Hello everyone

Hope all is well!!!!! Well I better update this blog before I forget what we've done!!!

We went to the Mekong Delta on a tour on 19th/20th Nov with Delta Tours! We did enjoy ourselves but i'm afraid it was scam scam Vietnam!!!!! (will explain in a bit!)

So we left Saigon early and headed to Mekong, taking about 3 hours on bus! We kind of expected to see more lushious green paddy fields and beautiful rivers flowing around but it was slightly dissapointing and we just went through shanty town after shanty town. We arrived in Cat Bai and went straight out onto the Mekong to an island where the locals make rice paper and coconut candy....all very interesting but a little rushed! As we headed to another area on the Mekong for lunch we started to admire the beautiful landscape of rivers and rice fields and Vietnamease people living in little huts along the river edge. We saw floating markets like picture above and you truly start to realise how important the Mekong Delta is to these people.....its their work, home and ultimately thier life, whether they are making money from fishing, rice, vegetation or anything else....its like another world and we started to really enjoy seeing the going ons.

After lunch we were told we had to 3 hr bus journey to Chau Doc (the gateway to Cambodia for us and another dozen people) ......what they didnt tell us was we would be picking up another group and heading up there....taking 6 hours instead....bus with no toilet, refreshments and not great AC! felt like a long day!!!!!!

we arrived into Chau Doc after dark so we were unable to venture out far and our hostel which was included in the tour price was awful......wasnt even in town, on outskirts and was just rough and dirty.....my sleeping liner came very inhandy here thanks Rob! Had dinner, got chatting with the other tour peeps and it ended up being an enjoyable evening!!!

So Day 2.....we went to a fishing village on the Mekong and an ancient Cham village....we had to do this at 7am which was all quite ealry and we were told our boat to Phonm Penh was at 10am! At 7.50am we were boarding the boat for the Cambodian border! What a hassle that was!!!!! Included in our tour ticket was a slow boat journey into the Cambodian capital.....but all the time they kept telling us it would be better to pay $10 extra each and get the fast boat which would get you in 4hrs faster!!! At first we wanted to take the slow boat bcz of costs etc, but they made out so many times the slow boat was more difficult and slow and there was a 2 hrs coach on top of it, it just all sounded a nightmare, so we paid our extra amount for fast boat......so there were about 6 people at end who were still planning on getting slow boat.....there was no slow boat! they were told they had to get on fast boat and Debby and Louise, two ladies we got to know very well in Cambodia ended up making a deal and paying half price!!!!

So cheekly though...they sell you a ticket thinking you got a reasonable price getting to Cambodia aswel as seeing the Mekong, when they really get you to end up paying extra for fast bota! Errggghhh...as you can imagine lots of us were not impressed and unfortunately put a dampner on the end of our Vietnam experience. We arrived into Phonm Penh 5 hours later after 2 boats, border control and an 1hr hour bus later!! We just all felt a little scammed as we were told the boat took us straight into the city!

All that aside we really did enjoy Vietnam, the Mekong was definately worth seeing, we wish we could of done it ourselves but it just seems too difficult and alot of hassle....the public buses are mega slow and we didnt want to risk it. The tour was a little rushed but we did get to see how these people live, its like another world. Its the start of the dry season now so water levels will fall and the water buffalo will be doing lots of work!

Vietnam is a beautiful country, the scenery is wonderful and theres plently of history....Debby who we met came here 5 years ago and she was so shocked on how its changed. There are many people out to scam you and get your money, its just all abit more mad and you have to be even more careful. We're so glad we've been here, but as for coming back I'm not sure! To anyone who does come out here we'd just say be on your guard all the time and be prepared for Vietnamease people in your face all the time! Many are lovely but there are others who wont take no for an answer!!!