A week at Chen La

Mom and I spent our final days in Viet Nam living in the lap of luxury. Chen La Resort and Spa is located on the island of Phu Quoc down a long, orange dirt road. The rest of the island is barely developed other than the occasional resort, so when we came up to Chen La, seeing the lush greenery and stilt-house villas along the beach was truly a fantastic sight. I had done a bit of research in finding the place, and found that it was a very small resort with an excellent spa. Since my mother was hoping to find both of these things on our final vacation before her return to America, I booked us the nicest villa the place had to offer, and we were both quite
happy with that decision upon walking into our house. The villa was made from salvaged wood from a traditional Vietnamese stilt-house, and decorated in the same manner. Our platform bed looked out over the ocean through a wall spanned with glass. The bathroom was enormous, boasting a sunken tub, hanging orchids, and both an indoor and outdoor shower. Out on the patio we had a nice lounge corner with cushioned benches and a freshwater jacuzzi of cool water. I really had never stayed anywhere so nice in my life, and couldn't expect the place to get any better, but after a couple trips to the spa and some time spent at the pool, was convinced that the entire place mirrored the luxury of our villa. We really enjoyed taking it easy for the next couple days, and made one excursion to the other side of the island to visit the famous waterfall and Sao Beach. The beach was your typical Vietnamese hang-out, with thatched roof huts housing tables for giant feasts, and wild dogs taking over the place. My mom felt pretty bad for them and attempted to feed a couple, but they were so well fed from successful begging, that they didn't even want out handouts. She felt better after they ignored our crackers, sure that these dogs were really "living the life".

Since we went to Phu Quoc during storm season, the resort was mostly empty, with the exception of the occasional honeymooners or Japanese family. This fact means we got some pretty heavy rain on a daily basis, but it always cleared up with enough time to spend by the pool or the beach and get some sun. Since I spoke enough Vietnamese to communicate that I was an English teacher, I got offered a job teaching English at what my mother came to call "Shangri La". I'm definitely considering it, but would have to spend 6 months on an island

with nothing to do other than sit on a beach and read. Also, I would be the only white person in the place, so I'm still considering if I can handle the job. While I'm waiting on that, enjoy the pictures!