Operation W.E.I.R.D., part 1

Good morning, Vietnam

The first stop on this wild vacation – let’s just call it “Operation W.E.I.R.D. Winter Extravaganza Insanity Repeating Daily” – was Vietnam. We flew to Phu Quoc, an island just off Cambodia’s coast in the Gulf of Thailand. To kick off the first half of our winter break we wanted to shed the winter coats of Hangzhou and dig our toes into some hot sand. We looked forward to relaxing at Vida Loca Resort, right on the beach.

Located off the main road, this resort is quiet and literally in the sand. Its removal from the main road may be seen as an obstacle when going into town or taking a tour, but we viewed it as exercise.  It was a hill!  And we considered it adventure, especially when walking at night. Also, one time a single motorbike driver came to retrieve us both simultaneously for a day trip. The larger shuttle bus was too big to drive down the road. We both hopped on the back of the bike with our day pack and crossed our fingers.

Whatever you say

Part of Operation W.E.I.R.D was relying on locals for direction. This isn’t saying much, since part of our everyday lives consists of us relying on locals for a lot. Not knowing much about this area of the island, we were at the mercy of the front desk clerk. Thankfully, she was always willing to answer our questions, make suggestions and call us a taxi. She recommended a nearby bank for us to exchange our money, although we learned too late that banks on Phu Quoc don’t accept Chinese RMB. Luckily we had exchanged enough at the airport when we landed to last the few days we were here. She also recommended an excellent night market where we grazed on several items before settling down at a restaurant. 

The biggest picture of the smallest food (on the left) was a new favorite of Kim’s. It’s a crunchy-yet-chewy tortilla wrapped around some savory and spicy filling. It was our first stop at a food cart at the night market. And our only documented one because we lost control of our mouths as the night progressed. We also ate a flaky coconut wafer dessert and coconut ice cream but we ate those quickly…for fear they would melt? The two pictures on the right are veggies and a spicy chicken dish and some seafood and noodles we ordered at a busy restaurant.

He’s going to put that snake WHERE?

While dining, we noticed a kid, probably around 11 years old, with a guy in his early 20s, maybe his brother, setting up a stool in front of the entrance to the restaurant. We also noticed some bottles of gasoline, a burned baton and what looked like a snake wrapped around the older guy’s hand. As it turns out we were about to witness a stunning pyrotechnic show that occasionally flirted with the boundaries of safety and personal space. The kid had one very important responsibility – collect tips – while the guy twirled fire on ropes, flung a lit baton around his head and also used the snake as a sinus floss. It was interesting to say the least. I took no pictures because I was horrified for the snake but it didn’t look like he was harmed in any way.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Operation W.E.I.R.D., where we book a day trip based on the front desk clerk’s glowing recommendation of a snorkeling/fishing tour group.

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