Exercises in celibacy - trip to Thailand and Vietnam in Jan 2025

[vinapu]

Day 19

 After breakfast trip to Venice and by free public bus #17 at that. At northern tip of island they built replica of Venice , complete with gondoliers and Ponte Rialto. I quite liked it  , did not take gondola trip because I didn’t do it in Venice proper either. What surprised me is how uncrowded  place was. There were tourists , Vietnamese  and foreign here and there but definitely no more than 1-2 percent of hordes invading Venice day after day.

 

 

There is cultural center where in the afternoon and evening are performances so I guess  during day people are soaking in the sea .

 

But beach was not crowded either so I decided to crowd it for a while.

 

What impressed me the most was bamboo structure , no idea about her function but intricate construction is a treat.

 

Early afternoon  I jumped into free bus and went to point in south where road to airport turns inland. From there I did lazy walk along  main road all the way to the city stopping here and there to check tours offers, eat something and see what souvenirs they have on offer.

 

It was dark when I finally arrived to my sizable room spending whole day outside.  Then I went for my ice cram to night market, noticed that massage boy I spotted another day is busy, exchanged some money but rate there is 1000 dong  lower than in bank, not big financial hit though.

 

What need to be said and I should do it earlier is that visiting Phu Qouc does not require visa even for those who need visa to Vietnam  but there’s one condition – one must arrive  by plane from abroad and  leave the same way. If you want to go to mainland , make sure you obtain visa beforehand.

[Raposa]

12 hours ago, vinapu said:

What need to be said and I should do it earlier is that visiting Phu Qouc does not require visa even for those who need visa to Vietnam  but there’s one condition – one must arrive  by plane from abroad and  leave the same way. If you want to go to mainland , make sure you obtain visa beforehand.

Correct, although changes went into effect for many nationalities from 15th of March, making it easier to go visa free. People should check whether they still need visas for Vietnam. 

[12is12]

I guess I should be ashamed to admit, I've never heard of this place. And a venice replica to boot. Guess I'll add it to my november trip in the region.

Thx (-:

[Keithambrose]

58 minutes ago, 12is12 said:

I guess I should be ashamed to admit, I've never heard of this place. And a venice replica to boot. Guess I'll add it to my november trip in the region.

Thx (-:

It looks better than the Venice replica hotel in Vegas, the Venetian.

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Keithambrose said:

It looks better than the Venice replica hotel in Vegas, the Venetian.

and certainly much newer and freshly painted than it's original in Italy

[vinapu]

Day 20

 In some sense unremarkable day but at made it fun at my friend expense. More about that in a second.

After breakfast  I wandered through he streets and back alleys part of city on other side of river bisecting it, spying on normal, local  life. I found big statue of Ho Chi Minh and former airstrip , now just a very wide road. And surveyed very colorful as well as smelly  sea food market returning to hotel around 11 am to pack up and go to new hotel , this time in a beach area close to the airport.

interesting building and just streety street :

 

 Reason for the move was to shock my friend who is coming today and has no idea I’m in Vietnam , even less in Phu Quoc. Skillfully I obtained information about his time of arrival and hotel he will be staying and booked the same. Luckily I got the room facing entry and soon I saw him coming from the bus, opened window and screamed “ what the fuck you are doing here ?” . He being short sighted couldn’t see me initially but recognized voice and screamed back’ where you are and what the fuck YOU are doing here”.

When I waved towel from the window finally he spotted me. Imagine going from,  say Montevideo   to Novosibirsk  only to hear and see your friend is already there. Judging by his reaction he was very happy.

view from  welcoming window:

and  to opposite side from hotel's corridor:

Rest of day we spent walking to the city and back , checking sights and stores and before retiring to hotel we had super tasty Vietnamese sandwiches in otherwise unremarkable  restaurant across the road.

Since tomorrow is my last full day here and his first , we resolved to celebrate joyful reunion and even more joyful fact that we are here together only one day and  spend it in style by taking world’s longest cable car over sea.

[bkkmfj2648]

1 hour ago, vinapu said:

spend it in style by taking world’s longest cable car over sea.

I loved that cable car ride - if I remember correctly it traverses a couple of islands before arriving at its final destination....

any pics to refresh my memory?

[vinapu]

22 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

 

any pics to refresh my memory?

yes, soon

[vinapu]

Day 21

 So finally taste of Phu Quoc biggest , most famous and costly attraction – longest cable car over sea.

