Sunday, November 7, 2010

Monkey See, Monkey Do

This weekend we made our way an hour and half outside HCMC by motorbike. We took a short ferry ride and continued driving through the quieter, less crowded Can Gio Mangrove forest to the beach. 

Cost of Ferry ride: 10,000 VND (0.50 USD) for 4 people.
Monkey enjoying a bag of peanuts he just stole from a small boy.


Monkey Island


On our way we stopped at Monkey Island. Animal lovers and kids alike will love this place.  Home to thousands of mischievous monkeys, also known as long-tailed masquades (Macaca fascicularis), a bunch of crocodiles and other wildlife. 

FYI: When visiting be sure to watch your food and drinks. Unlike zoos back in the states these social monkeys roam free at the park and enjoy stealing from people whether they are feeding them intentionally or not.


Cost of Monkey Island (Price does not include the optional boat tour): $5 USD total for 4 adults.




Can Gio Resort


Can Gio Resort


Just down the road from Monkey Island we stopped and checked in to the Can Gio Resort. We stayed in a Bungalow for 40 USD dollars a night, breakfast included. This resort is on the beach with a swimming pool, tennis court, badminton court, massage, steam room/sauna, karaoke, pool table and a restaurant.

We really enjoyed this place and found it hard to believe it was only a 3-star resort.

Can Gio Resort Website


In the morning the tide went WAY out.
BONUS: Across the street from the resort there was a seafood market. Not only did we get to pick out our super fresh seafood- once purchased the seller cooked the seafood for us right on the spot. Yummy!
Our dinner for 4 included:
1 kil or 2.20462262 pounds of octopus was 100,000 VND or $5 USD
1 kil or 2.20462262 pounds of Ghost Shrimp* was 300,000 VND or $15 USD.


*Ghost Shrimp: So good! They taste just like lobster and are similar in size but, without the claws.

Octopus

King Prawns 
Seafood Market

2 comments:

Lani Schonberg said...

Snack snatchin' monkeys! :-)) Do they stay just out of arms reach? Wow, that seafood market is huge! The ghost shrimp look so different than I've imagined them! I thought they would be: small and transparent gray. In your picture they are large, not see through with pinkish shells and have weird yellow legs! I think I would've passed on eating them. The Resort looks like a real jungle experience. Thanks for sharing!

Marie said...

Sneaky monkeys! I have a love-hate relationship with those little buggers. This looks like a great trip out of the city. How I miss Vietnam! We also lived in HCMC and frequently escaped on the bike:)

Marie at shantiwallah.com ( can't link for some reason)