Phu Quoc Island - Pool or beach?

Day after day, we are faced with such monumental decisions that could change the course of our lives... Shall we swim in the pool or the ocean? Which lounger would you like to lie on today? What time do you want to have lunch? A cocktail or a beer? Full body massage or head, neck and shoulders? Keep reading this post, or excuse yourself to be sick?

Phu Quoc Island has been our point in the trip to just stop and relax! To my mind, there is a difference between traveling and holidaying and up to our island hiatus, we've been traveling. So it was time to totally lap it up. We've had five days here and unfortunately, tonight is our last night. Tomorrow we head for Can Tho where we will be based as we explore the Mekong Delta.

There isn't much to report about Phu Quoc, we have mostly been swimming and reading, well I've been reading while Adam has been taking photos. You may wonder how many photos one man can take, and I shall satisfy your wonderings with a pretty accurate answer - millions! There is a lot of wildlife here, puppies that seem to belong to no-one, frogs and tadpoles, geckos and lizards, numerous weird-looking insects, and even a pet monkey with a fake diamond earring (Adam named it Barry - surprised?)!

We did visit the night markets for dinner, they were quite small and mostly sold seafood from suspicious sanitary conditions garnished with flies. I have to say I could have done without this experience of a meat and vegetable skewer that was ambiguous in culture and a rubbery piece of garlic bread. Adam had some delicious king prawns and a scallop skewer that he seemed happy with... until the next day, haha!

Feeling a little lazy, we also decided to go for a boat trip around the island and do some snorkeling. The communication barrier ruined this one for us I think as we ended up heading north instead of south and with a bunch of divers. Weather conditions worked against us as well and it ended up being a day of lazing on the top deck of a made-over fishing boat. Sounds terrible, I know. Luckily the Saigon beer was only $1.20NZ and the company was good. Excitingly and terrifyingly, we saw some massive jellyfish! Apparently, it's the time of the year when they are most predominant and one of our fellow passengers had sting marks wrapped around her arm to show for an encounter with one! One of the diving instructors had one wrapped around his bald head just days before! Adam and I didn't see one on our snorkeling ventures - thankfully or I might have embarrassed myself in a panic!

So today, I finished my most recent read (Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult) and my assignment - phew! Tomorrow we move on from this idyllic spot to more of the typical Vietnamese hustle. Bring it on.