 Round trip costs 700 000 dong ( 1 dong = 25000USD ), if you opt for buffet lunch it is even

1 000 000 ( one million = 25 USD) Even if numbers are making impression it is very good value for the money as ticket included free admission to amusement / water park  at other terminal.

 While getting to northern tip of island with  fake Venice is easy thanks to the free bus, there’s no such service to the southern tip where cable car starts, There’s infrequent bus # 19 but it terminates at different southern location we were told.  

 Some hotels are offering free shuttle to those who bought ticket or tour through their desks but we decided  not to bother looking for those and after breakfast walked to main road and it did not take long before guy asked us where we are going and miraculously it happened he has a car and can take us there for 250 000 = 10 USD.

  Soon we were on the way. He advised us to buy ticket with lunch  and we stopped in some shop on the road to buy that as he claimed we can avoid lining up at station.

 There was  no line up but price was the same so no harm done. Island station looks like Roman ruin  in middle of skillfully recreated Italian city. I must say it’s quite well done indeed.

 

Whole exited we boarded car for 18 minutes trip over the sea.

 Views were spectacular although my friend , as is his habit almost immediately created international scandal telling group of Orientals ‘ you  must be from China “. They were Korean and judging by their facial expression if that was done  on firm land my friend would be beaten to the pulp, to my applause I haste to say.

 

 We arrived an set to have waterpark fun with me from time to time telling mu friend that I saw that Korean sharpening knife on the stone around the corner.

 They have one of longest wooden rollercoasters in the world   so we took a ride and repeated it  after lunch ( just me  that one as it was too much for my friend), soaked in multiple  tube rides and slides and generally liked every minute of it.

 

 Lunch part was less exiting as it was in enormous and crowded hall with long line ups and food was so, so , at least whet we sampled. Contrary to what we were told  there were other eating options so next time surely I will skip that part as elbowing for table space is less entertaining than listening to the sound of that sharpened knife and other attractions.

 After better part of day spent there we went back the same way and returned to main island  to walk that piece of Italy in Asia. Again it was quite empty, many buildings are visibly unoccupied but that’s not my problem. I liked what I saw to a great degree.  

 

Going back it took us a while to find car or rather again car found us as guy seeing two seniors , one smart and other stupid,  figured out that they may need a ride and offered that option.

In short very nicely spent day and recommended to everybody. Just don’t tell Koreans they look Chinese, neither ask Israelis if they are from Kairo or Doha.

[ichigo]

1 hour ago, vinapu said:

Round trip costs 700 000 dong ( 1 dong = 25000USD )

Didn't realise the VND was worth so much! 😂 fabulous photos though!

[jason1975]

2 hours ago, ichigo said:

Didn't realise the VND was worth so much! 😂 fabulous photos though!

Should be 1 USD = 25 000 dong

[10tazione]

4 hours ago, jason1975 said:

Should be 1 USD = 25 000 dong

Thats cheap!

I thought 1 dong = 2500 baht (shorttime)

[vinapu]

7 hours ago, ichigo said:

😂 fabulous photos though!

not me, my phone

[vinapu]

7 hours ago, ichigo said:

Didn't realise the VND was worth so much! 😂

 

4 hours ago, jason1975 said:

Should be 1 USD = 25 000 dong

this is what happens when one types report in depth of the night while under influence of Rapa Nui cocktail - 9 % of gin and 91 %of gin 

[10tazione]

It looks like the Vietnamese like ancient buildings and cable cars. On the Bana hills near Danang they have constructed a medieval french village.

[vinapu]

Day 22

Time to return to civilization but not before utilizing such spectacular beach and  adjacent sea in the  the morning  to soak for few hours. I was never beach and sea person but I liked it there very much to extend of even thinking about returning there. Amazing how wet was water there !

 Getting to the airport was easy as free bus stop is steps from hotel. Airport was very crowded and bit disorganized but I was calm because my flight was late.

Immigration at Don Muang was also crowded, lines moved fast but still it took while before I was able to be on my way to Baan Silom where I was informed that they are full but because I had reservation they upgraded me to a condo across the street. While preferring g hotel room I gladly sampled that condo . It was quite nice with tiny bedroom but sizable bathroom and full kitchen , even with washing machine .

They also told me that my friend stays there and I suspect that he got my room as when I met him hour later he was in the same room I stay in previously this trip three times.

At 7 pm I was supposed to meet jason1975,  reader , Raposa and 10tazione for a dinner at G’Bangkok and I messaged one of them I will be late because all those commotions.

