Message Stick

We flew over to Phu Quoc island for a few days relaxing on the beach. We later learnt it’s pronounced ‘Foo Kwo’ but that was too late to save us from the embarrassment of asking for tickets to ‘Poo Cock’ island in the Vietnam Airlines office. The weather in Vietnam had been decidedly shady to this point with monsoon downpours almost every other day, not exactly beach weather. As we touched down in Phu Quoc however the sun was blazing so we hired a motorbike to scout around the hotels.  Two people, two rucksacks and two backpacks crammed onto a single moped was almost up to locals standard, though we’d need a few children and chickens on board to really make the grade. The next three days were spent watching films when it rained and riding motorbikes around the island looking for beaches when it was dry. After a boat ride back to mainland Vietnam we prepared to cross into Cambodia via the Mekong delta.

En-route to Cambodia we stopped off for a fantastic tour of Can Tho’s floating markets and backwaters of the Mekong. Starting at 5:30 AM our boatwoman kept us entertained and awake until we hit the mass of the floating markets down river. After picking up our Halloween pumpkin we took a lazy cruise through the deserted backwaters. The atmosphere was amazing as we winded through the narrow, shady waterways to the sound of crickets chirping. We stopped at a wooden monkey bridge and we both had a go at crossing it. After our guide watched me nearly destroy the bridge as I crossed she quickly urged Helen not to attempt it. I think we must be a bit heavier than the locals.

After a beweildering series of attempts to overcharge us we finally boarded a fast boat to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, excited to be moving onto a new country.