Mekon Delta, Vietnam

The bus ride to Can Tho was hot and uncomfortable. We thought, as many other times, that we had a big bus bringing us to Can Tho, but we had a little mini bus. Normally no problem because then the bus is filled with Vietnamese who normally don't travel with a lot of luggage. But this time it was different. There was another France backpackers couple with 2 backpack each, there was us with 2 backpack each and then there was this girl (Vietnamese) who had like 5 suitcases and a huge wedding photo. And all that had to go in the mini bus with no trunk what so ever to put luggage in. All the suitcases and backpack where packed in between everyone on the mini bus. Not that comfortable and to hot because the airco didn't work that well. I had my book to read so the 4 or 5 hour bus ride went by fast.
We found a nice hotel in Can Tho where Vern decided to take the biggest room in the hotel. We could have slept both in a huge king size bed, we had a small balcony, airco, tv and a nice bedroom. Vern thought it would be nice for a change to have a big room instead of a room where our luggage barely fits.
The hotel owner sold us a nice cruise over the river for the next day. We booked it with the other couple we met on the minibus, To split the cost. So the next morning before sunrise, oef that was early, we walked to the river to get on a small boat. It was a beautiful cruise over the Mekong River. The sunrise was amazing, to so the people start their day and enjoy the peacefulness on the water was amazing. We visited 2 floating markets. Everyone who has a boat and fruit or veggies clusters together and sells their good. They all have a long stick in the air with what they sell. And then theirs this boat who sell drinks going around to. It's so cool to see this and the fruit is so cheap and delicious. We eat some, looked around how everyone is selling and trading goods and then we left and sailed into smaller canals. Just like Amsterdam. We visited a rice field where the ladies chopped down the rice. Amazing to see how fast they are. Vern took over the big knife and tried to. He managed to get some down but the lady who kept working to when Vern joined in got like 10 times more done. It is crazy how fast they chop. The ladies didn't spoke any English but the guide who was with us translated and we had some fun talks together. They went back to work and we walked back to the boat, as we did that we passed a guy who had a fish farm. In his backyard he had a big stinking pool and at first site you wouldn't think that something was living in there, but when he threw some food in the pool all the fish went crazy and fought for some food. Never if seem fish fight like that. Crazy, but the smell was really bad.
After cruising around for 5 hours we got back to where we started. It was so nice to see the Mekong Delta like this and see how people make their living here.
We stayed here for 2 days. The last day we just walked around town and didn't do much special than eating and drinking. I love the food here in Asia!

After 2 days we left on a big bus this time towards Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The bus ride was fast and okay. I read my book and Vern looked for markers on the road where there was a motor crash earlier. Vern saw the white drawings on the road before but didn't knew exactly what they were, until he saw one that was to obvious. The lining showed a bike, a car and a body. After that each time we saw the lining we knew there was an intersection coming because that's were all the accidents happen. No one stops but just turns on a road and everyone else has to move around the car or motorbike and sometimes that goes wrong.
At the bus station in Can Tho we saw some terrible photo's of motorbike accidents. Only the driver wears a helmet and all the other sometimes 4 passengers don't so you guess what happens in an accident. One photo we saw a mom and her maybe 1 year old boy lying on the road, both death. I will spare you the details. But the photo's showed how terrible wrong it goes in an accident.
I was glad that on Phu Quoc there wasn't much traffic and craziness going on on the roads, and i said to Vern;"No way we are renting a motorbike anymore. The Traffic in the bigger city's are to crazy and dangerous. I like traveling around to much to let myself get killed here in a motorbike accident!" Vern totally agreed.
After 2hours we arrived in Ho Chi Minh, a huge city with so many motor bikers it's crazy. What the bicycle is for the Netherlands that's what the motorbike is for Vietnam.
Crossing a road in this city is crazy. Just step on to the road and look if the motor bikers see you and if they will pass in front of you or behind you. It's like that computer game with the frog you have to get safe to the other side of the road.

In Ho Chi Minh we shopped a little. Our souvenir for Vietnam, Vern bought some nice t-shirts and we walked around town.
We wanted to go to the Cu Chi tunnels near Saigon but because i had my knee wound i couldn't crawl, so that was no option. Stupid Vietnam tatoo......
We had fun just staying in the city and buy the stuff we needed and reorganize our backpacks. Because after 4 weeks traveling by bus/motorbike/tuktuk and what ever more we were about to fly out Ho Chi Minh and than it matters how heavy your backpack is and how it is packed.
The flight out of Ho Chi Minh was good. The airplane was not that big and Vern didn't had room to move his legs but the flight to Phuket Thailand was only 2 hours and the tickets in total did cost us about 120 dollar so no complains here.

We landed at 00:25 hour, march 17th in Phuket Thailand. Be booked a hotel close to the airport. It should only be an 5 min car ride so you would think that wouldn't cost you to much. Well time of day thus everything here. They wanted like 3 times as much as normally. If only we had looked at a map when we booked the hotel we would have know how to walk. Because when the taxi dropped us of at the hotel we moved not even a kilometre away from the airport. It was nice and fast so that counts for something to. As soon as i saw the bed i fell asleep.
The next morning we walked around and started looking for a travel agent to book a bus out of Phuket towards the island Ko Tao. The travel agents was a bit of a search but we knew we where back in Thailand because at every street corner there was a 7/11 store.

Next blog more travel stories. Vern just woke up and we go out to get some breakfast with the friend of Vern we're staying with in Australia. That's how far behind i got on writing blogs..... Didn't wrote anything about Vietnam, back in Thailand and now we are in Australia. Sorry guys....