ca as avea ceva impotriva perspectivei de a petrece o noua vacanta printre thailandezi – doar ca amabilitatea vietnmaezilor din Phu Quoc mi-a adus aminte mai degraba de cea a cambodgienilor din Siem Riep).

Un alt loc pe care trebuie sa il vizitati, cu copil sau fara, este Vinpearl Safari, care este genial! Iti mananca din palma Girafele, Elefantii si… King Julien :). A fost o zi minunata. Contrar asteptarilor, cred ca noua ne-a placut chiar mai mult decat lui Vlad.

De vizitat este si Sao Beach si orasul pescaresc de langa, dar pe care le veti vedea intr-o postare viitoare. Plajele resorturilor sunt foarte curate si ingrijite, dar daca vreti sa mergeti pe una “retrasa”, “virgina”, “nestiuta” de site-urile de travel, va veti lovi din pacate de foarte multe gunoaie. Multe vin de pe apa. Se lupta cu acest aspect, asa ca sa speram ca in cativa ani situatia se va imbunatati simtitor. Plimbarile prin jungla pot fi placute si racoroase in timpul zilei, dar sa nu va asteptati sa dati de animale. Noi nu am vazut nicio maimuta sau ceva mai spectaculos…

Mancarea este spectaculoasa in Night Market-ul din Duong Dong, care e deschis si ziua. Am gustat arici de mare, tot felul de crustacee si chestii pe care nici nu stiam sa le denumesc. Dar pentru cineva curios ca mine, poate fi o experienta grozava. Si e super ieftin acolo!

Daca mai aveti intrebari, aici sunt. Mai urmeaza un set de poze de acolo, asa ca poate imi mai aduc aminte de anumite experiente cand le revad.

Si daca vreti sa parcurgeti tot Jurnalul de calatorie in Vietnam, il gasiti aici (dand cautare “jurnal de calatorie vietnam” in casuta de search a blogului).

EN: This isn’t my first post about this island. If you haven’t seen the first set of pictures yet, you can do so by clicking here. The island is in the South of Vietnam, very close to Cambodia. And when I say it’s very close, it really is close, because you can see the Cambodian shore from some parts of the island. For us, the passage from Hanoi to Phu Quoc was super spectacular and sudden, via a low cost flight of about 2 hours. It was about 10 degrees there and we were desperately buying warm clothes, and here, as we got off the plane, we were hit by this unbelievable heat and a temperature of over 30 degrees.

We headed towards our first accommodation, in the Western part of the island, close to the famous Ong Lang beach, where the sand squinches as you walk on it. The beach is very beautiful, I advise you to put it on your list if you ever get to Phu Quoc. About the Western part, where the capital of the island is – Duong Dong – you have to know that it’s also the most crowded one. It depends on what you want: if you want a lot of restaurants, quick walks to a night market, lots of shops with Vietnamese items, crowds, I’m sure that you’ll be able to find a hotel or resort to your liking, because the offer is very wide. Someone told me that 5 years ago, few roads were paved on the island and that a new airport was just being built. There’s still a construction site there, and in that specific area you can find one hotel next to the other, bungalow next to another bungalow. On the other hand, we found a pretty good accommodation, with a pool, and the sea and beach were very close (you could see them, but you couldn’t walk straight towards them, because they were separated by a private property, so you had to walk for about 10 minutes). At night, on the other hand, we had to walk towards the beach with our flashlights on! I’m not joking:) Vlad was in Radu’s backpack, with flashlights on our heads or in our hands, walking carefully through a “semi-jungle”, which made accessing the beach more difficult. Only to be greeted there by a restaurant with a beautiful terrace, right on the beach, with fresh fish and pretty high prices for Asia.  I remember that until we got to this much desired restaurant, Vlad slept in the backpack, so as soon as we walked in- being the irresponsible parents we are- we laid two pillows from the sunbeds on the floor and we put him to sleep. The foreign tourists were smiling friendly at us. I think in Romania I would have come across some strong opinions… But Vlad was extremely happy on the island, as you can see in the pictures.  

