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Published: October 23rd 2006
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We arrived safely at the small airport and after a short wait, where met by a young chap from the Southern Hotel that we had booked the night before. Emma had chosen the hotel for its location rather than its charm, because we only planned to be in town for two days, so we wanted easy access to a travel agents and the town itself. After a short drive we arrived at the hotel and hit the town running...
We immediately arranged a rate with a two cyclo drivers for a trip to a few spots in town and agreed that it would start at nine o'clock the following morning. We then went to TNK travel, which had moved to the shop under our hotel enterance. Having looked at their offer of a three day Mekong Delta tour for $165 each (which gave you a private tour guide, private car with a/c and private boats for the river trips), we settled for the $36 each option, which gave you the same tour to Cambodia but you shared your trip with up 30 people. Then (true to form) Emma bought a couple of books about Cambodia from a lady street vendor,
who had a pile of books resting on her hip, that rose two feet above her head. To finish the day off we headed for a resturant, grabbed a bite to eat, checked our email, went back to the hotel and organised for a bag of laundry to be done.
The next morning we went out and met our two Cyclo drivers (the cyclos are only wide enough for one person in Siagon). First we went to The National Museum, then the Reunification Palace and then a Pagoda of there choosing. After which, we asked them to take us to a local place for a lunch of beef noodle soup (Pho), which is the national dish. We each had an enormous boil of steaming Pho and our drivers instructed us in the delicate are of adding "thing", such as greens, mint, lime, chilli and soy until your noodles are just as you want them to be. After lunch we went to The Fine Arts Gallery, which houses a good sized collection of pieces that range from pre-Angorian to the contemporary, all in a beautiful French colonial building. After which, due to the extreme heat we decided to call it
a day. In the evening we wandered around the area near our hotel "backpacker central", oddly enough we found a great falafel shop (of all things) and then just looked around the shops. On the walk back to the hotel, just to further prove that that there are really only 20 backpackers travelling the world, who should we bump into but the nice Finnish lad who was on the coach to Nha Trang. What are the odds! Then, because we where due to leave at 7:45am, we had an early night.
So, we are just about to go to bed, Emma is reading the LP (Lonely Planet) for Cambodia and suddenly announces that there are no ATMs there. Step forward "Action Marc" to find some filthy yankee dollars, so that we can purchase our Cambodia visa's at the border the following day (not an easy task at 10:30pm). I do find somewhere that opens at 7am, 45 mins before we are due to leave, so at 7am I am standing at the money changers getting the cash we will need to get us to Phnom Penh three days away. As a result of my success Emma dubs me a
hero for the day.
Just minutes later, we board our coach and start our journey very happy indeed. After about one and a half hours there is a strong smell of burning, we pull over because the brakes are binding and the driver fixes them in about 40 min. A bit further on and we change from the coach to a boat, which takes us out on the Tien river via the Bao Dinh canal. Then passed the fishing port and onto Unicorn Island for a lovely lunch and to be shown coconut candy being made. Back onto the boat and off to Ben Tre province to sample honey tea and be serenaded with the sounds of local folk music. Then back to the coach to go to a homestay for the night. Emma and I both later decided that a hotel would be much more pleasant, because we both wanted to shower and I scream like a baby if the water is cold. We collared our guide and asked if we could change to a hotel, he made a call and arranged it, I think that the sneaky ten dollars may have helped. We arrived at the hotel
at about 9:30pm and were told that we would have to be ready to leave by 6:30am the following morning. So we only had a quick look around the area to find something to eat and then went straight back to the rather basic hotel for a shower and sleep.
Bang, Bang on the door, "Good Morning". I made a noise that sounded like "yes I'm awake" and the banging moved onto the next door. We stumbled downstairs, (it wasn't even fully light) dumped our packs in the corner of reception and had breakfast. We walked a short distance to the bus station and (you guessed it)... got on a boat, to go and see the Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets. N.B: Wholesalers = big boats and retailers little boats. The big boats hang whatever they are selling/buying on a long bamboo pole, so that the little boats know which boat to sell/buy there goods to/from. Having floated around the market, we went further down the river to a rice pancakes and rice noodles factory. Emma already knew how to make the pancakes, because this was something that she had made on her cooking class but it
was still good to watch the professionals.
We headed back to the hotel where we had left our bags, loaded ourselves onto the next bus and headed onto Chau Doc (the border). There where only six of us going to Cambodia, so the big coach shrunk to a small one. On the way we stopped at a crocodile farm and Sam mountain, where you could see the border between Vietnam and Cambodia only kilometers away. Our guide also took us to see the beautiful cave pagoda but it was closed for a special occasion, so he just said "you have 15 minutes, enjoy the view" and ran away. We ambled back to the coach and continued onto our hotel in Chau Doc. Once booked in, we grabbed a quick somewhere, a quick drink and off to bed ready for the 6:30 start.
"Bang" "Bang" on the door, "Good Morning". Haven't we been here before, I think as my brain crunches around before kicking into first gear. I haul myself out of bed and lug my pack downstairs. I'm sure it feels heavier this morning. It seems to feel heavier every morning but today it just seems to be
Siagon Traffic
The reason you only get to see half of Ho Chi Min City / Saigon, is because the traffic is so heavy, you cannot cross the road. a lot heavier. This morning we get a new guide and the six of us are joined by another group to make up our numbers. We make the short walk to the river and board our boat for the morning trip to a fish farm and then a short splash further down to a minority home to see weaving, Emma successfully tries her hand once again. Then onto the border, where we stop a while for lunch, whilst our guide gets our passports stamped with our exits from Vietnam. Emma and I had opted for the slow boat option into Cambodia, which means that we would be arriving in Phnom Penh (PP) at about 6:30pm. Our slow boat moves out into the river and then moves straight back into the bank... We had arrived at the Cambodian passport control (a very laid back affair). The policemen were lying in hammocks and sitting around playing cards. We walk to a small kiosk at the back of the courtyard and get our passports stamped. Thus we are officially in Cambodia. We went back to our slow boat (which turns out to be a metal sweat boat), which slowly got hotter and hotter.
As the trip progressed our new guide (second of the day), comes up and asks if our names are on his list. "If your name is on the list you follow me, if not, then other bus", this statement was repeated to every person onboard. So we dock and the six of us who were not "on the list" wait as the air conditioned mini coach pulls away with everybody else on board. Will we get an even better coach? No, we got a public bus and that's how we made our grand enterance into Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh.
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Al
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Heavy Backpack
Marc, are you checking to make sure Emma hasn't climbed in the backpack? You know what she's like at getting up early!