I made it to HCMC ... what a noisy busy city! I think 2 days will be enough for me!
I arrived late last night from the Mekong and was wandering the streets looking for a hotel and this lady picked me up cos she has a "guest house" .... the guest house was their house ... her and her husband (and a really small child and another person who looks like an adult male but is extremely handicapped) rent the 2 rooms in their house and then they all sleep downstairs in the living room on the floor ... I guess this is the only way they can support themselves. There was a young austrian couple staying there too so felt okay about it but I found out when I went to bed there was no shutable window so all night i listened to motorbikes, people yelling and lotsa of other annoying noises right under my window ... it was on $7 so can't expect too much I guess....so I am a bit tired and grumpy this morning ... but I have found a very quiet aircon room at another hotel for a bit more ...
So going back to the Mekong... on day 3 we (me and 40 other tourists with one really loud arrogant german man who kept telling everyone he was the leader ??) did a boat trip to Cai Rang floating markets... huge produce markets all done out of boats. Was a pretty amazing sight! I tried the local pineapples... very sweet and juicy. We visited a rice hucking mill and also a rice noodles making shop.... basic machines all driven by man power ... they work long hours for little pay but apparently really enjoy their jobs!
In the afternoon I was taken to my homestay on An Binh island near Vinh Long. Hmmm wasn't too sure about this when I first got there .... it's really just a hotel on someone's property and when I arrived I didn't get one smile or a hello from the family ... very different to what I expected. Anyway I invited myself into the kitchen and tried to break the ice but didn't work :)) so I went for a long bike ride round the island ... geez i haven't been on a bike for a million years and took me a while to get the hang of it again! Was so nice cruising around the island but very hot. I nearly managed to break my camera.. had it in the basket and when I went over a bump it flew out and hit the road.... was ok thank god!! And then I spent an hour lying in the hammock on the verandah thinking it would be a long lonely night ... and then 4 couples turned up about my age... 2 from germany and 2 from holland and we had a great night ... drank too much beer though!!
All night we listened to the drone of the boat engines.... they sound like helicopters ... we reckoned they all have a competition to see who can have the loudest engine... the boats are just amazing ... it is a world on water on the Mekong.
Day 4 we went to more floating markets, Cai Be ... not as busy as the others. We went to a rice paper factory and sampled the produce... candy and puffed rice etc. I tried snake wine... big bottle of very strong alcohol with a huge dead snake decaying in it !!! Once in a life time experience!
Then we were taken to a local restaurant for lunch. The last bit to the restaurant we were put in paddle boats .. with no cover ... then the monsoonal rains started :)) haha good timing!
And then after a snooze in the hammock we got the bus back to HCMC arriving last night ... and here I am in the big smoke!
I met a young Kiwi bloke last night who was telling me that he got mugged and has heard of alot of other people who have been mugged here in Vietnam ... put the fear in me so going to be extra careful for the next 2 weeks.
So will spend today and tomorrow in HCMC and then will get a bus to Mui Ne for a couple of days.
Off to relocate to my new quiet aircon room ... :)))))))
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