Due to the delays, it was dark when our train finally arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (still commonly referred to as Saigon) on Monday 30 July. We managed to mostly avoid the throng of tuk-tuk/taxi drivers on our way out the station before stopping to get our bearings. After a bit of a walk, we hailed a taxi and got dropped at the backpacker area where we managed to find a nice little place down a quiet alley (but not too far from the action.) We grabbed a quick shower and then headed out to find some food.

Tuesday we slept in a bit and then went to do some sight-seeing. We found the city to be quite busy but once you walked a few streets off the main road you were welcomed by lush green parks and tree-lined streets, a legacy from the old colonial times. we found a walking tour itinerary online which we used to see some of the main sights - some of the old buildings are really cool, especially the well-preserved and still functioning post office, which was designed and built by the same guy who did the Eiffel Tower. We then found place to have dinner before heading back to our accomodation.

Wednesday we finished our breakfast at the guesthouse and then headed back upstairs to do some admin. We were planning to go and explore a different part of the city after lunch. We were just finishing off a pair of burgers on a balcony overlooking the street when the heavens opened and it begain pouring with rain :-/ We dashed back to our room during a lull in the rain and ended up spending the rest of the afternoon watching Olympics and having a nap, which was great :-) That night was our last in Vietnam and we spent it having a great dinner with some amazing iced coffee's with sweet milk to wash it all down. Then it was back to the room to pack and off to bed.

Thursday we were up early to catch our bus. The lady who ran the guesthouse had kindly organized our bus tickets. We were quite impressed with her service until we realized that she hadn't bought us a ticket but just proceeded to flag down a bus and pocket the extra cash - should have known :-/ We got on to the bus really annoyed and quite thankful to be leaving Vietnam.

The bus was a bit rustic - the cover for one of the overhead aircon vents was missing. When we asked one of the staff if we could move to another seat he simply stuck a piece of plastic in the hole to plug it... We were then told to hand over our passports and $25 for the Cambodian visa. Knowing that it only costs $20, we politely declined and managed to do it ourselves without too much hassles, and soon we were back on the bus and into Cambodia...