Phú Quốc Island Boat Trip | (Rest) Day 6 Vietnam Cycle Tour
The itinerary:
We charter a private boat to travel to the idyllic An Thoi islands, unpopulated gems famous for their crystal-clear water & magnificent coral. Snorkelling here is a must. We will eat a fresh seafood lunch on an island paradise, before returning to our resort mid-afternoon.
The boat trip
We drove to the southern end of Phú Quốc for the boat trip*. The port village smelt of fish... a lot... everywhere.
Fresh caught, tonight's dinner maybe?
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Tuna?
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Lots of colourful fishing boats; most small, traditional, and seemed to be family operated.
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Our vessel for the day (photo by Binh as we departed).
It soon became apparent why the boat on the right was listing...
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Many kilo's of anchovies, destined to become fish sauce.
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The flag against a slowly darkening sky. This photo became my Flickr photo album header image.
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Our destination, an island South of Phú Quốc. I think it was hòn Dăm Ngoài but not certain.
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Snorkelled this bay, but not the best weather for it. It was still very warm, but overcast sky meant undersea colours didn't 'pop' like they would on a sunny day.
Photo of us snorkelling by Nhan.
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Fishing time for those who wanted.
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Followed by lunchtime, BBQ'ed on deck, for all.
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A dramatic return voyage
It had been overcast all day but as we departed a, almost expected, afternoon storm gathered.
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There was not much wind but had a torrential downpour and you can't see the dramatic lightening in the photo!
We got back safely but it added some spice to the voyage home.
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A fishy saucy business
On the way back to the resort we visited a fish sauce brewery. It's fermented in huge barrels for a year but didn't smell as "fishy" as you'd think, much less than the village!
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A barrel had 7 tonnes of anchovies + 3 tonnes of salt = a lot of fish sauce.
Back at the resort plans for a pool swim were abandoned when discovered the influx of rain had turned it green. It was back to the beach for swim before dinner** on our last evening on the island.
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Day Cycling Total: 0km | Total Cycling: 252km
2023 Amendments
This post was written in 2023, so this section will document any gaps. I had a blog back then but didn't update it while travelling, and it was before I used other social media.
* There is now a massive cable car connecting one of the islands we sailed past to the main island | The Phu Quoc Cable Car (Vietnamese: Cáp Treo Hòn Thơm Phú Quốc)
** No photos of that last evening meal. I vaguely recall Bas having a dodgy tummy but not sure.
