Phu Quoc is tiny tear-shaped island off the Southern coast of Vietnam, formerly part of Cambodia. The island has a really mixed reputation and whilst being famed for its beautiful beaches and pearl cultivation it's also home to coconut prison where Vietnamese war criminals were detaining in the 60s. As usual, all the other backpackers and couples hopped onto the mini bus at the pier perfectly organised with print outs of their hotels ready for the driver while we just shrugged and said 'take us somewhere nice for a drink' much to his confusion. After our dramas at the border, Phu Quoc ended up being a pretty last minute decision so mission number two (after a light refreshment of course) was to find some accommodation. Over our time travelling we have learned the very important lesson of insisting on seeing all hotel rooms before 'we pay now!' unlike the other newbies (clearly identifiable by the fact that they were still pasty white). Being the last drop off, we watched with smug smiles as many of the others were dropped off at their pre-booked, pre-paid dilapidated 'bungalows' which looked like they'd been put together by a few twigs and some chewing gum knowing exactly what they were thinking: 'this isn't how it looked on trip advisor??'. After a nice smoothie, we shortlisted our options down to 3, hopped into a cab and off we went. Sai gracefully waited in the cab whilst I legged it up and down (the meter was running) to inspect the rooms only each time to be let down by creative online photos. It wasn't until our last place where we found the ultimate pad for our time on the island.

With some amazing beaches across the island it was highly recommended we hired a scooter, so we did and took to the roads....the only issue being that there was only actually one road and the other lines on the map actually meant treacherous dirt track with scooter eating holes for the next 40km. This didnt stop Sai from yelling 'watch where you're f-ing driving!' in my ear. When we finally arrived at the beach sitting down proved to be a challenge. An absolute highlight for both of us was our trip down to Cao Sao, dubbed Vietnam's best beach (not by us but officially). This 2 mile stretch of powdery white sand surrounded by lush palms was the perfect setting to top up our tans and enjoy a few Saigons in the sun. Whilst Sai napped on her lounger and I kicked a football around, a couple of local lads (impressed by my skills) asked to join in and before long without a word of English spoken, another 20 of their mates were involved and we had a game on our hands! All in all a lovely bit of beach dwelling to break up some crazy cities.

We have both become huge fans of the night markets across Asia serving up a delicious mix of local street food and grilled seafood. We spent a number of our nights loitering Phu Quoc's finest food quarter equipped with plastic chairs and our own bottles of Bordeaux 2008 laughing at sunburnt Russians trying to communicate with befuddled Vietnamese.