Sihanouke Ville was beautiful! The only major issue was that on the beach you were constantly harassed by children trying to sell fireworks and bracelets, or women selling pedicures.
While in Sihanouke Ville the tour group decided to go on a full day snorkeling adventure. The trip was well worth it, even if every single one of us ended up with a horrible sunburn. For all future snorkeling trips I will be sure to wear a shirt! We visited two different snorkelling islands, and spend several hours on the beach of an island off the coast of Cambodia where we enjoyed baracuda for lunch, free of people trying to sell us stuff.
From Sihanouke Ville, we began our 5 hour journey to the Vietnam border. Upon arrival we exited the vans, grabbed our packs and headed across the boarder on foot to our next bus. We spent that evening in the Mekong Delta. Here, I took my first motorbike trip. A guided motor bike tour took us up the Sam Mountain, where we were able to view the sunset over the rice fields. Although it was a bit cloudy, and the journey a bit terrifying, the view was spectacular and well worth the effort!
This morning we set out on the 6 hour drive to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The city is insane. Every rule your mother every told you about crossing the road goes out the window. The best method of crossing is to close your eyes, keep walking, and don't stop! We had our first taste of this earlier this afternoon when we headed to the market to shop.
The deals you can find in Vietnam are unbelievable. I have learnt this trip that my pack is way to small at 45L (the average pack size of my group is 60L). This has really limited my ability to shop! My plan: head back to my hostel in Bangkok at the end of the tour, buy a suitcase, fill it with my souvenirs and whatever else I don't need and store it there until it's time to head home. I was very pleased to learn of this service before leaving Bangkok!
Tomorrow evening we board a night bus and head to Nha Trang for some more beach time. Unfortunately we will also be leaving the Kiwi's and the Finnish behind in Ho Chi Minh City.