Because we had only booked one night (thinking that we would be able to extend once we were there or find a different accommodation we liked), we were left without any available rooms, so the next day we had to move! We took a taxi to the Eastern part of the island, at the Mango Beach Resort, about an hour drive away, in a beautiful resort, right in the middle of nowhere. You can see more pictures from there in my previous post about  Phu Quoc. So after another 2-3 nights, when we realized that we are pretty far away from everything we wanted to see and test on the island, I did some thorough research on Tripadvisor and we chose the North-West of the island, at the Gold Coast Resort. For our family, it was the best option out of the 3, being far enough from the capital hassle, but not too far to have to take a scooter for 30 minutes, through the jungle, to the first market (as was the case for Mango Beach Resort, where you had to eat every day…).  

From there, the 3 of us started exploring. We visited the fishermen town from the North of the island- Rach Tram, where we had something to eat on a boathouse of some fishermen. There are a few images above which portray this unbelievable experience. When we got to this small village, among the villagers, we met just one other Swedish couple. Other than that there were only Vietnamese people, minding their daily routine, next to some garbage and dead animals… the ideas that nothing was prepared for the sake of tourists and that’s exactly what I appreciated most.  The fishermen houses were on water, so you had to walk on small bridges of about 30-50 cm width, but veeeeery long, praying to all our and their gods that we don’t end up in the water, with luggage and the child.  But this distance from the shore was somehow magical. From the boathouse where we ate, you could see the starfish on the bottom of the water. They were a modest family, as you can see in the pictures. Nonetheless, Vlad fit right in. He somehow managed to communicate with the children, in their own language, he walked barefoot around the entire house and he relaxed in the hammock.  What more could you wish for? The fresh fish and seafood were delicious, and the idea of cutting them with a scissors was super practical. Vietnamese people don’t speak English, not even the ones from the resorts, let alone those around these places. At the hotel, for some “ice cream”, after going through an embarrassing moment when I had to pretend like I was licking one, I had to show them an image on Google with what I wished for. Here, in the boathouse, I asked for whatever they had, I smiled politely when they showed me a fish and a calamari and that was it 🙂 Seriously now, you’re on vacation, it doesn’t make any sense to get upset over a waiter bringing you something other than what you ordered, for the third time.  They don’t mean to do it, they don’t make fun of foreigners, they are extremely respectful and eager to help you out at any moment. But English still is an obstacle for many of them. But I wasn’t bothered at all. I thought they were even more attentive and kinder than the Thai people who are so used to having us over there on vacation (not that I am against another holiday in Thailand- it’s just that the kindness of the Vietnamese people from Phu Quoc reminded me more of the one of the Cambodians in Siem Riep).

Another place you have to visit, with or without the child, is Vinpearl Safari, which is brilliant! You have Giraffes, Elephants and… King Julien 🙂 eating out of your pal. It was a wonderful day. Contrary to all expectations, I think we enjoyed it even more than Vlad.

Sao Beach and the fishermen town nearby are also a must see, but I’ll tell you more about them in a future post. The resort beaches are very clean, but if you want to go to a more “secluded”, “virgin”, “unknown”  by travel sites one, unfortunately you’ll come across lots of garbage. Most of it comes from the water. They are battling this aspect, so let’s hope that in a few years things will change for the better.  Walking through the jungle can be pleasant and refreshing during the day, but don’t expect to meet any animals. We haven’t seen any monkeys or something more spectacular than that…

The food is awesome in the Night Market from Duong Dong, which is also open during the day. Here we have tasted sea urchin, all sorts of shellfish and stuff I don’t even know the names of. But for someone curious like me, it can be a great experience. And it’s really cheap there!

If you have any other questions, I am here for you. Another set of pictures from there to follow, so maybe I remember some other experiences when I look through them again.

And if you want to go through the entire Vietnam Travel Log, you can find it here (by searching for “jurnal de calatorie vietnam” in the search box of the blog).