Life is Good.

Air Mekong is one of only two airlines providing service to Con Dao (and the only jet operator), so the new Six Senses Resort here is eager to work with us.  In order to help familiarize us with the property (yes, this trip is entirely business!), they invited me and our Director of Safety and Security, Jerome and his wife, Paula and their very cute 16-month old baby, Juno, to stay for the weekend. 

Jerome and his wife are Argentinian, but have been living in the United States for the last several years before coming to Vietnam.  I enjoy their company a great deal and it's a pleasure to be able to spend time with them here (while doing my best to not be a "third wheel" on what is her birthday weekend).  After the last few weeks in Hanoi, this weekend's escape to Con Dao is just what the doctor ordered. 

The Con Dao archipelago lies in the South China Sea off the South East Coast of Vietnam and Con Son is the largest of several islands there.  Six Senses began building their luxury resort here four years ago and opened just before Christmas.  They picked an exceptional spot: the island has been set aside as a National Park and, while there's a small village of 5-6000 residents, the island is largely pristine and untouched. 

Shouldn't someone be waterskiing on this?

Because of it's remote location, the French built prisons here to house anti-colonial protestors in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Those same prisons were later used by the South Vietnamese and Americans to house prisoners from North Vietnam, so the island has significant historical significance to the country.

In hopes of seeing a little bit of the island's history, the four of us arranged for a tour via scooter this morning.  Fortunately, there's virtually no traffic here, so motoring around the island is a piece of cake. 

Our first stop was the French prison headquarters, now a museum.  Like the War Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, which I visited on my first visit to Vietnam in 2006, they don't hide their contempt for the American "aggressors" they fought in the late 60s and early 70s.  The museum documents the torture and ill treatment the imprisoned Vietnamese suffered here, with regular reference to their South Vietnamese captors as "lackey's", "stooges" and "puppets".  These references serve as a stark reminder that the US and Vietnam were once bitter enemies and, for the Vietnamese, an opportunity to gloat over their victory against us.

We then proceeded to visit three additional prison compounds with plenty of reminders of man's ability to mistreat his fellow human beings (no pictures required).  What I will share is a cool pic I took of the bats hanging from the rafters in the American "tiger cage" prison.

They're pretty cute...until one flies into your villa late at night and can't seem to find it's way back out.  Yes, that happened last night.  And, yes, I screamed.  A manly scream.

 
After a nice break at a breezy beach front coffee shop for a ca phe sua da, I continued on our tour to a 150-year old Buddhist Temple where, at the suggestion of our guide, I awkwardly took the incense given me and prayed for the princess who resided there 150-years ago (at least, that's what I think I was supposed to do and for whom I was supposed to do it).

Our last stop was the island market which is always a good time.  Aside from the stall vendors who sold every cheap knick knack made in China, I always enjoy the food market and this was no exception.

You can't tell in the picture, but all the vendors are snoozing
in their hammocks during their quiet lunch break.

Pets or someone's dinner?

Quail Eggs?

How all those goods get to and from the market.

It was a great way to spend the morning and get a sense of the history and life here.

After a fantastic lunch of My Xau Ga (they have an exceptional "Vietnamese Kitchen" here which produces real Vietnamese recipes in an authentic setting using exceptional ingredients), I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sun and doing this (yes, mom, I used plenty of sunscreen...and, yes, Ali, it was 30).  :o)

Last night's sunset