Today we said our goodbyes to Saigon and began the next leg of our journey to the Mekong Delta. This meant another early start - we had to get up at 6.15am in order to get packed and breakfasted before meeting up with our tour group. I slept really badly - a combination I think of getting overtired staying up late watching Black Hawk Down (not the most relaxing of late night movies!) and the knowledge that I had to rouse early to the alarm.

The first bit of the day was pretty boring sitting on a crammed bus for several hours to reach the Mekong region. But by 11.30am we finally filed off and got led onto the appropriate tour boats. We sat under the shaded canopy as the motor boat passed by many locals going about their business on the water - be it in their house boats or floating market boats or crossing the river in a ferry. Our first stop was enlightening - seeing how many typical Vietnamese foods are made - rice paper, soy sauce, coconut toffee and rice pops (like sugar puffs!) We enjoyed a glass of jasmine tea while sampling some complimentary tasters and got to know a few of the other tourists on our tour.

We then boarded the motorised boat again to an island famous for tropical fruit production. By now the day had got immensely hot and we were dripping in sweat - hence I wasn't sure how I would feel about the next leg of our journey which involved cycling to the restaurant for lunch. As it turned out it was pleasant enough and only a short ride. As we passed along the road we could see orchards of fruit trees with man-made irrigation canals dug between them. This place felt quiet and peaceful after several days in Saigon.

After lunch we spent 40 minutes or so relaxing in hammocks in the shade before making our way back to the main boat via smaller rowing boats. Scott and I were on different boats and I laughed as I saw him pass us by with a traditional Vietnamese hat. We saw a local family swimming and washing in the river, but I couldn't help thinking they'd probably need a wash after being in there! The motorised boat took us to a small town called Vinh Long. Here we had half hour or so to look round the market. The fruit and veg bit was interesting - so many different fruits many of which we didn't recognise. We made the mistake of turning down an alley which took us past meat markets. By now it was the end of the day and the stench was minging. We saw ladies bare foot crouching on platform inches from pig intestine I think! To top it off a rat ran out across our path. We held our breaths and pushed on!

The day ended with a cramped bus ride to Can Tho - the largest city on the Mekong Delta. We were to spend the night here and Scott and I crashed out for an early night at the hotel.