Yesterday and today was our last ’trip’. Louise, Gerard, Jo and I went to the Mekong delta for an overnight tour. It was good, but ended up being different to what we were expecting. For starters, the tour guide arrived in the morning and said there was only room for 2 on the first bus, so Jo and Louise headed off, not to be seen again until that evening! And it was Gerard and I in the next bus.

We spent the first day getting to the Mekong, then going in a boat to an island, wandering, having lunch, getting a boat somewhere else, going to a coconut candy-making place, then to a honey tea place. Finally going up a beautiful canal lined with water coconut trees in row boats, before getting the main boat back to the bus to go to Can Tho where we were staying.

We met up with Jo and Louise getting on the ferry across the river. It was crazy, people waited in the upstairs balcony-thing, while below was crowded with motorbikes/trucks/cars and buses! When we got to the hotel, Gerard and I were again shafted to a different hotel because the other one was full! We did get to have dinner all together though!

Day two, saw us going around two floating markets. They were good to see, and it was cool how the boats would hang one each of the fruit and vegies that they sold from a pole so everyone could see. We also wandered along the river, through a village area where regular people were living, and kids were running along with us. Very nice, except I kind of felt like a bit of an idiot being the “tourist”! These people are just living their life, and troupes of ‘gaijin’ stroll through checking it all out!

After a final boat ride up through the country area amongst banana trees and rice paddies it was back to the bus and we headed for Ho Chi Minh with a poor select few on our bus being psychologically analysed about love and “being comfortable with yourself” by two Canadian friends!? It was a nice two days, relaxing and peaceful, but I felt a little like I was waiting for the big climax to happen, and then never came!