http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Vietnam , Mekong River Delta , Chau Doc en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:45:42 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:45:42 UTC We left the relative comfort and normality of Ho chi minh at 07.00 on Sunday morning to head off on our first real excursion We booked a 2 day 1 night trip to the Mekong River Delta. It was a lot of travelling by various methods...bus boat ferry and bicycle But well worth it and hope the photos do it justice The first day we went to a place called Cai be and saw the floating marke http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-341530.html Ohhhh if you watch the video see the joy on the faces of the boat passengers. They have just spotted a bigger boat and shelter. This little rowing trip was going to be one of the highlights of our trip into the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.... and in some ways it was we were soaked nearly sank and our boatmen nearly killed themselves laughing. We were slightly less endeared to the idea of falling ou http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-340675.html Chau Doc 100'000 habitants sur les rives de la Bassac juste aprs la frontire du Cambodge. Nous avons passer la frontire en bateau enfin un bateau jusqu' la frontire on suit un gars qui part avec nos passeports et qui revient vingt minutes plus tard pour nous faire embarquer sur un autre bateau celuici avec un drapeau rouge et une toile jaune. Ca y est on est au Vietnam. Depuis le Cambodge http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-337310.html Hey thereOur next leg of our SE Asia journey was Vietnam after talking to a few other travellers we decided to cross the border by boat along the Mekong River as the trip is stunning and a very relaxed way to enter the country we travelled back to Phnom Penh and booked our ticket to leave the next morning. The first hour and half was by air con bus to the ferry port where we caught he boat th http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-333517.html Well David carried out his promise and had Anteater and I tasted some too. To be honest it was quite nice although I'm glad I stuck to then non exoctic sweet and sour pork. By the way he lived to tell the tale better than the Llama in BoliviaI have a bit of a dicky keyboard so apologise in advance for the errorsSo we departed for Saigon on a seven hour bus trip which took ten This had someth http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-328517.html Safely in Vietnam having not had to pay any unofficial extra charges to any officials We began the process of bargaining for a lift on the moto to the Chau Doc. As usual the price started ridiculusly high and we were followed for several metres by a large group of bikers until they finally agreed a reasonable price. Chau Doc is about 25mins drive from the border crossing and somehow i ended up w http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-324898.html 4 hours from Can Tho right next to the Cambodian border is the small market town of Chau Doc. extending from the centre of town is a 4km long road that leads to Sam Mountain a place of much spiritual importance to the towns people. for on this mountain there are countless temples with more being built well at least one that i saw it was also the location of a funeral of a friend of someone i m http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-311353.html Arriving in Vietnam in the late afternoon was a blessing. We had to race to fit something into our day after devoting most of it to border crossing from Cambodia. Our guide skillfully shuffled us along on a riverboat tour and organized a motorbike ride while we were lazily drifting down the river. When time is of the essence it's kind of nice to be told what to do and where to go. We had les http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-305490.html Hi All Well we survived the Mekong river delta. The trip was not as easy going relaxed and comfortable as advertised and we were glad it was over when it was. We opted for the 2 day 1 night on a 1 week old floating hotel and slow boat up the river and across the border to Pnomh Penh Cambodia it all looked nice in the brochure. We got up early for our 7am departure and had a 3 hour bus ride http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-304242.html After a long travel day yesterday we board a motorboat on the Mekong to travel into Cambodia today.Saw frogs and rats yes to eat in the market last night. http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-302911.html Today we took a 6 hour boat ride on the Mekong to cross into Vietnam. Borders are always a bit interesting and fun to play my personal favorite game no really who has my passport. To cross the border we had to get off the boat like three times and then go through customs. The boat ride was great and I got a look into life in some of the small fishing villages. I got to get some sun and hang m http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-289606.html We traveled from Chau Doc to a village by the name of Hoa Lac where our school is located. A 7 mile drive took two hours To say the road was bumpy is an understatement. You can ask my cousin Helen who got carsick twice We began to hand out candy suckers balloons and other goodies to the kids along the road through our windows. At one point the narrow dirt road traveled through a small r http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-262162.html Today started with a tour of the region we went by boat to see a fish farm. Doesn't sound that interesting but it was mesmerizing.... the day in day out hard work. Without the use of modern equipment these workers collect 30000 pounds of fish per day. They begin by collecting the catfish eggs then breed then feed fish in underwater hatcheries... once the fish reach a certain size http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-261556.html golf cartspeed boatbusbusplanebuscanal boatferrybusferrybus................we're finally here We arrived in Chau Doc at 8 pm after a long hard day on the road. Along the way we ventured into the Mekong Delta. See attached pics As if the final six hour bus ride wasn't uncomfortable enough the poor living conditions we saw out the window made us all even more uncomfortable. I've http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-261287.html Day 8 10 Mekong Delta Chau Doc Ho Chi Minh CityDay 8 we depart in the morning from Sihanoukville to Chau Doc Vietnam. At the border crossing Barbara and Harry 'decide' to embark on a side adventure and rendezvous with us the next day in Chau Doc.We continue on from the border to Chau Doc and at this point in the trip half of the group is walking wounded from gastrointestinal problems. http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-249552.html We ended up buying tickets