Chau Doc

For the ride to Vietnam, we crammed into a minibus and jounced along an unpaved road. Fortunately, the minibus was only taking us to the Mekong river, where we boarded a boat destined for Chau Doc in Vietnam. The boat ride was very lovely, a smooth trip with great scenery . I fell asleep. (Why oh why do I always seem to be sleeping or eating? Apparently, I have a tendency to loll about like a Giant Panda.)

It took a bit of time to settle into a guesthouse in Chau Doc. Then I fell asleep. I slept through dinner. I finally got up and read a bit, but there isn't much to say about the first day in Chau Doc.

The next day, we wandered about the city, and checked out the huge central market. It reminded me a bit of the markets in Aleppo and Damascus in Syria. Meat, veg, breads, and clothing were the staples. Unfortunately, fish sauce was also a staple. Fish sauce is made from fermented fish parts. As you can imagine, it is not the most heavenly scent.

We were a bit of a novelty in the city. There was a lot of staring. People seemed to enjoy poking us as well. When the locals were not staring or poking, they were yelling, "HELLO!" Saying 'hello' in reply would provoke an outburst of excited giggling. Everyone seemed to be seeking our acknowledgement. I felt a bit like a circus animal.

Our third (and last) day in Chau Doc, Jon and I took a moto to Sam Mount, a hill littered with temples that provided a bird's eye view over the city. I got tired rather easily while climbing the mountain; it was a hot and humid day. Plus, I don't think I've gotten back in shape since the broken pelvis. Anyhow, the view from the top was really excellent. We stopped on the way down to chill out in a hammock and drink a beer.

After we got food at a nearby hotel, we hired a bicycle driver to take us back to our hotel. (A tuk-tuk is attached to the back of his bicycle.) I felt really lazy making the poor guy pump us; however, it is best to use bicycle-powered tuk-tuks. According to our guidebook, these guys sided with the Southern Vietnamese during the Vietnam war. As a result, they are not allowed to have jobs or possess property. Their presence is not recognized by the government, so they are basically non-citizens. It's a sad situation.

We decided to take a 2-day trip through the Mekong Delta, finishing in Saigon.