To the Tet holiday (Ho筆)

Xin Chào, Vietnam Hello, Vietnam! The new pneumonia, the coronavirus, has now been found among people in Vietnam too. As this global threat spreads, Southeast Asia is on its Lunar New Year holiday. Many people are heading off to travel to various countries. And so are we... Ho Chi Minh City has grown completely quiet for the Lunar New Year. For Vietnam, which has few public holidays, the Lunar New Year is the only long vacation. It is so important that this is truly the one and only perfect chance to shake off a whole year's worth of fatigue and hit the reset button. Rather than looking back on how we've spent our time up to now, greedy as we are, we want to make the coming year even more fulfilling and powerful — so off we went on a little vacation.

One hour by plane from Ho Chi Minh City. To Phu Quoc Island, a wonderfully casual resort destination. Đảo Phú Quốc! A Vietnamese island floating in the Gulf of Thailand, off the coast of Cambodia. It's small enough that you could ride around the whole thing on a motorbike in just three days. Surrounded by the sea, yet with mountains and hills too, it's an island rich in nature where resorts have been developed and some areas have become tourist spots. It seems to be popular as a resort destination for Westerners as well. In any case, the air is so clean!!!!! It's a whole different world from Ho Chi Minh City!! It really makes you realize just how dusty Ho Chi Minh City is.

This time, we're relaxing at a hotel that isn't on the ocean side. The hotel pool is fairly large and spacious! There are quite a few older guests. They seem to prefer the pool over the beach. People soaking in the pool as if it were a giant public bath, enjoying their chats. People reading a book with a beer leisurely in one hand. It's not about splashing around in the pool — it's a grown-up's resort.

We read books, check news on our phones (and play games), and gulp down the white wine we stocked up on at the supermarket. The pool water is just the right temperature, and even when we get in at night after the sun has set, it's still warm. Yeah, it feels just like a bath~~~. I, Ho, who sunburns easily, ended up shiny and dark despite taking sun protection measures. My husband Sei looks like he has a mild burn — his chest and belly are bright red and flushed, while his sides and back are still white (yellowish skin, that is). He himself laughs and says he looks like a cream bun. After spending time in the pool, we hop on the motorbike and go hunting for some delicious food! Since the hotel is set a little back from the main street, and the downtown area also spreads over a pretty wide range, the motorbike comes in handy.

When it comes to delicious food, we'll travel 30 minutes or even an hour by motorbike to get to it! This is my first time in Phu Quoc, but for my husband Sei it's his second visit. We race off toward the restaurant he scoped out last time. We even veer off onto little side streets that catch our eye, and oh, the sheer joy of speeding down those wide-open roads before the asphalt has even been laid!! Puttering along on the bike—unlike Ho Chi Minh City, there's no traffic congestion at all. Maybe it's because it's Tet? Anyway, we ride around looking left and right for a good place to eat, and even the scenery flowing by is a feast—an appetizer, really. And so, off to that restaurant that's caught our eye~~~

The chicken coated in coconut cream, and the grilled horse mackerel with sweet chili sauce. The fish dishes are delicious!! Relocated Life Ranking