Chau Doc, Vietnam - Oct 19, 2006 - Long Xuyen, Vietnam

From HCMC we took a bus to Chau Doc which is on the Mekong Delta, not far from the border with Cambodia. We plan to take a boat up the river to Phnom Penh.

The bus was the toughest day yet. It was $6 each for a 6.5 hour trip, so we knew it was going to be basic. It was a mini bus full of locals and there wasn't much space for luggage. Fortunately it did have air conditioning. Bad music was blaring out, but we had Ipods. After a couple of hours the bus stopped for a lunch break - we had no idea how long for (nobody spoke English). There wasn't a westerner in sight; we were clearly off the beaten track for tourists! I had my first experience with a squat toilet where you had to flush with a bucket. Liza went first, so at least I was forewarned. It wasn't too bad, but I was thankful I didn't need to do a number two! The bus set off again after 30 minutes. The next two hours were on roads filled with potholes, it was slow going and seriously bumpy. The girl next to Liza started vomiting - yikes. We then stopped at a river crossing to take a ferry boat. We were approached by lots of beggars and peddlars. This has happened a lot in Vietnam, usually you can walk away, but this time we were stuck on the bus and I was right next to the door. Other people just stared as us through the window!

We arrived at the bus terminal at Chau Doc and took a cyclo to the Victoria hotel. The hotel had suggested the best way to travel there from HCMC was by car at $170 (which clearly we declined), but we had a good laugh thinking that many people arrive by luxury car whereas we arrived on a cyclo!

Chau Doc is a small town with not much going on. We went up Sam Mountain to see views of the paddi fields and view temples. We met lots of friendly children who wanted to practice their English. There weren't many taxis around so we took a bike to the mountain (without a helmet!) - never thought I would do that, but when in Rome.... we lived to tell the tale.