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Saigon - Vietnam
Unfortunately our hopes of a smooth relaxing journey to Phnom Penh were dashed as 4 hours into the journey our driver managed to hit a cow! In the collision the already cracked windscreen was further shattered. Somehow the cow escaped with a few nasty cuts and grazes. Despite the shattered windscreen the driver pushed on (noticeably slower thankfully) and we arrived in Phnom Penh at about 7pm. After a short Tuk-tuk ride we got to a hotel and checked in for 3 nights.
The next morning we had a nice lie in before exploring some of the riverside area. After breakfast we got a tuk-tuk to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek where under Pol Pot's regime around 17,000 Cambodians were executed. A huge glass tower stands in the centre of the area displaying the skulls and bones of the deceased along with their torn discarded clothes. The fields themselves are quiet and tranquil now however the open graves are a sobering reminder of the atrocities that took place. From the Killing Fields we went to the Tuol Sleng museum. Once a school it was transformed into a security prison (S-21) under the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot. The museum documents the suffering that took place and includes the instruments of torture and images of the dead. The whole place had a very oppressive atmosphere and the day itself was fairly depressing! In the evening we had food at a good restaurant by the riverside.
The next day we decided it might be fun to try and guess how long it took for a man to ask us if we wanted a "Tuk-tuk" or more precisely "Sir, Tuk-Tuk, where you go? Lady? I give you good price, cheap cheap!!!" Turns out it was 2 seconds from the time we left the hotel lobby!! We spent the day exploring the town and looked around three different markets to see what was on offer. Two of the markets had plenty of good souvenir stuff and we made a few purchases. The third was a bit more 'local' and it turned out you could get just about anything there. I mean anything! Wedding dresses to deep fried spiders, handbags to half dead ducks (not to Laura's enjoyment). The place was insane and very busy! After a good day we went for a beer and got talking to a couple from England, Emma and Matt. We spent the evening chatting, drinking and exchanging stories over some good food which was very nice.
In the morning, feeling a little hazy we got the 8.00 bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City/ Saigon. The journey was pretty smooth although the border took about an hour or so and the system left a little to be desired. Anyway after the 6 hour journey we arrived in Saigon and found some accommodation after a bit of a trek around the 'backpacker' district. For the rest of the day we wandered around the surrounding area dodging some of the 3 million scooters that the city has to offer. Seriously, lots of scooters!!
The next day we visited the War Remnants Museum. There were all sorts of military relics there including tanks, planes, helicopters, bombs, guns and plenty more. It was very interesting and took us about 2½ hours to get around all the different displays. That evening we had a coffee by the Notre Dame Cathedral and walked back through the city.
The next day we were booked onto a trip to the Mekong Delta. We set off around 8.30am and arrived at the delta around 10.30am. The day consisted of a number of short boat trips and visits to various villages where we saw honey making, traditional Mekong music and coconut candy production. The highlight was a short rowing boat trip through the mangroves. We met a very friendly Korean couple at lunch who insisted we tried their traditional Korean alcohol. It was called Soju and tasted like mild vodka! It was nice, but not at midday!
After the long day we got back in Saigon around 5.30pm and walked around a couple of the markets. We bought some bags so we could fit in all our souvenirs as it was all getting a bit crammed! We had food for the second time in an excellent vegetarian restaurant and then went to bed ready for an early start the next day. In the morning we were planning to get two buses up the East Coast to Hoi An. The journey time totalled 23 hours and it really was going to be a mission!!
Stani and Laura xxx
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