We had prime table  outside which is always great people watching spot. We had fun and food was as always very good. After dinner reader went his way and us four went to Dragon and Koi ( or is it Kuay ?) to see boys dancing and getting touchy-feely in between. Some of them looked very nice but generally twinks are not my field.  Our next move was to my field indeed, namely Atlas where of course we were greeted enthusiastically my aspiring wingmen Ken and James, asking for drink, tip and when I off them , in short usual vinapu’s Atlas and Tawan liturgy.

We watched show but there was no f…k show today , apparently police said forget about it . Of course tips to me boys and some performers as well big cock show performing artists were distributed but no off since I had other plans for tonight. I kind of missed S, my companion from Chiang Rai  and told him already earlier that  tonight he is mine so straight from Atlas I went to pick him up and we went to Foodland  where soon we had another member reunion, few hours after previous one.

And there was reason for that as one of us had birthday and reader organized actual birthday cake for him. Of course we sung ‘Happy Birthday “ before we attacked that cake with knives and forks.

 After while crowd dispersed and we walked briskly to my newly acquired condo in soi 3 for another stamp collection  survey , our 6th this trip.   And last as tonight is my last full Bangkok night

[bkkmfj2648]

4 hours ago, vinapu said:

And there was reason for that as one of us had birthday and reader organized actual birthday cake for him.

Please share who was the lucky forum member to have such a lovely birthday surprise = Forum members singing like a church choir Happy Birthday to him....

[PeterRS]

4 hours ago, vinapu said:

Amazing how wet was water there !

We live and learn LOL. Seriously, great reports, thanks. 

[jason1975]

5 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

Please share who was the lucky forum member to have such a lovely birthday surprise = Forum members singing like a church choir Happy Birthday to him....

It wasn't me! My birthday is in May and yes I am going to Bangkok for weekend to celebrate!

[jason1975]

9 hours ago, vinapu said:

At 7 pm I was supposed to meet jason1975,  reader , Raposa and 10tazione for a dinner at G’Bangkok and I messaged one of them I will be late because all those commotions.

We had prime table  outside which is always great people watching spot. We had fun and food was as always very good.

I believe this was one of the rare ocassions where so many active forum members (five!) met for dinner! Glad to meet you again in person @vinapu because our previous trips couldn't align and I didn't meet you last year in 2024.

[vinapu]

10 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

Please share who was the lucky forum member to have such a lovely birthday surprise = Forum members singing like a church choir Happy Birthday to him....

I will leave to an actual  birthday boy to reveal who he is . But yes , it was happy choir and rare occasion , as jason mentioned above, for no less than 5 members meeting for dinner and then supper. Some of them,  I suspect they must be gay,  had even boy in tow for that happy birthday celebration

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, jason1975 said:

I believe this was one of the rare ocassions where so many active forum members (five!) met for dinner! Glad to meet you again in person @vinapu because our previous trips couldn't align and I didn't meet you last year in 2024.

I was happy too to meet you and others even if one of them is suspected to bump me from my room at Baan Silom, lol.

Due to distance and cost I'm not as flexible with travel plans as I wish I could but hope our timing will align at some point in not so distant future.

[10tazione]

3 hours ago, vinapu said:

one of them is suspected to bump me from my room at Baan Silom, lol.

Won't happen too often, because:

• you don't plan to be in BKK before 2029
• I resort to Baan Silom only in case The Quarter Silom is full (never happened so far) or rate is higher than I am willing to pay (happened last time)

Personally I like Baan Silom less than the Quarter because

• rooms arent really dark with curtains closed 
• bed was a bit on the harder side
• no pool
• no gym

[jason1975]

4 hours ago, vinapu said:

I was happy too to meet you and others even if one of them is suspected to bump me from my room at Baan Silom, lol.

Due to distance and cost I'm not as flexible with travel plans as I wish I could but hope our timing will align at some point in not so distant future.

Please let me know when you will be in Bangkok and I will fly over for the weekend!

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, 10tazione said:

Won't happen too often, because:

• you don't plan to be in BKK before 2029
• I resort to Baan Silom only in case The Quarter Silom is full (never happened so far) or rate is higher than I am willing to pay (happened last time)

Personally I like Baan Silom less than the Quarter because

• rooms arent really dark with curtains closed 
• bed was a bit on the harder side
• no pool
• no gym

I'm not complaining , just found it funny that by sheer coincidence my room landed in good hands of another forum member.

we are in full agreement about those hotels as I like Quarter Silom less because 

- rooms are small

-this is compensated by much higher prices I'm rather not willing to pay

- I don't even know what pool and gym are