Spiritual souvenir for my life

Might the social distancing in the outbreak of Covid-19 make us unpleasant for a long time, certainly we wanted to get a journey to anywhere when everything turns back. Incidentally, my experiences in the latest trip to Nam Du islands I would like to share.

I made a decision to experience once there with my team last June 26, based on my previous information which I got on the internet. "Nam Du is a glistening archipelago of small tropical islands off the southwestern coast of Kien Giang province in Vietnam, lying in the calm waters of the Gulf of Thailand, consisting of over 20 islands, islets, and rocky outcrops, especially the biggest of these is known as either "Hòn Lớn" or called basically Nam Du. Traveling to the islands is still in its infancy"-my research. The departure for our journey was at 12am when we took the first step from Can Tho by our motorbikes to Rach Gia Port, and we were willing to enjoy Nam Du by tour boat Superdong XI of which price was inexpensive, approximately $10 for a single person. Passing already about 180 kilometers for three hours on the surface of the ocean, through some inhabited islands Hon Son, Hon Tre, and even some uninhabited islands Hon Dau, Hon Ong made an explorable feeling in my mind.

Afterward, we checked in the islands for Nam Du port on 3pm during when the weather was generally quite cool and wet, and rainfall was fairly strong, and on weekends during which the islands got very crowded, but the smell and the airstream from the sea were pleasant and fresh, while the port on Bai Tret Hamlet was scruffy and busy; a jumble of ticket kiosks, seafood shacks, fishing boats, and cafes. Later, we were picked up by the hotel staff on three motorbikes for six. The hotel we booked on the facebook page was Thao Thuong Camp, and the hotel-service was all-inclusive and reasonably priced for affordable travel within three days. The hotel was uniquely designed through a collection of sophisticated and colorful rooms outdoors, right on the coastline, away from residential area. We were given three rooms with two beds inside for one. The accommodations were fairly narrow, but cosy because the whole set-up was made for couples and best friends as it brought diverse sea views through the glassy door, clean and tidy, and well-equipped machines. Our all luggages had been well-arranged before we left to catch up on the landscapes of the hotel designed for selfie-snapping Vietnamese youth. Such as the walls were like drawings about nature, the colourfulness of rooms, the charming and bright Thao Thuong Camp entrance, and some landscapes from dusk till dawn of the sea. We took a lot of photos of the breathtaking sunset at nearly 5pm, when it was absolutely peaceful, calm water, bright and gentle, very good for a better mood. After we had checked and explored almost all of the views in the hotel, we had an amazing party from the hotel including main meals and even snacks all by the fresh and live seafoods. The dishes were local, informal and special from various seafoods by locals and staff, such as the grilled urchins or the boiled sea snails for fish sauce that were simply cooked and prepared, but we could get a delicious and perfect taste from them. Locals here were straightforward and extremely friendly to us, we got a cosy feeling like being close to our families. The first day has definitely been filled with much experience above, more excellent when we posted all of them to my facebook, and the congratulations I was given.

The second day welcoming us by the brilliant sunrise illuminating pass the glass to our faces, such an alarm clock. The staff decided to buy local breakfast for our craving, and then the rice-noodle with fish and the fresh-water crab soup were strong enough for all . Surely we all loved them because they were much cheaper, richer, more topping and tastier than my city, costing just $10 for all. Our explorable trip would be departed by the local tour guide who was young and worked whole-heartedly, and he said sketchily that it was an all around discoveration for outlying islands by boat tour in which might be inhabited or uninhabited islands. Until the middle of the day when it's near 36°C, less sea breeze, and no rainfall that obviously the weather was for us to go sightseeing and swimming. We left the accommodation at 12pm noon, and we gathered with other visitors on a boat trip of which the essential material was wood for double-deck, and its engines were quite good, moreover, a lot of life jackets for safety. The first destination of the boat trip was Hon Mau hamlet, in which the majority of impressions were of the glorious white sand beaches right on the seafront and filled by lots of coconuts and other plants. The boat stopped for at least two hours on the spot. We were addicted to Hon Mau in its naturalness, when we walked along the paved lane through the local homes, through flora of coconuts. That was a fishing community, all activities of locals related to fishing, maintaining the boats and selling seafood. Our curiosity was getting the stories of people here, they told us about phenomenal death, history, traditional culture and festivals, and what the story had been on my mind about the bloodable death of diversity of locals in the fifth storm in 1997, it was very scary. Afterward, the boat went on its itinerary to unpeopled Hon Dau island lying in the middle of the archipelago which was covered by other islands. The boat couldn't approach the seashore due to the towered cliffs and the shallow depth, so our exploration was only for activities in the boat and underwater. My double friends and I decided on swimming, and snorkeling into the water in which to sightseeing the aqua-fauna while others were on the boat for their strong seasickness. The captain and the tour guide cooked some snacks with the seafood bought from fishermen, typically sea ​​urchin porridge and fish soup, during when we did for an hour of snorkeling beneath a sheer rocky cliff, where the coral was colourful, the clear and calm water, and the fauna of fish that all for discovering. I was scared by the depth and darkness from the seabed, an incredible depth of approximately 5 meters. Our cameras couldn't catch the moments in which the swimming competition was performing, unluckily. Inherently, our half-day itinerary was for the completion at 5pm afternoon when the boat did a circumnavigate for remaining islands, as Hon Dau, Hon Ong, Hon Nom… The tour guide story about this historical spot was appealing and soulful, that was the fairy tales, fiction but reasonable and logical. I shared all the experiences of the second day on my social network with even those stories, unsurprisingly.

