Vietnam (Can Tho)

We had a terrific night at this hotel with the most comfortable bed in Southeast Asia (at least that's how it seemed to me), an equally terrific breakfast and then left Ho Chi Minh City for Can Tho where we planned to spend the next three nights.

Despite our intention not to take Vietnamese public land transport again, we had no choice but to do so, in order to get to Can Tho. There were no trains (thank goodness) and no direct flights, so it was either an expensive private transfer or a three and a half hour drive in a sleeper bus. After our recent train experience, the thought of a ‘sleeper’ anything was a little daunting, but while we were still in Da Nang we did a little research and read a few reviews and decided to go for it. So, shortly after our arrival in Ho Chi Minh yesterday, we asked our hotel receptionist to book us seats on the Phuong Trang sleeper bus to Can Tho. She wrote down the address of the bus ticketing office and booking reference with seat numbers, and told us to be there at 9 am in the morning.

A taxi took us to the ticketing office somewhere in the city centre. As we pulled up outside, we watched as a small minibus loaded people and luggage, until it was bursting at the seams. If we hadn’t done our research, I would have started to get very worried right about then, but thank heavens, we did. So while David was seeing to our luggage, I went inside and showed the receptionist’s note to one of the girls behind the counter. She issued 2 tickets for which I paid the princely sum of about $4 each. The girl told me to sit and wait for a bus to pick us up in 10 minutes. There were a lot of people in that waiting room, all of them locals except for 6 westerners. People (and David) were also milling about on the pavement, waiting, it seems for the same bus.

Another minibus pulled up and everybody started getting up and heading for the door. I checked with the girl behind the counter and she nodded that this was our shuttle, so I turned to get my luggage, and in the meantime got cut off by about 20 people who were blocking my exit. I signed to David that this was our bus and to get on it, hoping that he would save me a seat. At about four people in front of me, the driver motioned that the bus was full and then I panicked, imagining myself watching the minibus take off with David (without me) while I looked on from the street…not a happy thought. I think the idea of this galvanised me into action because, while calling out to David to tell the driver to let me on, I and my 30 kilos of various bits of luggage (some with wheels), were trampling over whoever had the misfortune to be in my way, accompanied by exclamations of “excuse me” and “sorry”. I was beyond caring…I was not going to be left behind in the centre of Saigon! After trying to lift my heavy luggage onto the bus, without much success, I finally managed to get on, and was pointed to a half seat surrounded by luggage, behind the driver. Again I thanked my lucky stars that we had done the research… We were then taken to a big bus station where our sleeper bus would arrive at 10:00 to take us to Can Tho.

I had never been on a sleeper bus before. There were three single rows of reclining seats on two levels. We found ours and settled in. They were actually quite comfortable except for the fact that you couldn’t sit upright if you wanted to (broken), and the allotted leg room was probably based on Vietnamese specs because there wasn’t really enough for me. However, it was a fairly short trip so I wasn’t unduly concerned. The journey went by fairly smoothly, although the driver drove like a bat out of hell, honking his horn, weaving in and out of traffic and lurching occasionally when he braked suddenly. Once again I felt blessed to have survived another road trip in Asia.

A taxi took us to our accommodation in Can Tho. This time we have a bamboo shack on a river in the Mekong Delta. Very different from our hotel in HCMC. I think they call this ‘glamping’….

30 January 2016
We had a restless first night ‘roughing’ it. Our hut was next to the restaurant/general hangout area (also the hangout for the pet dogs and cats) and opposite the pen of the pet pig ‘Bacon’, so we heard chatter, laughter, squealing and barking for much of the evening. This of course started again in the early hours after we were woken up by boat engines. We had forgotten that the locals used the waterways for their daily lives and we had also forgotten that some of the locals start their daily lives at around 4 am!

We decided that we wanted to move to a quieter hut so this afternoon we were moved to one of the newer shacks over the small bamboo bridge. This is more like it…much bigger, 2 decks with deck-chairs, no noise from man or beast, and a newer mattress…

31 January 2016
Tour Day today, since we didn't do anything yesterday, what with out 'big move' to a different hut :). Our 'homestay' was a little cut off from transport options and both David and I weren't inclined to rent a scooter for fear of severe bodily injury. No restaurants or cafes close by, so they pretty much take care of everything....all meals at a reasonable price, bicycles and tours (by boat or bicycle) with a tour guide and guaranteed small groups. It is right on the river so their boats are docked near the huts.

First up was Cai Rang, the largest floating market in the Mekong Delta. David decided to give this one a miss. Six of us were off in the boat at 05:30 with our guide Lili. It was still dark as we navigated down waterways with no lights (our boatman occasionally turned on a flashlight

to get his bearings), toward the main river with the floating market. We got there at daybreak (about 06:20) to absolute mayhem on the river. A number of tourist boats of different sizes (including ours) weaved their way in and out, between vendor boats (also of all sizes), piled high with different produce. Fruit, vegetables, flowers, snacks... It was different and exciting because none of it was put on for the tourists. In fact, we were stared at by the merchants, as if we were pesky gnats in bright orange life jackets (we had to wear them by law). They looked like they wanted to swat us! The only people happy to see us, were the Vietnamese sandwich lady, the noodle lady and the fruit snack guys. Amazing how many tourists like spicy noodle soup at 6 am! The bigger tourist boats raced ahead of the smaller ones (like ours) and we were told to keep our arms in the boat (lest we lose one or both) as we were sandwiched between them. It was chaotic mayhem at its best - the aquatic version of crazy scooter traffic in Hanoi and Saigon.

After the floating market, we got off the boat and wandered through the land market, again the largest in the area. On sale were fruit, vegetables, sweets, baked and fried foods, fresh meat, poultry, fish and other seafood, snacks, clothes, shoes and the 'piece de resistance'... ricefield rats!! Yup - skinned, cleaned, splayed, gutted and, apparently, quite delicious!

We got back to the homestay at 08:30 in time for a quick breakfast before our next tour (same guide). This time it was a bicycle tour of the surrounding villages. Since I have the worst sense of balance ever, I got to ride on the scooter behind Lili. We visited a herbal medicine clinic, elementary school, smithy, rice factory, rice wine distillery, pottery factory and pagoda where we were given lunch by the temple goers.

31 January 2016
We left Can Tho and went back to Ho Chi Minh City again by sleeper bus. This bus was newer and the driver wasn't such a lunatic as the previous one, so the journey went smoothly and was very comfortable. Before we left Can Tho, I finally put the movie 'Piranha' out of my head and dared to put my feet in the fish spa. It was weird and ticklish but I'm still not sure I like the sensation. Luckily the fish there were tiny and didn't gross me out too much. However, I don't think I could do larger fish and I'm not certain I could ever do it again. At least I can say I tried it...