21. Phu Quoc, Vung Bau
On the way back to Duong Dong we spotted this unique place. I do not know if it has a name. It was close to Vung Bau. As you can see, this is another unspoiled beach. It was amazing seeing such a wonderful place preserved from tourism.
Further south, we found a road that took us to this cove. There was a bar with two monkey in cages. A local girl told us someone had caught the apes in the forests. We later tried to find some monkeys in the wild, but could not find any. If you come here, you may be luckier and spot one. There are monkeys in the mountains in Phu Quoc. I promise.
The owner of the place told us he was trying to promote some tourist activities here. Snorkeling and boat tours. Unfortunately we did not have time for such activities. We were hungry, and kept traveling south to find a place to eat.
22. Phu Quoc, Xa Cua Can
On this part of the island we found some rivers. In the picture you can see some houses built next to one of them. Phu Quoc is a green island. There are many trees in the mountains. Specially in the forest.
People seemed to live a simple but happy life here. They did not have much, but I guess they had (almost) all they needed.
23. Phu Quoc, Saigon Tourist Resort
North of Duong Dong there are also a couple of resorts. You will find bungalows for rent in these resorts. Instead of a long beach, you will find rocky coves here. This is an even more relaxed place to stay than Long Beach.
We ate in one of the restaurants here. The location was unmatchable. Sea food with ocean views, can you beat this? The quality of the food was exceptional, and prices, as everywhere in Vietnam, a bargain.
24. Phu Quoc, Long Beach - Bai Truong
Nothing relaxes me more than a picture of Phu Quoc. Some times when I get tired of our cold winters I take a look at the pictures I shot while in Phu Quoc, and just let my imagination go. I just wish I could be there right now ... I guess I will have to wait.
25. Phu Quoc, pepper fields
Phu Quoc is also famous for its pepper. In the picture you can see a pepper plantation I found while riding with my rented motorbike. Someone told me that depending on the time the seeds are collected they become white, red or black pepper.
26. Phu Quoc, Saigon Phu Quoc Resort
We are back to Long Beach. The picture was shot in the best resort, at present time, in Phu Quoc, the Saigon Phu Quoc resort. The complex has a swimming pool, a great restaurant, and three or four kinds of bungalows. The more expensive rooms are the ones with sea views. Prices here are high, but only in comparison with other resorts in the area of lower quality.
27. Phu Quoc, Long Beach, laying under the sun
Can you think of something more relaxing than laying in one of these deck chairs under the shade? I can. What about laying in one of these chairs while having a massage?
While laying on the beach, you will be approached by local masseuses offering their services. They will charge you only a few bucks for an hour massage. Some of these ladies are real experts. Remember to negotiate the price. You do not need to give them any tip.
If you go to a massage lounge (or you take a massage in your hotel), you may be surprised to find there are two prices. A local and a foreign price. The reason for this is that locals always give better tips. Usually a Vietnamese will give a 100% tip -- because they know masseuses do not get any salary from the owner of the place. And we foreigners think that 10% is a good tip! If you are charged more than a local, you do not have to give a big tip. But if you pay the local price, you do have to give at least a 50% tip. This is only for massages. At restaurants, tips are no obligation. It depends on the quality of the service.
28. Phu Quoc, Long Beach, bar
Most of the times your breakfast will be included with your hotel bill. If your breakfast is not included, you will find a bunch of nice places to have your first meal. Some are as laid back as the one in the picture. Others are more upscale.
29. Phu Quoc, Long Beach, restaurant
I told you before about the places to have breakfast, but if you are looking for places to have lunch or dinner, there are some in Phu Quoc's Long Beach. I guess the culinary offer could be more varied. I am sure it will be better if tourism finally develops in the island. You have to know that in the past five years, foreign visitors have increased by more than 1,000 percent!!
30. Phu Quoc, Long Beach, trees
All inclusive resorts have not arrived in Vietnam yet -- at least that I know. For this reason most of the times you will be free to have lunch and diner somewhere else than your hotel. If you take a walk along Long Beach you will see some restaurants on the beach. I visited most of the restaurants in the area, and they all had excellent food. Price varied, but it depended more on the quality of the table than on the quality of the served food.
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