OK - hello again you lovely people. How were things on this weekend in Blighty? Been busy Christmas shopping, tree decorating, drinking, eating? I really hope everyone is well and looking forward to Christmas. It's weird being out here thinking of everyone back home getting ready for Xmas, the adverts, the food, the horrendous present shopping. Doesn't feel like Christmas at all out here despite the best efforts of the locals, (Christmas trees and tinsel in the hostels, the locals who work in the hostels wearing Santa hats etc). I've just tried to sort out my accommodation in Hanoi where I plan to be for Christmas and gone for the fairly mainstream Hanoi Backpackers run by some Ozzies and quite popular so hopefully I'll be with a good bunch of people. I've already met a few who will be in Hanoi too so should be good. We're hoping we can do the 2/3 day 1/2 night boat trip around Ha Long Bay on Christmas Eve / Christmas Day / Boxing Day but I'm waiting for confirmation. Would be quite cool partying on a boat on Ha Long Bay for Xmas.....

That is still 2 weeks away and I've only just arrived in Vietnam - chose the Mekong Delta route from Phnom Penh, (PP), which was a better choice I think in the end than the bus with all the other Farangs, (Western Foreigners). There were only 3 of us and now I'm in Chau Doc in the heart of the Mekong Delta, my first experience of Vietnam and I have not seen a single Farang..... Happy to be in the thick of it and away from the well trodden path for once.

Had very little time to soak up the life here in Chau Doc but what I have together with the sights from cruising down the mighty Mekong, (which was an amazing experience in itself), have been pretty special. So very glad I chose the boat and not the bus. This has got me into the heart of the Mekong and I've just had a couple of beers watching the world go by - many different boats of varying sizes, carrying families, cargo, fruit, veg etc and under different forms of propulsion, (old ladies standing up and rowing with two oars, big barges, women with the straw hats perched on the tip of a tiny boat rowing with a tiny paddle and yet making impressive progress, an old man rowing out from his house boat, catching his dinner and bringing it back to his wife to cook). I've seen houses on stilts, sticking out into the water, crammed next to each other, row upon rows of house boats and mad, crazy, noisy people driving motos at breakneck speed through markets where there is barely enough room to walk! The market has fruit and veg I don't recognise, millions of squids and crabs and fish to fresh it is still gasping for air, and so many chillies. Looking forward to dinner, a few more beers and an early night.... I ended up spending an extra day in PP doing very little but didn't quite catch up on my sleep enough since I was up at 6am for the boat this morning to Vietnam! Man I forgot about all the early starts when you're travelling. It didn't help we stayed up to watch the Liverpool v Arsenal game. I can here the sympathy for me from you all - having to get up early! I will stop going on about it.....! Up at 6 again tomorrow, (!), for various boat trips around the Delta and a trip to Sam Mountain, some Pagodas and some paddy fields, and then it's HCMC. Bring on the madness! I've heard it's fairly crazy there.

So, apologies for the flurry of activity with blogs and photos. Surprised to find internet is pretty good here so making the most of it, (currently sitting in the middle of the market area of Chau Doc, there is noise everywhere, music blaring out and a million kids sat on my lap, stroking my arm, saying 'Hello' and playing all sorts of games online, glad I wrote most of these prior to here since I cannot hear myself think!). I struggled to get on my sight in Cambodia let alone upload any photos so consequently I have been writing these entries as I have been going along and saving them ready to post with the photos!

Here's the update - still no cards although played alot in PP and learned some new games. I now have a new shot glass, cost me about 3p, (it's really cheap here anyway), so I bought 2 and feel like the hip flask will come out once I hit the beaches in a couple of days, 'me bird' is feeling much better so may be visible again and I was a millionaire for a short time - withdrew 1000000 Dong which is about 35 quid!

Oh, and Forest are third! Third! Get in.

To everyone who has posted a comment or sent me a message - thanks so much. It's great to hear from you all. I hope everyone is well and looking after themselves.

Cheers for now from Vietnam! Bring on the beach.......