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Keeping with Tradition I stayed up with my mate stefan until a few hours before I was due on the boat to Vietnam.All kinds of feelings as I left Cambodia.Mainy one of worry over how the border police would react with my second overstay of my visa.I tucked a nice $100 into my passport to sweeten the guy but at the last minute put it in my pocket.Amazingly the fella just gave me my passport back!! I should have at LEAST had to pay a 12 day overstay...but no.....and no jail which is always nice.Maybe this was a good omen.The boat from Cambodia inot Chao Doc was slow...about 8 hours but after you crossed into Vietnam the scenery was really nice,through all the canals etc...nowhere near as good as the trip in battembang but still a good trip.And so started my few days exploring the Mekong delta.After one night in Uneventful Chao Doc and a trip up a mountain I headed to Can Tho the hub of the Mekong.It was a nice little place by the river,more french flavor to it and a Giant Ho Chi Mihn by the lake.I hired a boat for 5 hours to take a trip
round the floating markets and through the Mekong.The floating market was cool,everyone trading from these big boats,I then went for a quick trip round the market to see everything being sold form Pigs trotters to uterus'.....ive already eaten ta.......
Then we went on for a beautiful trip round the small canal ways of teh Mekong..complete with dear hunter like cages in the river!! Felt like i was on the amazon or somethig.Just me on the boat ,reflecting on whats been going on,kinda still pining for Cambodia,It was really nice.WE stopped of at a rice making place,and also a HUGE garden were they bred fish and grew fruit.Good way to how they live off the Mekong.At lunch I got talking to a lad who was studying english,he asked if he could accompany me to Vihn Long where I was heading that afternoon,so I said no probs.He took me on the Cheap vietnamese boat which actually turned out to drop you 40 k from town.Which clearly I didnt know so was now stranded in a one horse town with nothing to do.This lad had to get off cos he couldnt afford to get into town either (he hjad actually said he new
Under The Bridge......
These well reminded me of the old nam war films...... Vihn Long though...clearly not) So a quick look at the lonley planet I headed for some temples .WHich were SHITE....good ol lonley planet.......Once youve been to Angkor anyway you dont really need to see ANY more temples in the world!!
On the way back we saw 4 serious car accidents on one stretch of road.The roads in Nam are MENTAL.You can basically do what you want.the only rule is the biggest car wins!!The moto driver decides to stop at his house let me sit in the hamoock and watch the footy ,i felt slightly intrusive ,then starts to tell me bout his daughters ,well as much as you can when not speaking englisg,and gave me a pic of one of them to keep!! She was grim
After Id met my wives to be I went home for a shower the came out to find my moto driver sat outside his friends barber shop getting drunk,They shouted me over and made hand gestures that i know well......DRINK!!
Id heard that Vietnamese people are not as friendly as their neighbours but here i was sat with 5 old Vietnamese fella drinking their rice wine and eating their food...class.And again not a single
word of english was spoken by them.But again I was totally comfortable.He later brought his kids out to try their english on me.And we stayed and drink ALOT of rice wine,until they walked me home!! I didnt wanna leave to look being rude but I think they were shocked how much I was drinking!! The guy from the shop asked me to go round in the morning for a haircut which I did and proceeded to give me a shave a wax,did my nose,made me breakfast!! When I asked how much he just said "free!!" and asked his son to tell me to remember his family.Another Luck Lucky experience Ive had and one of those you cant buy,Thats what sets truly travelling apart from a simple holiday.....real experiences with real people.......so far Vietnams been good to me.......
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