kidnapped by phu quoc

Heads still hurting a little from last night's goodbye celebration, Ryan and I are back on the mainland. We were planning on leaving two days ago, but the island lady seduced us into staying for another couple. We got to check out the pepper groves (apparently Viet Nam is the biggest exporter of peppercorns and grow mostly in Phu Quoc), fish sauce factories (stank!), chase tropical fish through the coral reefs and play with the puppies of the indigenous dogs. You can tell the dogs that are native because they have a distinctive line of hair that grows up their back. If I wasn't worried about testing the limit of my parents' hospitality when we return to stay with them for a month or two, one of these little guys would definitely have stowed away in my pack.

Ryan also enjoyed the services of the massage ladies that aggressively hawk their services, almost to the point of throwing you onto their mats. They insisted that we should come back next year with two babies, and also to cut Ryan's toenails. This they did for free which proves just how bad they thought his talons were.

We befriended Hans from Holland and his wife Linh from Vietnam who barbecued the best seafood ever on the beach and sold very fun alcoholic beverages that came in fruity containers (pineapples, coconuts...) They talked freely about their relationship and how barbecuing and selling drinks helps keep them afloat, along with Hans' pension from Holland - interesting arrangement. I got a chance to work on my German skills as there were many Germans there and realized how rusty I was. The whole scene was really one of international cooperation as Hans pulled out the guitar and we tried to find common ground with a singalong. Many accents roared (badly) into the night sky singing Johnny Cash, Elvis, and other 60s American rock. I am sure that the fruity drinks helped people's confidence, though they didn't make us feel so good today on the rickety fishing boat we snagged to get over to the mainland. The view from the bbq spot was amazing.

Here's Ryan checking out the phu quoc market, and a shot of our illustrious fishing vessel/ferry that somehow managed to bring us back to mainland vietnam (about 5 hrs later).

Just 2 weeks left in our trip and we can't believe we have so little time! No malaria yet though the mosquitos are vicious down here. It is Christmas eve and so far we've eaten sticky rice, been chased through the market by one of the most aggressive tour guides ever - he really was running after us, and talked to an old mechanic for South Vietnamese and American forces during the American war. This evening we go to the buddhist temples on Sam Mountain, a distinctly different experience from any Christmas eve I've ever had. Wishing we were there to give everyone a hug and roll you a spring roll!