Now, I considerately wouldn't like to narrate any experience, why? Because the ultimate experience on the third day may be my regretfulness, nevertheless, it will be filled when getting out of the pandemic. Our third day, which was a half-day itinerary, but an unforgettable remembrance. In the early morning, the tour guide suddenly took four motorbikes for us, which was preparing for a circuit around the largest island, called either Cu Tron or Nam Du. Even though there's only really one road, this circles the entire island for 15km in total; so riding around, without stops, just takes around 20 minutes. Beginning in the hotel to Bai Tret harbour by turning left, we infiltrated through the centre for food, drink, education and parmacity, even major activities. Bai Tret was lined on the coastline almost without any space between the buildings, and some alleyways connected the road messily; in spite of the road being narrow, wet, and fairly dusty, but a fisherman's community which was crowded and joyful; moreover, the administrative and legal agencies, and school stole my attentions by their freshness and spotlessness. We bought some souvenirs and dried fish from the mini-wet market here for $15, before we went sightseeing at another destination. After escaping the central by the previous directions, we had to struggle with the steep uphill and downhill for visiting the Ong Ngu village and Dat Do Beach in the east; encompassing bays, and some small white beaches for a lot of breathtaking landscapes, and I hope the high-end hotel was built already before my another itinerary here. Continuously, the road behind the island away from public, a retired and green pathway, leading to a paradise of the sea called Bai Cay Men. It commenced to be a picturesque beach in the country for years previously since its glorious white sand beach was covered by the tiltu coconuts towarded to the sea and meandered to the clear turquoise waters. The entrance fee was free, and the reasonable price for swimming, and local food service here were quite frankly good for quickly making an itinerary. Walking along the beach, being in a hammock overlooking the sea directly with some fresh coconuts and revelling in special foods under the clear blue sky were the best for our exhaustiveness and doldrums from life. Unfortunately, the ship returning to mainland Rach Gia city commenced at 10am, thus we had to homecoming after we got a circuit to the lighthouse of the island, the ultimate destination. Even though it was entirely towering, at the top of the rugged slopes, my friends and I could fill our gallery with plenty of magnificent images. Whereas some picturesque destinations our opportunity for exploring wasn't allowed, just by hearing tour guide's stories about them, such celebrity places as Mieu Ba Chua Xu, Cay Da Co Don, Bai Nhum… During most of the journey, we frequently uploaded our picture gallery on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Tik tok to share the experience when we travel independently without any parents.

In conclusion, the information I shared was our own enjoyment on the field trip to Nam Du island before the outbreak of Covid -19 in the south of Viet Nam. I strongly esteemed for travelling to the island. My consideration is should we make an else-itinerary whether or not, after away from the epidemic. My suggestion to Nam Du was to depend on various features of living here. First of all, there were many youth-hostels or high-end hotels for a reasonable price for the attitudes of staff, food service, the special setting of hotels, and customer care... Secondly, the hotel-service was strongly recommended, totally good value for money. Last but not least, the scenery is multiform colour; even multi-cultural heritage, and they are inherently traditional practices and customs of locals here encompassing the friendliness and warmness from regional people here. I hope our another itinerary to Nam Du will be commenced as soon as possible, and neither do you.