Day 11 – The final leg to Ho Chi Minh City

#vietnam #travel #adventure

As predicted, the bloke and I had sore heads this morning. That home brew, beer combo worked a treat. We really did have a great evening though, and quite relaxed by comparison to all the rushing around we’ve had up until that point. I think most people would have enjoyed staying an extra night or two to relax and soak up the atmosphere of the place. The beds were surprisingly comfortable too, but I think we all could have done without the dawn chorus of cockerells and dogs from about 4am (I have to say, my earplugs worked a treat. :bloke) .

With some regret, we left the home stay and boarded our boat, and set off down river to have a longer tour of the waterways and islands.

A few of us took up the optional row boat experience. It was lovely, and for small pockets at a time, quiet, something you rarely experience in Vietnam I’ve come to learn. We were given traditional hats to wear, but my god they seemed to be even hotter and I couldn’t see a great deal out of them. Honestly, I’ve never sweated so much in my life, Vietnam is so hot and humid even compared with Cambodia, and we thought that was hot! We are constantly dripping. Most of us have got some form of heat rash (that Bum Butter is proving to be helpful for more than just bums it would seem) and my eyes sting permanently from the sweat.

Mike and I, rocking the local hats

After returning to meet the others in the main boat, we stopped at a place where they showed us how they made sweet foods from rice, such as popped rice ( a member of the group “I didn’t know you could pop rice” another member “what did you think rice crispies were made of???” :bloke), and chewy sweets from coconut (it’s not an opal fruit, but very edible all the same :bloke), my personal favourite, I could have eaten a lot of them!

It was then on to pick up our bikes again and ride the last 35km of the trip. The first 20km took us through more tiny streets, along rivers, over bridges and down dirt tracks (so much more fun than tarmac! :bloke). Pretty much everyone, wether on foot or scooter says hello. Kids.(And adults :bloke) shout out “hello!” from their homes or their schools, running to the gates to wave at us. If they are on the road they try to high five you as you go past. Around this area there seem to be a lot more bicycles too, and they often ride two or three up on their bikes. It’s not uncommon to see whole families on scooters, the most I’ve seen so far was five, dad driving with mum and the two kids on the back, third kid up front with dad. No crash helmets at all or maybe just for the parents.

The last 15km was a long slog on open tarmac and a bit of an anti-climax to finish on, but nevertheless we were all thrilled to have made it this far and there were high fives all round and the obligatory group photo. We said goodbye to our Vietnamese guides and mechanic and got back on the bus to drive the rest of the way to Ho Chi Minh, stopping for lunch along the way. Everywhere we’ve been the guides have recommended local foods for us to try, the food generally has been amazing and today’s lunch was no exception. The bloke and I ordered prawns in coconut and what we got was a coconut shell, with prawns in the top and set on fire at the table. I definitely wasn’t expecting that!

The traffic coming in to Ho Chi Minh is like nothing I have ever seen before. On first impressions, a little more organised than Phnom Penh, but even busier (the scooters swarm around the bus like schools of fish around divers or a murmaration of starlings :bloke). It is amazing to watch, every pass is a close one, so many near misses! I have to admit, I felt a bit too tired for it this evening, but I’m looking forward to seeing rush hour tomorrow morning.