Ready to enter full out vacation mode, the Harringtons and the 'last Galma guest' loaded up the Matiz early on the morning of Wednesday, the 15th of August. The goal was to arrive in and enjoy a bit of Busan with a couple more days of Busan-enjoyment to follow.
The Matiz was packed full with people, belongings and of course a sweet little 3-legged dog.
After making the mandatory, Korea-rest-area Pit Stop, the man Harrington suggested stopping in Gyeongju where many dramas have been filmed/set and where the couple had previously road-tripped and enjoyed the sights immensely the winter before.
The warmth of spring and summer had worked their magic on the city of Gyeongju and all who occupied the Matiz were grateful for their decision to stop over.
In order to perfectly round out the month of May, the Harrington's were thrilled to come face to face with a three-day weekend. Monday, May 28th of 2012 happened to coincide with the lunar date dictating Buddha's birthday (or arrival on earth) and allowed many residents of South Korea to enjoy an extra day of sleeping in and/or exploring the peninsula. The Harrington's made the most out of the weekend by celebrating, barbecuing, camping and exploring.
Saturday got off to a slow start with Melissa putting the finishing touches on a cover letter and resume for a dream job and Mike gathering the necessary items for a successful weekend which included tents, sleeping bags, home-made root-beer and home-brewed cider and beers.
With their tasks accomplished and fully yearning for a get-away, the couple loaded up the car and headed just south of town to Jang-tae san a recreational forest boasting a Sky Tower and Tree-top Tower walkway. However, the forest wasn't the sole purpose of the Harrington's outing, rather the couple was heading off to a Pension where they would spend the evening and the following morning celebrating Ryan's (one of Mike's soccer buddies) birthday. The afternoon and evening were filled with barbecued duck, pork, beef, a few veggies, more than a few pitchers of beer and bottles of makgoli, birthday cake, food offerings to and from Korean families at the same pension, a roaring campfire and numerous drinking games.
Morning came all too soon for some of those celebrating, including the Harrington's who struggled to sleep on the hard, heated floors of the pension. Regardless, the crew cleaned up their site, grabbed some orange juice, soaked up some morning sun along the river and went their separate ways with most returning to Daejeon while M'n'M made their way into the recreational forest and further South to the coastal city of Yulpo.
As mentioned earlier, Jangtae-san boasts a Sky Tower and Tree-top walkway which provided the Harrington's a pleasant start to the day but were nothing entirely impressive or worth ranting about.
After two hours of sitting on the ferry, listening and watching Vietnamese pop music videos, the Harrington's were able to see the first signs of land, an island to be an exact. Phu Quoc Island for greater accuracy.
Having been in charge of booking a few accommodations prior to arriving in Vietnam, Mike had amazingly managed to keep the couples hotel location, name and perks a secret from the Mrs. Unfortunately, the taxi driver wasn't as keen on keeping things secret as he desired to get the couple to their final destination on Phu Quoc Island. With another traveling couple, the Harrington's then loaded a taxi and made their way to Long Beach where the Harrington's would find themselves spending the nights at Arcadia Resort, recently built and boasting beautiful grounds and beach access, it was a nice step up for the ever frugal M and M.
With a few hours separating the couple from dinner time, they quickly unloaded their single packs and made way for the beach. Their arrival on the beach perfectly coincided with Happy Hour and the sunset, so it was, with a Grasshopper cocktail in hand, the Harrington's began their relaxing, rejuvenating and slightly luxurious stay on Phu Quoc Island.
With the sun dipped below the horizon the couple set out to find a romantic dinner spot to celebrate the joy of simply being together, on vacation and in a place of beauty. Within minutes of walking, Melissa noted a sign for Le Bistro, a French Cafe recommended by Lonely Planet as providing delicious French and Vietnamese cuisine. An added bonus for the evening was that the couple arrived right on the tail end of Le Bistro's happy hour and so enjoyed 2 Lemon Rum's for the price of 1 (less than $1US). Aside from Happy Hour however, the couple enjoyed a most fantastic meal which began with a raw tuna salad, seared tuna steak and rice for the man and a pork chop with a creamy bacon and mushroom gravy with french fries for the lady. Overly stuffed, the couple had to turn down tempting desert items such as ice cream wrapped in puff pastry with chocolate sauce, and contentedly made their way back to Arcadia for a restful evening in paradise.
