I don’t generally like crowds. I understand that some things – like the Pyramids of Giza, Ankor Wat, the Taj Mahal, etc. – are always going to be packed because those are amazing sights. But outside of that, I don’t usually enjoy places that are crammed with hoardes of people.

Apparently everyone in Cambodia had the same brilliant idea as me to head to the beach for Chinese New Year. When I arrived in Sihanoukville, on the southern coast of Cambodia, I was not prepared for the sheer amount of people that I would find there. I stood on the beach, shocked, with my jaw gaping. It was crazy. I don’t recall ever being on a beach that was that busy. Here’s what I saw:

Not quite the quiet beach time I was craving. I couldn’t even hear the sounds of the waves over the screaming of the children. *shudder*

Luckily, there were options. About 4km south of the main beach, there’s another beach called Otres Beach. It’s just far enough away that the locals can’t be bothered to go. So everyday, I would get on my bicycle and take a ride out to find my own slice of paradise. I just had to work a little harder for it.

Sunset from my beach chair.

Man, Vietnam is truly a stunning country. Having been from the far reaches of the north all the way down to the south, I feel qualified to make such a statement. But I feel like I am repeating myself: “THIS is the most beautiful place in Vietnam”. Well, only one more time, I promise. Phu Quoc Island is everything a tropical island should be – white sand, turquoise water, palm trees waving in the breeze, and freshly caught seafood served grilled on the beach every night for dinner. On the other side of the road that lines the beaches there is lush, green jungle. This is one of those that places that you need to be careful about – if you don’t have anywhere to be, you could really get stuck here.

And the amazing thing about it is that it’s not too crowded. The main beach is fairly developed, but with beach-front bungalows rather than high-rise hotels. It’s only an hour flight from Saigon and it cost me $40 one way, and taking the boat back to the mainland is $8 plus the cost of the bus afterwards. I can’t believe more people from Saigon don’t come here for a few days break from the city.

But having said that, the cast from Season 1: Saigon actually did come here for a quick holiday from teaching. You can read about their experience here: http://www.jetsetzero.tv/2008/12/01/sna-phu-quoc/

Suffice it to say, it goes to show that it’s very possible to have two completely different experiences in the same place. The words “gruelling”, “irritating” and “island prison” certainly didn’t enter my vocabulary while here.

Note: the last picture is the series is literally where I wrote this post on my laptop, gazing upon the sun as it went down over the Gulf of Thailand. They will have to drag me kicking and screaming away from here.

Jen and I have spent the past week along the Southeast coast of Vietnam. The plan was to get in some serious bikini and wave time before heading to the cooler parts of the north. Massages on the beach, drinking from coconuts, that kind of thing. The weather in Saigon had been hot and humid for the past couple of months so I expected to be gently bronzed by the end of our beach adventures…

I foolishly never even considered that the weather could take a turn for the worst. The past week has shown us how rainy, windy and cool the coast of Vietnam can be, in the supposed dry season. There’s nothing quite like being caught in a tropical rainstorm on a motorbike in nothing more than a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops.

So, what have we been doing instead, you ask? To be honest, we’ve watched a LOT of movies. Vietnam thankfully has HBO and StarMovies and super cheap black market DVD’s. I’ve eaten excessive amounts of snacks such as fresh mango, jackfruit chips and Oreos. I’ve caught up on my reading and it’s almost time for another trip to the bookstore. And we’ve slept in every day, which has left us uber-relaxed (Jen augments this with daily naps as well). It’s not exactly what I imagined for this part of Vietnam, but we’re making the most of it and it’s sure making me happy. And in the end, anything’s better than working! And I have a feeling that the weather will soon take a turn for the better…

The almost deserted beach at Nha Trang.