When we arrived in Can Tho we were dropped at an seemingly random intersection, not the bus station as we were expecting. Since it was obvious we weren't going to convince the driver to actually take us to the bus station, we hopped into a cab. We enjoyed a nice lunch and a wander around the town. At dinner time we were scoping out the local restaurants when, much to my amazement, Eliza struck up a conversation with a couple of complete strangers. One hour later we are seated next to Sarah and Eitan from Israel. They were (and probably still are) a very nice couple. And they even bought us dinner to boot.
Day 55- So John convinced me that the best way to see the floating markets on the Mekong was by getting up long before the crack of dawn and hoping on a little boat captained by a much littler lady. 5:30 departure was as un-fun as it sounds, but was soon forgotten as soon as we watched the sun rise on the water.
25 minutes into the ride we came upon our first market. Really it is a massive jam up of small and mid-size boats, each selling one specific thing (pineapples, potatoes, rice, mango), with one tied to a string on a tall pole, as an advertisement to the buying boats.
Our driver expertly manuvered her way into the middle of the mess, purchased and cut up one delicious pineaple and then muddled her way back out. Runs of the sea are much the same as the way the area of the world drives cars and forms lines, if you think you can fit, give it a go. Rockier on a boat, but less lethal. The next 6.5 hours were mellow and lovely. After another market, we headed into some much smaller tributaries and had a chance to see just how much the delta is the lifeline of the nation, AND how much is still missing in the world of public health here.
All in all, John was not insane with the 5:30 departure (it was a reasonable temperature until about 8 am). Other things we learned today, when you find sunscreen at a market in HCMC for suuuper cheap that for once doesn't smell like sunscreen, it might just be lotion in a sunscreen bottle. Confirmation on this one to follow.
Day 56- Compared to a ride down next to an adorable puppy, the ride back to HCMC was much less eventful. Again our driver made it in record time, though I noticed he was passed once on the way up, something our driver to the delta never would have stood for. Calm evening due to mild sunburning the day before (see note on sunscreen bottle potentailly not filled with sunscreen).
Day 57 - Today we are headed to Mui Ne for some rest and relaxation. We opted for the open tour bus and lucked out with our selection. We opted for the "open tour bus" this time as it would drop us off nearer to our hotel. The "open tour bus" system is a way to travel from the south to the north (or vise versa) and hit up all the major towns along the way. You can either buy a booklet of tickets that gets you all the way to the other end of the country, or you can buy as you go. The booklet being cheaper in the long run, but less flexible. It looks like a good concept because you are guaranteed transportation from one place to the next. However, if you go with the booklet you are stuck with the same bus company all the way through. We tried to buy a regular seat, not a sleeper seat. That's right they offer a seat on the bus that is supposed to be used for sleeping. The bus company was out of regular seats, so we got a sleeper seat. The four hour ride was pretty good, as bus rides go. We were dropped of "about 800 meters from our hotel" according to the bus driver. After walking in the very hot Mui Ne sun for about five minutes, we arrived at our hotel. Seth, Eliza's friend in HCMC, had made reservations for us at a hotel he liked, so we new little about the hotel, save a name, before arriving. This hotel/resort turned out to be very lovely (http://www.baoquynh.com/index.asp). It was smaller than most of the surrounding resorts, but still had all the amenities one would need: common area with bar, pool, private beach access, and beach chairs under palm frond umbrellas. We promptly ditched our bags, lathered up in sunscreen, and hit the beach.
Hours later we made our way to a nice Indian restaurant for dinner. We knew we had picked a winner when, five minutes after we sat down, the place was packed with "locals" (local referring to the Europeans and Australians who live there solely for the kite surfing).
Day 58- Woke up with the intention of 45 minutes of lap swimming before breakfast. The first 25 minutes were great, but then the parents were done trying to reign their kids in and lap swim turned into a free for all. After breakfast spent the next 4 hours on the beach alternating beween staying completely in the shade and swimming in the ocean. It was great, but as many of you know, John as a limited "do nothing" tolerence and it was time to accomplish something. That something ended up being a haircut for John, in Beckham style. All the ladies took turns consulting the one woman who was doing the actual cutting. From what I understand of mens haircuts in the US, this was unusual as it was done entirely with sizzors and a strait razor for clean up. Much shorter and far cooler.
Day 59- Repeat Day 58 without a second haircut.
More pictures are up - we found a fast connection.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lizainasia2
http://picasaweb.google.com/jwwinasia4
http://picasaweb.google.com/jwwinasia5
2 comments:
As a guy who did everything he could to stay away from Vietnam in the late 60's and early 70's (successfully), it's hard for me to realize that people want to go there now for a vacation. But I have heard that it's beautiful and your photos back that up. Do you see any remnants of the war or sense any lingering bad feelings from the people there?
Nice haircut. Not as short as the one I gave you before your senior prom (oops!) but much more professional. Ok, what are the down the rabbit hole pictures in the Vietnam 1 album? Looks a bit tight. MOM(of John)
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