So we made our way to Ho Chi Minh City last week and stayed at a lovely hostel down a tiny alley in the middle of the busy backpacker area. The couple who ran it wouldn't let us leave the house without saying 'Be careful' and they changed some of our larger dollar bills into little ones (most locals would never give you one dollar bills!)
We wandered around the city and saw some stunning preparations for their new year which goes on for two weeks but culminates on 3rd Feb. Also went to the War Remnants museum which was pretty shocking stuff. It was presented in a very typical propaganda type way but it's amazing that the country has recovered so well. I sense they are putting all their efforts into moving forward rather than focusing on the past but there are some very clear ways certain countries could help individuals.
Managed to arrange a two day Mekong delta tour so we were packed off with a rather interesting bunch of folk to explore the region with the help of a range of guides who kept getting on and off the bus with no explanation! We stayed overnight in a floating hotel (rather ancient and dirty but we were fine). Saw some locals making coconut candy and rice paper - I could have watched that for hours. And also saw some fish tanks under the floating houses where people keep and feed thousands of catfish and carp type fish.
We decided to pay extra for a fast boat to Cambodia and spent 8 hours travelling up the Mekong to Pnomh Penh. We have learnt not to follow any time line as invariably they say 1 hour more and that actually could mean 1 hr 30 or 2 hours or 4 hours. We will just get there when we arrive.
In Pnomh Penh we managed to get a tuktuk to a monument near to our guesthouse and settled in for one night to recover from our two day journey. Seriously luxurious place with a pool but well worth the expense for a good night's sleep, fluffy towels and a lovely breakfast before we got another early bus to the beach town, Sihanoukville.
So now we are in Sihanoukville and surrounding area for about a week. Went out for dinner and a few drinks by the beach. Today we could muster only the energy to sit by the pool and bake slightly but it was well worth it. So now planning on maybe going to visit an old colonial town nearby or maybe a night on a little island or a trip to a national park type area. I shall update you soon.
Oh and I would like to introduce you to a lovely little fellow who has tagged along with us. He is called Lance (the Lion) and will feature regularly in photos from now on ;-)
PS New malaria tablets seem to be going down well with no clear side effects at moment, phew
