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?
Tuna?
Lots of colourful fishing boats; most small, traditional, and seemed to be family operated.
Our vessel for the day (photo by Binh as we departed).
It soon became apparent why the boat on the right was listing...
Many kilo's of anchovies, destined to become fish sauce.
The flag against a slowly darkening sky. This photo became my Flickr photo album header image.
Our destination, an island South of Phú Quốc. I think it was hòn Dăm Ngoài but not certain.
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.
Fishing time for those who wanted.
Followed by lunchtime, BBQ'ed on deck, for all.
A dramatic return voyage
It had been overcast all day but as we departed a, almost expected, afternoon storm gathered.
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.
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!
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.
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.
