13 April 2010

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I’m on my way to Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta today. The tour operator wasn’t all that enthusiastic about my choice of destination, reminding me that hardly anyone speaks English there, but I’m not deterred. The moto driver picks me up from the hotel and I travel through the busy Ho Chi Minh traffic - with cars and motos coming too close for comfort - one bag balanced in my lap, another bag in one hand and a large bottle of water in the other (so no hands free). Two months ago, travelling like this would have been my idea of a nightmare but now it feels pretty normal.

At the bus station a street vendor tuts as she sees me lift my heavy rucksack. She follows me to the bus area and interrupts the bus conductor and asks him to check my ticket and gets me on to the bus quickly. I smile at her gratefully as I board the bus. Eventually we set off and two hours later are in Ben Tre. One of the workers at the station speaks some English and gives me directions to the hotel, which luckily isn’t too far as my rucksack is pretty heavy ...

Ben Tre is not a tourist destination so I really stick out and it doesn't help that I'm walking along with my big rucksack. Literally everyone stares at me but soon I am at the hotel. I check in and am shown my room. I chose the cheapest at 150,000 dong but it is a bit cramped so I ask to see the next level up, which comes in at 180,000 dong. It is huge and I take it - I have great fun when I realise I can actually jog up and down the room as it is so long.

I set out for a walk to the market and pass lots of friendly kids who say hi. I am being constantly stared at so just smile back at people and most of the time get a big grin back. I get to the market and the shops are really busy but there literally are no other travellers or tourists here, not a single one. This part of the town doesn't have quite the 'backwater feeling' that I was expecting; in fact the place is teeming with shops and modern buildings so I will need to get to the other side of the river at some point, into the villages. I buy some cake and then take a walk to town. Even here, there is enough traffic to make me feel nervous. At a busy roundabout I tag along with a local lady and she clocks on, grinning as she walks away. I get lots of ‘hellos’ and smiles as I walk and some people even walk along with me; purely out of curiosity.

I have a meal of rice and salad at the hotel restaurant in the evening as there does not appear to be much in the way of veggie food on the menu.

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