A Slice of Paradise

Ally and I had visions of spending time on a secluded tropical island paradise, with aquamarine water, loads of sunshine and a waiter that seemed to materialize out of nowhere serving us cold drinks and delicious meals.  I would spend my days on a lounger with a big floppy hat sipping delicious beverages out of a coconut.  Ally would be beside me reading her book and Mark and Meg would be playing in the surf, somewhere close by.  You can picture it right?  Well…Mark, being the amazing man that he is wanted to make our dreams come true and booked us in for five days on Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam.  Our rustic little cabin with a restaurant, bar and wait staff, was right on the beach, with open windows, mosquito nets and solar heated hot water.  There were lots of palapas, beach loungers and quite a few staff waiting to meet any request that we had.  It was just what we were looking for! 

 

Our new little home.

The girls love living in their own place, we are afraid what will happen when we get home! 

Just chill in in their own private bungalow!

It was slow season in Phu Quoc, and we were pretty much alone at the resort.  We were hoping for a couple of sunny days interspersed between the spattering of rain, since the rainy season had just started.  Day one was mixed weather and it didn’t bother us one bit.  Mark and I took a long walk down the secluded beach on our first morning and ate fresh fruit and homemade yoghurt for breakfast.  Mark researched the next leg of our travels in the hammock with Ipad (remember her from earlier posts), and the girls and I read and listened to music.  I even got caught up on some writing. We really enjoyed our first day in Phu Quoc and figured we would be able to tough it out for four more days, no problem.  Perhaps I would book a massage in the massage hut, or take in some snorkeling with the girls.  Other than the overpriced restaurant, everything was what we wished for.  Then the rainy season hit full force!

 

Love

Artsy instalment

Mark and his second wife, living large!

We were awakened by gale-force winds, the sound of the surf crashing on the beach, and the shutters banging against their frames.  It was still awesome though, and Mark and I laughed like teenagers tucked inside our little bungalow under the mosquito net at 2:00 am.  We wondered if our thatch roof would hold and if the girls were awake in their bungalow behind us. It was hot and the storm didn’t seem to cool things down too much.  We slept late the next morning, and tried to run between the raindrops on our way up to the restaurant for breakfast.  A little bit of rain wouldn’t get us down; we were in paradise after all!

 

The view from our bungalow.

Day three brought more rain and with it lots of cloud cover.  Although it was hard to imagine anything being cold in Vietnam…the shower was!  Solar hot water is great provided there is sun.  So, there we were, huddled under cover, avoiding the rain AGAIN, with the only change of scenery being a cold shower and another round of Euchre with the girls.  My little paradise island wasn’t quite turning out as I had planned.  Where was the sunshine…my big floppy hat… and would someone please bring me a drink in a coconut!

Playing Hearts and Euchre underneath the mosquito net!

By day four I had come to realize that the odds of us living out our dreams on a secluded tropical island were not going to happen. It was still raining and as I lay on the bed, I heard a strange noise coming from the bathroom.  Meg and I went to investigate and found this little (read GIGANTIC) fellow on the wall.  

He was about 1.5 feet long from nose to tail, and that is no fishing story!

Now, not only did I have the raging tropical storms to keep me awake at night but the thoughts of this guy snuggling up next to me in bed too.  Yes, this is paradise all right!  I’m secluded on a tropical island with a ‘komodo dragon’ as a house pet and rain whipping through the shutters.  Oh and did I mention that the mosquitos have also arrived with the rain, and they are only slightly smaller than the lizard!

 

Passing time, waiting for the rain to stop AGAIN! To be honest, it is pretty amazing spending this much time
together in a tiny little bungalow!

On our final day the rain let up a bit, but the surf kept pounding the beach.  I laid on the bed watching it through the doors that I had latched open.  The breeze flowed through and I could feel the salty air on my face.  Mark had headed out for a swim and Ally came bounding down from her bungalow.

“Guess what Mom, I just saw a snake!” she exclaimed. 

The geckos and spiders could be dealt with; the ‘komodo dragon’ freaked me out a little, but snakes?  Snakes are not cool!  My tropical island dream was turning into a nightmare!  I don’t drink but I am really tempted to ask for something a little stronger in my coconut next round!

 

Of course Mark is not phased by anything!

He was even able to squeeze in a tune before the rain started back up again!

Mark says I am sure to have many “woe is Lisa”, “get out your little violins and have a pity party” and  “cry me a river” comments on this post. Let’s face it; nobody out there is going to feel sorry for little old me having her dreams dashed.  I know I get it, but please whatever you do, don’t cry me a river.  We are practically floating as it is, and your tears might just send our little bungalow adrift. Well, I had better run and check on Mark; hopefully the sharks haven’t gotten him.  Here’s to sunnier days in Cambodia, ahead.

Ahhh, he is just fine!