Chau Doc - Mekong tour

  Chau Doc, Vietnam
Sunday, October 1, 2006

Well what an amazing few days we have had, after a day crusing out - if such a thing is possible in Ho Chi Minh we are now on a Mekong Delta tour. Also just a short warning to all of you who have said you want to see the photos when we get back - start thinking up your excuses now as I am up to about 600 already - a photograhers dream this country.

Before leaving Ho Chi we had our cyclo ride - which fits usually one but they managed to get lara holly and I in one and cam and anna in the other in pouring rain - boy did they earn there $2:50 each - but a bit uncomfortable so not likely to be repeated. Our mode of transport now is motorbike - if you can't beat them then why not join them, cruising around in the immense traffic, no helmet (great public health) and huge smiles we cover lots of Ho Chi throughout the day. I might have told you some of this already as I think I sent the last email from the markets we did that day, anyhow we then booked out trip, had a beautiful indian meal out and then packed up ready to leave the luxury of our hotel for a 3 day trip to Phenom Phe (ops forgotten how to spell it).

A few hours by bus got us to the Mekong delta and then we spent the entire day on various boats from mid size to smaller to tiny rowing boats exploring the life on the delta - coconut candy making, honey wine, an opportunity for Anna and Cam to get up close and personal with a python and just watching the amazing life of the people on the mekong, washing themselves, clothes and everything else in this brown water, houses right to the water edge, kids swimming, fishing etc etc etc just mind blowing. Actually at the end of the day we were exhausted from the stimulus of it all. The last part of the day we had to go on a ferry and we rushed off our bus among a throng of people and motorbikes wanting to board the ferry and lara got dragged into a shop by a local lady and was quite terrified, luckily we did not get far but this is just a constant hazard with her.


today was more time on the Mekong looking at the floating markets and then onto the border town of Chau Doc, again a tired lot and not really in the mood for bargining for food and a few essentials we need to will just have to make do.

All really having a ball and miles more I could say or describe but must get back off to the hotel and get some sleep.