Ha Long Hotel Chau Doc

... here are narrower and population much bigger. I saw everything I expected to see: muddy water; houses on long legs or on boats; fishermen; boats big and small, most of them seemed to be dangerously overloaded; children playing in the water, sometimes along the buffalos. And I also saw something that I didn&#8217;t expect to see: Vietnamese Muslims &#8211; they are the Cham people, whom you can find only in a village next to Chau Doc. <br><br>One US dollar equals to 18,400 Dong ...

... arrived it was an OK town, but it was dirty. <br><br>The first thing that we did was go on a motorbike tour up a huge hill to see the sun set. this was amazing as the guy that I had had some kind of mental problem with going fast, flying around on the back of a bike nearly got hit by a truck, all fine though. Once up the hill you could chill out in a hammock and drink some of the local beer while watching the sun set over the city with the best views you could ...

... for the rest of the journey. This was a little more uncomfortable but still ok butt we couldnt sit on the roof this time. After the boat docked had to climb aboard a minivan for the remainder of the trip.<br><br>We arrive in the capital around 6pm. We got dropped at a guesthouse we were told that was no good and were just about to leave when I put my hand in my pocket and discover that my wallet is no longer where it usually ...

... at that particular boat. Next stop on our tour of the river was a floating village (more like floating town actually!) Wooden houses with corrugated iron roofs are floated on big barrels with huge nets containing fish underneath. Finally we visited a Cham minority village which, although I don't really like the idea of 'ethnotourism', I found suprisingly interesting and non-invasive. We walked through the village, visited the mosque, bought some of their traditional food from a street ...

... at me and started running. He must have just been missed or something just missed me. I luckily came out unscathed and got back i nthe boat and into the open as quickly as possible. <br><br>I am not sure that was much better though. He took a different path back to our taxi. This ride had the boat going much faster which meant water splashing up all over us and into our faces. Do you remember what I told you about what people ...

... br><br> Just as we continued to wander through the garden the heavens opened. The rain came down as a trickle at first, but soon became a torrential affair. We found some shelter and tried to wait it out. No luck. So Lan told us that his best friend was only just down the road and we made a run for it. We arrived and were greeted warmly with a nice pot of Vietnamese tea and some fresh banana's from their garden. The families eldest son was ...

... even though we were on a boat, in the middle of the river. His wife showed me around the tiny house which had a great kitchen area. They were so so friendly and they really made my day. But then so did everyone else I met. What is bad, bad, bad about this is that the bloody camera's broken again and therefore I don't have any pictures to show you of this amazing place. As a result, I decided to shimmy on up north to the great Saigon in search of a man to sort me out...

... highlight of the tour was still to come. We climbed back into the boats, but not before watching a young tourist from another group fall in while trying to board. He emerged covered in stinking, black mud; poor *******. With this cautionary tale in mind, we headed up yet another tributary to an even muddier embankment, this time climbing and hanging on to tree roots was involved. This was not to every ones liking to put it mildly. Some of the group were treating it all with an air of ...

... my feelings soon changed. I became enchanted by their stern faces that quickly warmed if you made the effort to break through that barrier. Leaving the beautiful country of Vietnam was difficult enough but I'll forever hold the people in my hearts.<br><br>As my cyclo driver headed towards our destination, we passed an elderly man and his beautiful bride on a single bicycle. It's the special little moments like that that I will remember most about Vietnam.<br><br><br><br>

... read signs - the alphabet is the same (they have accents too though). We were picked up by a mini, minivan and taken all of 2 blocks to the minivan station. The vehicle that we boarded is actually a 16 passenger Sprinter. We boarded with one other older lady. My stomach has been unsettled, so I decided to take gravol (ended up being a good decision). I was shocked when we left with only the 3 of us. We did pick up a lady, who was very chatty and giggly, and ...