The Million Bucks Room

Sun..sand..and a lot of seafood - that pretty much sums up the last three days which we spent on Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam (Picasa link). Usually, Phu Quoc doesn't make a showing on any Vietnamese itinerary, but we'd decided to make a detour and include it as it came highly recommended by Manu, our Phnom Penh host. First though, we had to get there. We'd decided to travel from Siem Reap by bus - which in hindsight might not have been the best idea. We left Siem Reap around 8PM on one of those sleeper buses and made it to Sihanoukville at around 6AM the next morning after a fairly uncomfortable and bumpy journey. The bus station at S-ville was deserted except for the requisite tuk-tuk drivers soliciting business and a pack of stray dogs doing the rounds. The bus station itself was set around a dirty ground with a couple of stalls that were just starting to show signs of life. We spent the next two hours fending off the dogs, a mobile bakery and other inquisitive folks until our minibus arrived to transport us to Ha Tien, Vietnam. The ensuing four hours were spent looking out at the stunning country-side punctuated by a halt for clearing the borders. The Vietnamese health form was a good indicator of what lay ahead. The form listed over 20 diseases and required you to have a medical certificate for each of them. In reality you ticked 'no' for all and paid the man behind the counter a dollar to walk through. Welcome to third world countries. Upon reaching Ha Tien we waited for an hour before a shuttle took us to the ferry terminal where our bags were unceremoniously dumped into a boat and we were shepherded onboard. The boat was full, the seats at water line, and the cabin enclosed - resulting in a fairly claustrophobic ride. Add to that some screaming kids, couple of puking infants, and a kung-fu movie playing at full volume and I seriously considered diving off and swimming to the island. Two miserable hours later we were deposited at the Phu Quoc jetty.

That's our room!

A short cab ride later we arrived at our hotel with a fair amount of apprehension. I had made the booking the previous day over the phone and the English/Vietnamese conversation that had taken place did not quite inspire confidence. By some stroke of luck, they were expecting us and rather than the garden view room that I had booked, they bumped us up to a fabulous room, with an enormous balcony that lay 10 feet from the water. All this for a million bucks only - which equals fifty USD! Thank god for the American dollar. It has actually managed to maintain some semblance of value in certain third world countries - and in some cases even appreciate in the past few years - I have no idea how.

Dinner on the beach

The next few days were bliss - early morning runs followed by a swim in the crystal clear water. Then a hearty breakfast overlooking the sea. On one of the days we rented a bike and tooled around the island. We also visited Bai Sao - a white sand beach on the other side of the island and had one of the best meals of my life in terms of sheer location and ambience. The restaurant had set out their table right at the water's edge so that as you ate, you had the odd wave lapping at your feet. Evenings were spent on the beach awaiting sunset and me attempting to catch the crabs that populate these beaches. Later, after a shower, we'd walk at one of the restaurants who'd setup a barbecue and have dinner on the beach.




All in all one of the best place we've visited so far on our trip. The island is yet to see mass tourism and most of the roads are still dirt tracks. 90% of the hotels/resorts on the island lie within 10 feet of the water's edge and have just a few rooms each. Service is with a smile and the water clear. We did however see the shell of a big resort go up - so consider yourself warned. Get to it before it turns into the next Phuket or Bali!

- Ashish