yesterday that we did not fully understand so it was doing to be a surprise dayThought we had purchased a boat cruise all the way to Ho Chi Manh City HCMC but it turns out that we got was a minibus in the morning which drove for 2 hours towards the Vietnam border then onto a little boat. The people who took us on the boat live on the boat family. A group of p http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-244769.html Our last port of call in Vietnam was Chau Doc and we just spent one night here on the way to Cambodia. Chau Doc is a small fishing village on the Bassac river in the Mekong Delta and it is surrounded by farms and rice fields. We were only here for a short time so we didn't really get much of a chance to see the town however in the evening our group took a motorbike trip up a nearby mountain Mt http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-224963.html Our journey by boat to vietnam was the best so far. The boat was similar to a canal boat even though it was raining it made a nice change not to be bumped around on the roads We had no problems at the border obviously we didnt look that dodgy Was interesting journey along the smaller rivers to Chau Doc where we saw many local people living and working on the river. Met a mad Isralian couple an http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-217056.html Dalat a ete un petit oasis de fraicheur apres la chaleur moite de la cote. Situe dans les montagnes au centre du Vietnam Dalat est une destination populaire pour les Vietnamiens et doit sa prosperite au tourisme interieur et a la culture maraichere. Ce n'etait pas les rizieres qui decoupaient le paysage mais plutot les champs de salade de tomates de fraises et aussi de fleurs. Plusieurs minor http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-214456.html September 29th October 9th 1478.4 KM to dateThere are certainly things to see in Phonm Penh from the peaceful gardens of the Royal Palace to the haunting Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Killing Fields. But my attraction to the city lay in it's more sinister applications. In the ride throughout Cambodia I had been frequently passed by the honking horns of Lexus' and Rangerover's. I found i http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-211160.html An early start ensued this morning with an 8 hour bus ride from Siagon to Chau Doc on the border with Cambodia along with the other 9 people in our new intrepid group. An interesting town where tourists are few and far between It is unusual for us to be stared at as most places along our journey are well used to tourists. Adults Children are really getting to know us seem to be facinated http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-206659.html It's been one whole year since Sofie and I had our marriage ceremony in Hoi An and we decided to get out of Dodge and head into the wild Mekong Delta as far as the bustling Cambodian town of Chau Doc. Chau Doc was a real breath of fresh air in more ways than one. For one the people are friendly happy. They're border people like just like me Warren. It's a long way from here to Monaghan bu http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-205132.html Brochure TextDay 22 Chau Doc From Ho Chi Minh City travel through the countyside of Vietnam to the town of Chau Doc.Monday 22nd OctoberFor some reason keep waking up early 620 this time. Try the eyemasksheet over head routine but clearly am awake so decide to go and see the early morning city. Showered and leaving the packing 95 done I take my boots up to the Post Office. The bit I go to o http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-201638.html Chau Doc When you cross the border between Cambodia and Vietnam an invisible line is passed and the kramas disappear only to be replaced by conical hats flowing ao dais and monoprint pyjamas. The river's banks become more industrious and then as we take a right to head south from the Mekong to the Bassac River somnolent Cambodia is left behind and boisterous Vietnam arrives. Chau Doc sits at http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-171712.html Cambodian Rain Finally leaving the land of Nguyens Quocs and Dungs and into the land of Khmers. The boat trip to the border was enjoyable enough with lunch served on board and plenty to see on the banks of the Mekong although my fellow passangers didn't seem to have much interest. The border crossing itself looks tiny until you remember that it's more to control the river traffic than the moto http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-167066.html Our tour guide Ngh took the pleasure in telling us that in Vietnam the blacker your teeth are the more attractive you are. When questioned by us he said that the most beautiful lady in the village prides herself on having the blackest teeth. In fact people chew leaves that actually blacken your teeth. I need to take a second look at Miss World's Vietnamese entrant. I would like to therefore retrac http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-155965.html HeheheheheJeg maa bare smaafnise for meg selv.Fiser'n er paa tur.Her fises det baade i kroker og krinkler.I dag har jeg fisi masse assa.Neida.Eller joda.Men det var jo ikke det jeg skulle skrive om.Har jeg egentlig noe aa skrive omVietnam.Et eksotisk sted.Perfekt.FOlket smiler og vinker.Totalt annerledes enn noe annet jeg har sett. Saa langt.Har naa bare vaert her en dag da.Husbaater.Trekanth http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-153164.html Well the time had come to leave our piece of paradise but not before a little adventure just like entering Vietnam exiting was just as interesting. we got the ferry to a place called Rach gia and we were appalled at all the rubbish that was washed up at the dock its strange but i really feel asia in general does not realise the harm it is causing by all the pollution we found Vietnam to top the http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-139142.html After a 2 AM bedtime the 6 AM departure from Phnom Penh was a bit of a rude awakening. Surprisingly Adam the 6'6 Scottish boy showed up to become my Vietnam travel companion. Non too happy at that hour I might add Overall I have to say it was a great day. A group of about 10 tourists climbed onto a minibus to the boat dock began our tourney down the Mekong Delta to Chau Doc Vietnam. On the http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-125217.html Well not actually Ho Chi Minh afterall. On the last evening in Phon Pehn myself and Evan got talking to Lyndsey an american girl who was also travelling to Vietnam. She was getting the boat from Phom Penn and was kind enough to allow me to tag along. Before we left however we all went out to a big cambodian club called Spark. The drinks were really expensive but it was lots of fun with http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Chau-Doc/blog-122046.html