28th October

So we'd booked ourselves onto a 2 day 3 night trip up the Mekong Delta which would also get us across the border to Cambodia and then to the capital, Phnom Penh. Slightly apprehensive to start with as we boarded a coach full of about 30 people (turns out they combine the 1 day / 2 day and 3 day trips as the first days itinerary is the same!).

After a short boat trip our first stop was a coconut candy farm which was pretty impressive. People of the Mekong Delta make so much use of natural resources - no part of the coconut was wasted in the process (the pictures will explain all - promise they will be uploaded at some stage). We were rushed around pretty quickly (set the tone for the rest of the day - it's the only downside to these trips - with so many people it like been back at school, waiting for the teacher to tell you what to do next!) and were split into fours and put on smaller rowing boats. These took us up one of the smaller tributaries of the delta. Was so peaceful and the banks were lined with stilt houses with chickens and other cattle roaming free.

It was then back to the big boat and up to a small village where we stopped for lunch and a bike ride round the island. We'd got chatting to a few people and formed a little clique for the rest of the trip - Marilou from Quebec, Buster from Sweden (the funniest guy ever!) and Robert from Poland! Good times - we are slowly building up a list of other places for us to visit once our 8 month stint is over!

Back on the boat again (detect a theme??!) and off to a Honey Bee farm - bit disappointing as we didn't actually get to seethe honey bees, just taste some honey tea and banana wine. Although Paul did spot a giant snake curled up in a cage and then proceeded to try some snake wine - they literally curl some snakes up in a jar, pour god knows what on and then leave it to 'ferment'! Don't think he will be trying it again that's for sure.

The day finished in a place called Ben Tre but as we had booked to do a home stay for the night we still had another small journey. After a day on hopping an and off a boat, we then got into taxi's (with about 8 other people), then got in a small motorized boat, which took us all the way to this family'shouse in what seemed to be the middle of know where. After nearly falling off the boat because of the weight of my rucksack we met the family and dumped out bags in our 'luxury' accommodation - a small bamboo hut with a concrete floor, a mattress and a mossie net complete with holes, home sweet home!

It was, however, a really nice experience - the father showed us around his home and we all sat down to dinner, which included Elephant Ear fish - was sooooo nice. Ended up just chatting with the group for the rest of the night and grabbing a (cold) shower! Getting to sleep was an experience, sounded like we had a zoo in our room what with the sounds of the frogs, insects, meowing cats and the fireflies! Ahhh the fireflies, we'd seem them earlier - it literally looked like this bush just has a set of twinkling fairy lights in it but this time we had our own private show as we had a few in our room that kept landing on the net above us. Still - we woke up the next morning which means we must have managed some sleep!

29th October

Up at 5.30 am (yes we did actually manage it) to be taken to see the rice fields - not quite sure why. We then had breakfast and said goodbye to the family before getting back onto the boat to be taken to meet the rest of the group. Was such a nice journey, just taking in life on the Mekong - waving to the locals and watching the woman scrubbing their clothes in the river etc.

We caught up with the other half of the group and went to see the floating market - stopping for fresh pineapple and drinks on the roof of the boat along the way. Next stop was 'monkey bridge' - hilarious, it was literally just a wooden little bridge across a river nicknamed because of the way people apparently walk across it (i.e. legged bowed). I swear it was just made up and used as way in which to fill an hour of the day's itinerary!

Anyway, after everyone had finally crossed the 'monkey bridge' we stopped at some orchards for a traditional music and fruit tasting and then onto a rice paper making farm. Bit like the coconut candy farm - again they waste nothing. It was such a cool process but the main attraction was the two stonking great pigs they had out back - couple of cuties. *Note to self - I want pigs in the future :o) *

We then stopped for lunch and those of us who were on the three day trip or carrying onto Phnom Penh were all meant to get on a bus to Chau Doc. This is where is all got a bit weird. For some reason the tour guide singled me, Paul and Marilou out and told is that we had to get on a local bus and it was coming in 5 mins (having only just ordered food we were a bit confused as she wasn't explaining herself very well!) The tour guide then just ended up hassling the kitchen staff for our food as the bus was waiting for us outside.

So we naturally thought that we would get on this bus, get to the hotel and meet up with the group to do the rest of the activities! Oh no! When she said 'local bus' she meant - public transport so we were shoved in the back and ended up stopping every half hour or so for people to get on/off. Not a nice journey - and after checking in at the hotel we were told that the tour group would probably be another hour or so! We realized then that they were continuing with the rest of the activities without us and we had just been dumped on a local bus and sent straight to Chau Doc - confused.com!!

This French Canadian girl was just getting even more wound up, quite rightly, as when the group finally arrived (2 ½ hours later) we were told that the only reason we had been put on a local bus is because the main bus could only seat 16 and there were 19 of us plus bags!! Then it all kicked off and after a bit of shouting (well, trying to explain that we had paid the same as everyone else so they shouldn't have dealt with the situation like that as they knew the day before how many ppl were on the trip) - they compromised by hiring us motorbikes to go to see the temples that the rest of the group had already seen AND go all the way to the top of Sam Mountain to see the sunset (you could also see the Cambodian border form up there). AMAZING - was such a good motorbike ride and the views were stunning - so moral of the story - unfortunately it pays to kick off a bit sometimes.

After all that palaver Paul and I ended the day with a nice meal to say goodbye to Vietnam properly!

30th October

Simple day - up early and onto our slow boat to Phnom Penh. We stopped a fish farm along the way and the floating village of the Cham Muslim Minority but then it was 2 hour boat ride along the Mekong to the Vietnamese/Cambodia border.

It was one of the best journey's we've had so far. It's hard to imagine that some people spend their lives living on the river in those stilt houses but it must be such a stress free life. After waiting about two hours at the border we finally got our stamps and entered Cambodia.

We still had another four hour boat ride ahead of us but as we were with the people we'd already met (Buster, Marilou and Robert) and a new girl from Holland called Mariella, it was a good laugh. We sat up on the top of the boat the whole way, taking in the sunshine and waving to all the villagers as we went by. It was so cute - as soon as the children saw they boat they would just come running to the waters edge and just shout 'hellloooooo' while waving manically.

We finally arrived in Phnom Penh at about 7pm found a guest house that would take us all and headed to find a bar :o) !!