Prior to arriving in Vietnam, the Harrington's had a general plan to spend a day or so in HCMC before heading into the Mekong Delta with plans to finish out the vacation trip island-getaway style. The Delta is the nation's farmland, rich with water sources for rice and fruits of numerous varieties. Typical to farmland regions, the people of the Delta were rumored to be peaceful, hospitable and taking life at a slower, more enjoyable pace. Fearing that getting a taxi to the bus station and a bus into the delta might prove more troublesome than enjoyable, the Harrington's opted to duck into one of many tour operators outside their hotel on their last night in Ho Chi Minh City.
Roughly $25US each and the couple had tickets for a tour package which would extend two days and include transportation to the river, on the river, a small lunch, accommodation and dinner (since the couple chose the homestay) and a number of tourist attractions throughout. Similar packages had been seen online and while they would have provided more beautiful and potentially private experiences, the Harrington's were thrilled to pay a meager $25 per person rather than the $350-400 they had seen quoted through online tour operators.
So it was, on the morning of Saturday the 18th, at 7:30 am, the Harrington's made their way to their tour provider and were led to their bus to begin their journey into the Mekong Delta. With Sozo treats and a rest stop in between to make a quick purchase of 'Adidas' sunglasses and snacks the Harrington's and other tour-goers eventually arrived in My Tho, Vietnam where they quickly and eagerly transferred onto their first of many boats for the day.
First along the tour route was a stop at a beekeeper's farm where tourists were welcome to try the sweet and rich honey tea and a few sweet snacks as part of the tour fee. It was here also that the group had the opportunity to hold up a honeycomb slot of sleepy bees and for a few brave souls to hold a ridiculously large snake.
From honey to small canoes, the Harrington's and others donned the quintessential conical hat and made their way through the winding river under the shade of coconut palms and to the occasional chatter of canoe guides requesting that the foreigners 'givemoney, givemoney, givemoney' although this too was covered in tour costs. Unique, perhaps, to the Harrington's experience was watching the semi-drama of a woman (Vietnamese) go overboard on her small crew causing a small bit of moans and giggles as she was able to re-board and continue on her way.
Reunited with the larger river and the larger boat the tour was forced to make a quick change of plans as enough boats were not present to take guests from the large river, down the small river to a coconut candy factory, therefore the candy was postponed and lunch took place earlier than planned, which was perfectly timed as the Mrs. was beginning to feel the pangs of hunger.
A small lunch of rice, overly steamed and flavorless vegetables with a couple pieces of fish sauce chicken were included with the meal price. For those feeling a bit more famished, the tourist restaurant also provided a variety of dishes including Fried Elephant Ear (a local fish) Spring Rolls, a Mekong Delta delicacy. The Harrington's, who are always down for a bit more food and a few adventurous eating experiences leaped at the chance to enjoy such a dish and were not disappointed.
Filled with rice and fish and with the promise of properly sized boats the group of foreign tourists made their way to a coconut candy factory which was a showcase of fine skill as local women prepared a sweet and unique to Vietnam coconut candy.
From the tourist attractions of My Tho it was time to board the bus and hit the road until reaching the city of all cities in the Delta, Can Tho. Here, each tour guest would go to their pre-requested accommodation which for the Harrington's meant a Homestay which can more accurately be described as Guesthouse or Bed and Breakfast.
Upon arrival, the Harrington's were quickly directed to take a small cottage on the river while the rest of the group dispersed into a garden area. After settling in a bit and getting a feel for property and surrounding area guests began chatting and preparing for a dinner spread which would include another taste of Elephant Ear spring rolls, fried pork spring rolls (partially made by the tourists/guests themselves), fried tofu in a fabulously seasoned tomato sauce and green beans. As if that weren't enough, the evening ended with fresh pineapple and what felt like endless rounds of local rice wine.
With a mosquito net draped over the bed and the sound of the river and occasional motorboats passing by the Harrington's were soon dozing off into a peaceful slumber before another day on the delta.
If you live in South Korea you've surely heard about the glory of the Korean Love Motel. Often cheap. Often sketchy. Often a touch of 'sexy'. Often fitted with tinted windows. These motels serve to meet the needs of a) men and women conducting affairs, b) young lovers getting out of their parents homes to experiment and enjoy one another's company (many Koreans remain at home until married, and don't marry until 30...so, you can see the need for such a market) and c) foreigners looking for cheap and adequate accommodation.
The Harrington's stayed in such during their winter 2011 travels to the north east coast and again this past winter when road tripping to Gyeongju. Always hoping to pay the minimum, the Harrington's have payed between
