Ben Da Nui Sam Hotel Chau Doc

I didn't go to Saigon (I like this name instead of the city&#8217;s official one, HoChiMinh City) directly. Instead, I took a boat from Phnom Penh down the Mekong River, across the border to Chau Doc, a small city at the northern end of the Mekong Delta, and overnighted there. The next day, after a short tour in the morning, I took a 7 hours bus ride cutting across the delta, from west to east, for Saigon. <br><br>The flooded Mekong Delta reminded me of the Amazon. But the ...

... my writing. Not good fun, then they took my temperature to see if I have a temperature and have swine flu, now surely I am going to be another 30degrees hotter than normal. But i passed with flying colours. Then they took my passport for about 20minutes and examined every part of it.<br><br>Finally getting through all of that, my bags went through the scanner. <br><br>Once through the boarder it was plain sailing, off to Chau Doc, just inside the boarder. Once ...

We got up this morning, packed and headed for the ferry dock. We caught the 10hr boat to Phenom Penh. The boat wasnt too packed which made it easier. It was really cool catching the boat as we got to sit on the roof and take in the scenery and people along the banks of the Mekong River. The border crossing was easy enough.. we didnt have to do anything the guy on the boat did everything for us. We then transferred to a smaller ...

... his boat. He first took us to a floating market where people who live on boats up and down the river come to do wholesale trade. We were invited on to one of the boats selling different fruits to see what goes on and to eat some fruit. They even gave us some Pomellos and a massive jackfruit to take with us. The whole process is really interesting, the boats display their range of products on a large mast sticking into the air so that other boats can see from further away if it is worth ...

... back at this point since the river was too narrow to turn the boat around. I just didn't look up and kept my mouth closed. We got off the boat and walked down a path (again covered in white) and climbed a set of stairs to a viewing spot above the trees. It was cool but not cool enough for the risk I just took and was going to take getting back to the boat. On the way back to the boat, the teenage boy was giggling and ...

... br><br>Next we were taken to a famous flower garden. It used to be renowned around Vietnam until the keeper died a few years ago, his grave in the garden was testiment to that. Our guide was busy picking flowers from a tree and gave them to me. He told me to pass them to Emma and so I did. With a grin he told me that Emma was now my flower wife. Wow, I wonder if people in England would give flowers to their girlfriends if they knew of that ...

... a month I think! The next day, I went to meet Nam and we pottered out across the river to the floating market. The boats called us over and gave me fruit, although they wouldn't let me pay for it! As we were on our way back, we waved at Nams wife and she came out with their son to say hello. I gave them my fruit and Nam invited me in to go and have some tea. We sat cross legged in their living room which was complete with Playstation and Karaoke machine ...

... off the pigs hair and squeezing out the entrails the guide proceeded to explain how noodles were made. The shed we were in was a very small scale noodle factory. It was actually quite interesting seeing the boiling pots of tapioca, the drying out of the rice paper and cutting the vermicelli. The pig being butchered in the midst of it all was a minor distraction. I got a nice picture of a baby swinging in a hammock next to the pig. This wasn't the strangest thing that happened ...

... it's SO disgusting but people do it here like it's nothing!<br>&gt; The many different things being transported on the back of a motorbike... livestock (ie. chickens, pigs), goldfish/turtles, snakes, dogs, furntiture (ie. chair, convection oven), wood, mirrors, produce, washing machine... you name it they'll put it on a bike!<br>&gt; The people... initially I found the people to be less friendly than in Thailand (although I tried not to make comparisons ...

... here. It is a nice little place, but not really set up for tourism. It looks like an ordinary town that has to put up with tourists because of their location. I am loving the helmets (and impressed that they wear them, well adults do, not the kids - that is my new million dollar idea, so don't steal it or I will sue!); I saw one that was white and had pink flowers. This town is much cleaner and way less hectic than Phnom Penh. We are also happy that we ...