The 24-hours we spent in the Mekong Delta were some of the most memorable and unique we have had so far.We decided to avoid an organized tour and venture out on our own looking for a 'real' Vietnamese adventure. Saigon bus station has no signs or obvious information desks, semi-official people looked at our guide book and pointed at a shabby looking bus that we just pulling out.We jumped on realizing no one spoke English, the driver chuckled when we said Vinh Long so we were vaguely encouraged.The bus wandered aimlessly around the city, picking up and dropping off and we began to wonder if we would ever leave Saigon.This was confirmed when the bus driver motioned for us to get off and transfer to a mini-van.Confused we got on the mini-van and the driver demanded 200,000 dong for the journey, twice the amount suggested in the guidebook.We argued but there were several young men crowding around us, yelling for us to pay and then fighting over who was going to get the tourist surcharge and prodding Antony in the arm to make their point to each other.

The mini-van was stuffed full of smelly men in desperate need of emergency dental careand smoking making it hard to breathe.The lack of space made it equally difficult to get comfortable.After two hours the mini-van stopped at a popular rest-stop and again motioned for us to get out and move to another bus which later dropped us off on the outskirts of Vinh Long which meant that we needed to take a tuk-tuk to the tourist office in the center.Is this an adventure or what?

We both felt that we already had all the adventure we could stand so we signed up for a tour around the Delta and a night's sleep in a local homestay (which is someone's home that has been expanded for tourists).Our guide named Zan arrived and showed us to our own long-tail boat and before we knew it we were sailing across the mighty brown Mekong.At the homestay we felt ready for a rest but five minutes later our guide arrived with three bikes and urged us to take a 30-minute sunset ride around the island. Thirty minutes turned into an hour an a half and darkness fell. We were biking on narrow lanes deep in the jungle with no lights and motorbikes passing us.The lanes often crossed bridges stretching over canals and these were impossible to see in the dark.Whilst frustrating, we couldn't help but marvel at the deafening noises generated by crickets and other creatures and gawk at the mango trees lit up like Christmas trees with fireflies. Pleased as punch to get back we enjoyed a meal consisting of fried elephant ear fish and snails washed down with a few glasses of homebrew rice whisky.After being introduced to some new card games by our guide (one that made sense and the other unintelligible) we tucked ourselves into bed under a mosquito net with nice big holes.

The next morning started with a delicious pho breakfast (spicy pork noodle soup) and then a boat trip to floating markets, a coconut candy workshop, a colonial house to listen to traditional music and a giant bonsai garden housing a very large python.In a smaller row boat we weaved through small canals looking at women washing their clothes and hair in the river and older people in conical hats sitting in hammocks in the shade all the while children waving enthusiastically and yelling 'hello.'

It was magical to have this time away from the big crowds and be taken around the beautiful islands with a fantastic guide.The Mekong, and the people living on and around the river, was truly awe-inspiring but with the city calling us back we said our goodbyes, hopped on a mini-bus and made our way back to Saigon, then Bangkok to meet our friend Rob.

The next installment is a 'celebrity blog' so we all look forward to hear what Rob has to say!

Love, R & A