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VIETNAM!
Our boat trip from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc was excellent - no problems at all and the border corssing went smoothly. Arriving in Chau Doc was quite surreal, loads of floating houses with pig pens and petrol stations on boats. Seriously self sufficient.
Chau Doc is described as quaint and charming. At first we were like - "What?" we totally had something a little different in mind...but then, you think about where you are and you think, well, I suppose so.
Had great time there - had two trips out in one day - one to the floating market and to check out the fish farm and the way of life on the river. Amazing. They are all so reliant on it for everything. OUr next trip was on the back on a bike (we had two drievrs) who took us through the country side and to a view point above a forest. We also saw the Lady Buddha and Sam Mountain (where you can see the border and sunset over Cambodia). André was the main attraction it seemed to a few of the other Vietnamese tourists - who called him after he walked passed so that they could have a photo with him! Sam was an after thought. had a good beer on the top of the mountain, lying in a hammock looking in the direction of where the sunset should have been over Cambodia (unlucky for us, a big mist came through and we couldn't see much at all).
Can THO
Not much to this town/city....pretty much got in and got out as fast as we could. We were thrown out of the bus - literally in to a big puddle of water...where we were greated by young dudes trying to get us on to the back of their bikes to take us to where ever we were. AS we were pretty much in the middle of no where, we considered it - however, thanks to the one dude stinking of alcohol, our lives were saved and we spotted a taxi. Dude couldn't speak a word of English but seemed to understand where we were needing to go to.
We didn't do too much research for our hotel and decieded to just pitch up and look for a spot - we went to a spot mentioned in the lonely planet - euw. Next...euw...next ok - but for $45 dollars, NO WAY...next...less euw, run by the military and close to the water - and for $9, not so bad. Defo used of our own bed linen.
Drinks and Dinner was great though!
Got up very early (not that we needed to set an alarm or anything - always up early) for the official Floating Market tour of the Mekong Delta. Our guide was very sweet. He wouldn't stop feeding us! The markets were brilliant (also had a Veitnamese language lesson) and then we made our way back to the city through the tributaries off the mekong - at parts it was like going through a jungle - so stunning!
As soon as we got back to the hotel we checked out and headed for the bus station. OUr hotel couldn't organise the ticket for us so we had to just sort the ticket at the station....but there isn't an info centre for you to go to ask where to go, or to advise which bus services go where and when...it is just a mass of buses and informal stands and LOADS of touts pulling you this way and that way. As we got out the taxi there was a guy in our faces pulling us towards a bus...we had no idea where it was going, what the price was...then all we said was "My Tho" and we waled towards the company we knew was reputable and some lady not dessed with any labelled clothing said she was from that company - showed us a business card with that companies logo on it - but then pointing to an entirely different bus - screaming a price out to us - which we later found out was a lot more expensive than it should have been. She wouldn't leave us alone - she kept going "My Tho" and grabbing our arms and pointing to the bus - she followed us around everywhere and then kept trying to come in between us when we were trying to discuss what we wanted to do...André then pretended to try and put his bag on his back and knocked her out the way!!! so funny - but that seriously didn't stop her to continue trying! Very funny!
We then decided that we didn't want to go to My Tho anymore, as the bus company we wanted to go with didn't go to there (they are known as the best company in Vietam - and, if you saw how these guys drove here, you would understand why we wanted to go with them!)....well, all of that madness was a whirlwind and we changed our plans and were on our way in a bus to Ho Chi Min City within 5 min....it all happened so quickly. Yeah, so yesterday wasn't a great day, but today was...and think we may stay here for a few nights - we booked in to a little hotel/hostel for two nights - but are checking out tomorrow to go to a nicer spot - treat ourselves a bit...make us feel a little more human. Today we saw the Independance Palace and the War Remeberance Museum...really really interesting - but man, it is so sad. the photographs some of the photographers took some incredible photo's. Also saw some really sad pics of the children that have been affected by the Agent Orange chemicals! Aweful.
So, Sam hasn't had a hairdryer in 3 weeks!!!!!! hair looking aweful, so all that can be done is to tie back and André has had his second bzz cut of the trip - number 1...love it. Lucky little pooh!
Yeah, but we have good days (like today) and then we have the days where we just want to go home....agg, the Asian people are wonderful, but there really isn't a thing called personal space. And they have the grosest mannerisms - e.g. hocking up a loogy - very loudly - and then spitting it at your feet. I know we see / hear people doing it every now and again - but here, it is like every other person you come in contact with. AH, we just want to VOMIT!
Well, off for a nice meal and a bevvie or two.
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