Cù Lao Chàm - continue

Cham Island local people front yard view

The stay in Cham Island also included a snorkeling. We woke up early in the morning to join another tourist on a boat trip to snorkeling site. The boat was very simple, riden by a local fisherman. They offered snorkeling tube but if you want to bring your own equipment, keep in mind that we have a lot of snorkeling sites in Vietnam.

That was the first time I had ever snorkelled. I wore a life jacket and climbed down to the water with a ladder they had on the side of the boat. It was several meters deep and close to the rocks. I was shocked because I had always been to sandy beaches and close to the shore, I had never expected to swim with a lot of other creatures underneath. I am not a good swimmer neither, so I was so scared that I'd mess up and kick my arms or legs to the corals. Seriously I felt a deep sense of fear when I saw the sea creatures. However, I could spot a lot of corals, fishes, amazing amount of living starfish, I had just seen dead starfish only, sea urchin - that looked like a huge snail on the ocean bed, some very big fish. The tourist who shared the trip with us was a real fan of snorkeling, he wore a Go pro and swam around to record everything.

Snorkeling site

The sea creatures looking from above water. It looks quite shallow but it was actually not.

When we went back, we had some time discovering the local village. There was a village temple.

There are not many things inside the temple, it's very simple, but have a very old look.

The temple is to warship the ocean and pray for a peaceful weather. It is under a lot of trees and it feels fresh and calm.

The village lives around the temple. As we walked around, we met a gang of cocks, and by cocks I mean roosters.

These chickens live a real organic life, doing a lot of physical activities and having a good social life.

We wished we had stayed more to discover the jungle on the island. On the top of the mountain, there is a lake which provide fresh water for the whole island. It is possible to walk there, but we missed that. The jungle looked natural, with a lot of strange trees holding onto rocks and making best use of the little earth underneath the rocks. Trees like this, in the future, will grow up and crush big rocks into small pieces with their roots.

It was a very peaceful and slow 24 hour, and it was a pity to leave the island. One thing still lingering around in my mind is the pile of trash we found behind the homestay, in a water leak. It was a lot of trash untreated, it was not disgusting and smelling, but it was not tidy. Really wonder if they have done something with the trash? That is something I would love to do about in my country.