To get from Kep,
Cambodia over the border to Vietnam… it took one 45 minute ride in a small car,
packed with five tourists and one driver, four of us were sandwiched in the
backseat along with our backpacks (needless to say, it was a tight trip and we got
to know each other very well). We were dropped at the border and made it across
by foot in about 20 minutes. We then hopped into a minibus where we sat and
waited, with the driver mind you, for about an hour (Why the long wait you ask?
No idea.) Once we eventually got moving, we drove about 30 minutes where we
were dropped at yet another bus… which we rode for again, about 30 minutes and
finally, we reached our large bus… riding it for five to six hours, all the way
to Saigon. It was quite a day! And we were very happy and slightly relieved
when we got to our final destination—and were not met by another bus.
To quote Hunter S.
Thompson “We arrived with a feeling of ignorance and a loose “what the hell”
kind of confidence that comes on a person when the wind picks up and they begin
to move in a hard straight line towards an unknown horizon.”
Saigon is a great city
and treated us very well. The people there were very fun and inviting. Many of
the local students studying at the university there loved to sit down for a
chat, to practice their English and also to teach us a few things of their
culture (including the cheers they use when drinking… “Mot! Hai! Ba! Zoooo!”
Pronounced…. “Mow, Hi, Bye, Yoooo!”) After some of the experiences in Cambodia,
Vietnam made us feel very welcome and relaxed (we hold an inward grudge toward
the pushers and shovers, tourist and salesmen alike).
One of the best
choices we made while in Saigon was taking a two day, one night tour of The
Mekong Delta. The tour consisted of many sights… a few highlights; our homestay
(which I’ll get to), the famous floating market, drinking banana wine, eating
local fruit—including pineapple which is in season, consuming elephant fish and visiting a village
where hyacinth honey is harvested and produced (and getting to sample plenty of
it)!
Our homestay was
amazing. We had the choice to stay at a nice hotel, but wanted a different
experience. Out of a group of about 20, only me, Travis and a German man named
George chose the homestay option. Boy did we ever make the right choice!! We
were all driven out to the countryside (via motorbike)… about 45 minutes away from
the group at the hotel. After crossing a rickety bamboo tightrope that served
as a bridge connecting to the home, we were welcomed with open arms. It was our
tour guide’s parents’ house, his cousin who also lives there was our
interpreter during our stay and everyone from grandparents to cousins, ranging
in age from four to 94, live in this home that sits on a rice and fruit farm.
We were treated to a homemade feast consisting of shrimp fritters, rice, fish
and sour soup with pineapple, stir-fried tofu and beef, string beans and tofu,
giant rice chips with peppercorns, fresh chilies (that make steam come out of
your ears, but don’t make your stomach upset one bit!) and plenty of rice wine
made by neighbors. We were also given a lesson in making Vietnamese pancakes,
which consisted of egg and rice flour, made like a crepe in a wok, then filled
with bean sprouts, shrimp and pork. We each made our own over a wood fired clay
stove and they all turned out delicious! The evening was so much fun… and even
with the language barrier—we could still manage to communicate just through
laughter, hand gestures and the multiple cheers over rice wine of “Mot! Hai!
Ba! Zoooo!” We woke up the next morning after a wonderful nights’ sleep to a
breakfast of tea, bananas and an egg baguette sandwich. We also took a tour of their
fruit farm and rice fields… where farmers out in the paddies were already knee
deep in work (literally). After our goodbyes and treacherous walk back over the
infamous tightrope bamboo bridge, we rode back and met up with the rest of the
group who stayed at the hotel. Needless to say… they were a little cranky to
hear that we had already had our breakfast—and had a free feast the night
before, all the rice wine we could handle and time with an amazing family.
Hehehe (evil grin)
We made a visit to the popular tourist
destination… the Vietnam War Remnants Museum. Until 1993, it was known as the Museum of American War Crimes which seems a bit more fitting because the
exhibits are very much one sided. However, the museum does show, very
graphically, the horrors of war—so I think it is worth a visit no matter your
opinion of the Vietnam War itself. I would imagine for a veteran of this war,
it would be a very painful and difficult place to experience. Outside on the museum
grounds are restored pieces of U.S. military fighter planes, tanks, large bombs
and helicopters which are all pretty amazing to see in person.
We were in Saigon for roughly one week—maybe
a bit more—I turned 27, Travis got a Mohawk, I got my nose pierced and we paid
.50 cents per beer just about every night. Pretty incredible place with some
wonderful memories to take away with us.
