After greeting Ricky we made our way towards the bus station, where we caught a bus to the much larger, central station. We purchased our tickets and then endured a two-hour trip to My Tho, in a very warm and very full bus.

My Tho was at first disappointing: a toned-down version of Ho Chi Minh city. We were hoping for a more countryside experience. As we climbed off the bus we had to find shelter, for a rain cloud had burst just above the city. Our first Vietnamese rain shower!

Due to the rain, the town seemed to empty and dirty. But we marched our way to a hotel, checked-in, and then went searching for a recommended seafood restaurant. Were we in for a treat.

First, we walked up to the fish tanks and choose our food (note, they were still alive at the time). Of course, we ordered to much, but it was a wonderful feast, and most interesting. The baby octopuses were thrown into hot broth whilst still alive (to my horror of course, which cracked everyone up); and then we were shown how to make wraps using their meat. Next, a chopped up fish was placed into a pot of delicious Vietnamese-style soup and cooked, and then served. We couldn't manage supper that night.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the town. It was an overcast day. We had tea at a small street-side place; had beers at a riverside restaurant; and wandered the streets. We made our way back to the hotel, and ended up doing some admin, reading,and watching TV.

The following morning we stopped at various coffee shops and had breakfast at a lovely little place. Seafood and noodles. Nyumi. The coffee-lovers of this world are in for a surprise: all milk-based local coffees are served with condensed-milk and ice! It's like having dessert for breakfast.
My Tho started to grow on us: the locals are friendly, there are two massive man-made lakes near the centre of town that are lovely to walk along, and the town is abuzz with shop owners, students, and people. Our last activity in My Tho was to check out of the hotel and march towards the bus station.