Phuong Dong Hotel Can Tho

... can you tell?!) <br><br>The best bit was taking the boat to/from the sanctuary, which was our opportunity to float past families and houses along the river, seeing how life sustaining it is, being used for washing in, doing their laundry in, sanitation, everything. There's far more to see around the Mekong Delta, I've not even brushed the surface, so I should come back again for a better look if I get time.

... br><br>On the way we see floating markets &#8211; boats selling anything and everything to other boats and &#8220;floating villages&#8221; - communities that are built on top of the water. Everything is done on and in the river &#8211; we saw countless naked brown bodies (children) taking their<br>daily baths and/or washing the family cows and water buffalo. They<br>would scream hi and wave &#8211; totally unselfconscious. We stopped off around lunch time to one village where ...

... machetes. I'm not that keen on pineapple usually but even I had to admit that it was sweet and delicious. After chugging slowly between the other floating stalls (boats) we headed up a small side canal to a monkey bridge. This small bridge allows the locals to cross the water and is nicknamed 'monkey' due to the position you have to take to cross. As there is no handrail and just a single walking beam you need to walk bent over with all your limbs on the beam at the same time ...

... van never had we been so happy because we were so exhausted!!! We slept as we drove to the town of Sadec where our hotel was. We went out to dinner at a karaoke restaurant were the menu had no English but had pictures of snakes, cows, rats and pigs. We didn&#8217;t exactly get what we ordered but it was okay. <br ...

... our American friend. The bus journey was pretty bad we were cramped on the bus and extremely tired. We arrived in Ho Chi Minh in one piece caught a local bus to the inner city bus station and walked to the street of budget hotels. After trudging around 4 or 5 we settled on one that was $9, hot water, huge room, 2 fans and free internet, the only drawback is ...

... feeble man welcomed us up the muddy path to his home. He took us around his farm and showed us numerous kinds of exotic fruits that he was growing as well as his hogs and chickens. He asked where we were from and after telling him "America", he wanted us to wait while he went inside to get something. He brought out a certificate that showed he was trained by the US Army in 1968 at a Fort in Virginia in electrical engineering. <br><br>Once back on land, we tried ...

... themselves on the camera's screen. This is the first time in 55 days in Vietnam that the children haven't pestered us for money, and it was a welcome relief. After the ceremony had finished we were invited in and had two bowls of extremely sweet bean soup. <br><br>Dinner was the same fare as lunch, but in Marguerite Duras' family home, followed by a pot of tea with Lan on the river bank (where we were mercilessly eaten by mosquitoes). Back on ...

... obviously irritated but in the Asian way remained polite and didn't say anything. At the first rest stop a couple came up complained that they couldn't hear the first talk. So when we got back to the bus, he was busily rearranging everyone's seats. Travel companions were split and good window seats hadto be given up. No explanation and the crowd grew irritated. He made a quick mention that some people couldn't hear because of the ...

... must happen a lot in Vietnam as there are always dogs running around trying to keep out from under people's feet! The sad thing about Mekong waterways is that is what is often used for trash and wastewater. Apparently this wastewater is starting to cause environmental problems as well as odour issues! The litter everywhere also looks unsightly for Westerners. After another great lunch we took some scooters to the ferry back to Vihn Long. The speedometer never seems to ...