Ke Ga – a very hot night camping
After nearly one month to arrange my freelancer job and do a small business, Cuong Chan decide to make a trip to somewhere near Sai Gon.
I have been on a lot of Vietnam tour packages and tired with popular tours such as Hoi An holiday packages, so this time I will make a trip to Ke Ga.
I have a close friend in Lai, Binh Thuan, so the destination has been identified. I have surfed on the Internet and found out that many travel magazines and travellers review the Ke Ga, so I head to Ke Ga.
At the beginning, we are 3 members involving a girl who resign at the near day to set off. Thus only I and my friend drive to Lago where our team have one more member.
Don’t induce someone to set off together. Who wants to do shall register themselves.
Here is my route:
Down to Long Thanh, I was charged a fine of 200.000d for line encroachment. Luckily, they just received money, didn’t keep my motorbike. If not, I should have caught a car to back to Saigon.
Who drive following this route should be careful. The police often work in the weekend.
The road is considerable to drive. It was cool and fresh on the route Ba Ria – Binh Chau – Lagi, along the way are rice – fields, and forests. It is a beautiful background to take pictures. When passing over te forests, I stopped to take a rest, and pass water.
At about less 12 o’clock we came Lagi. I called my friend to pick us up and take to his home. We took a break for a while, had lunch, and took a nap before setting off for Ke Ga at 3 o’clock.
Driving over Dinh Thay Thim about 10 km, we met a market, get into to buy some sea food including: 1 kg of spidercrab, cuttle ( I don’t remember the price), 3 crabs of about 100.000. The cost for hiring someone to grill all is 50.000d.
You shall buy sea food near the beach, which is cheaper. Take a note that they often cheat on the weight, and shouldn’t hire people for grilled sea food available because you can do that on the island.
After grilling all, we moved to Ke Ga where we arrived at about five twenty. We bought 10.000d of water for beer we bought along way.
When everything was completely prepared, we left our vehicles for cano’s owner to head to the island, call him to notify of arrival, wait for about 10 minutes for the cano to back, and get on the Ke Ga.
Expense for staying on the island is 50.000 per each. The keepers of lighthouses were very cool, humourous, so everything ran smoothly. After looking for for a long time, we finally had an ideal place to camp. It was under a lighthouse.
Everything was devided to prepare. My friend went to find firewoods, I put up tent. The worst was that it was the first time I put up this kind of travel tent, so I didn’t know how to do.
After a while, we decided to ask for a help from a group of students nearby who were finding a place to camp to communicate, and show us how to do. Finally, they participated in. Based on their tents, our tent were completed. So happy.
We in turn took a bath, re-grilled sea food. To tell the truth, at that time, I was very very hungry. After bathing, I rusted to grill and grill, and used cool beer to start a party. It was partly because we were hungry that food was more delicious.
At the beginning, 2 teams separately sat. However, after drinking some cups of beer, the food was to be out, when the night was late, students started to disperse, I asked the remaining to go to join with us. After a while of talking, it was find out that we turned out to be countrymen. What a small world.
Of that group, there is a boy born in 1993. That he told his journeys made me craving for. I have not travelled much as he did.
After a night of light fire, we went to sleep at 2 a.m. Because we chose wrong venue where the wind from sea was defended by the lighthouse, it was so hot. Our body was itchy, and we had to wake at 5 a.m to sleep outside our tent. My friend was the most pleased. At 2 a.m, he took his sleeping bag up to the lighthouse, and show off that “ It was so cold”
Take a note that, choose the right direction of wind-blowing. If not, it is very hot. I almost couldn’t sleep.
After a while of take pictures on the lighthouse, we called a boat to back.
This trip was perfect, except when leaving, a member lost his key while no one there could operate the motorbike of new models. We were forced to back to Lagi to take the second key, waited until 2 p.m to back to Lagi.
At about 3 p.m, we arrived Lagi, had lunch and headed to the city at three thirty. 8 p.m, we arrived the city. Everyone was exhausted, so we slept immediately after dinner.
See post about Ngan Ha – the girl who has been on a lot of Vietnam tour packages here