Phu Quoc

Halloh! The bus ride from Dalat to Saigon was unpleasant. It was an 'ordinary' bus, meaning no aircon. It was hot and the back row (just behind me) was filled with Viet men smoking and drinking rice wine. It took seven hours. Ugh!
I got settled in at the Hoang Linh hotel and found a new travel agent. I was able to get an airplane ticket to Phu Quoc, but would have to boat and bus back. The lonely Planet says that Phu Quoc will be the next Phuket. It has a long way to go to get to that level. The roads are unpaved and the only way to ensure dependable electricity is to have a generator. It's a big island and I only had three nights. I found a nice little resort with a restaraunt and bungalows for $10. The first day I walked down the beach and found this very odd resort complex called A Thousand Stars. There were many concrete statues scattered about like the one you see here. Buddahs, African animals, all sorts of stuff. The place itself was a dump. It was very run down with trash everywhere. I had lunch by the pool. Pork stuffed squid and rice. The young lady working there only served food and drinks. She said that pool maintainence was not her job. The water was murky and there were many leaves floating on the water. She said there were sixty employees. Many wandered by to have a peek at me, as I was the only person there. She said there were 100 guests checking in the next day.
I booked a snorkel trip for my next day. It was similar to the trips in Nha Trang. Three stops, lunch, and a little Viet rum. There were four Germans, two Norweigans, two Danes and me. After the first stop, the engine broke. We had an extra long lunch while they brought another boat. We were chatting about Vietnam and how it hasn't reached the standards of Thailand tourism. Many hotels and resorts are owned by the army. I described the Thousand Stars and mentioned that with all those employees wandering around, someone could be picking up the trash. Sonia (one of the Germans) suggested it was probably an army resort and no one cared. Another boat arrived and we were towed to the next swimming spot. We wasted time getting the boat towed back, and were driven to a local beach for another swim. It was all Vietnamese at the beach. It was a nice beach, but covered with litter.
One of the larger resorts nearby had a bar with live music. I had dinner there one night (more pork stuffe squid) and listened to some music. I liked Phu Quoc. I will go back next winter and spend more time there.
Bye for now, Joahlah