Hi guys,
Apologies for the week of silence, we’ve had a few minor ‘mares vis a vis wifi connections (or, as the boys like to call it, ‘ the old wiffy’), and general Internet cafe shoddiness. If you’ve been watching the twitter feed you’ll know that we survived our three day Mekong Delta trip and made it across the border into Cambodia; for those of you that haven’t, and thought that we might be banged up in an Asian jail somewhere, fear not! We’re alive, and all in one piece(ish).
The trip along the Mekong had the usual hysterical highs and unbelievable lows of a pre-booked multi-day Asian experience. Highs, for us, included an unexpected ‘homestay’ at a house in the middle of the Vietnamese jungle, run (seemingly) by two school boys, aged 11 and 13. They took an instant liking to the boys and spent most of the evening play fighting while we enjoyed a fantastic meal of fresh fish, rice noodles, salad, fresh spring rolls and omelette – yum! Chatting with the kids and fooling about all evening made a nights stay on a fold out bed in a bug infested barn a lot sweeter, and we gave them a parting gift of a pot of Garnier hair gel that they went mad over (see picture below). They tried to repay us by handing over someone’s baby, whom Joe held for some time before realising that we didn’t actually know who’s it was and that we really needed to go… Further highs of the trip are predominantly food-related; expect to be force-fed traditional home made coconut candy until you’re sick! These tasty treats could not be enjoyed by one member of our party, an Italian guy who only ate fruit (‘fruitarian!?’). We spent much of the three day trip laughing at his life choices while stuffing our faces with whatever was offered (teehee!) A few other highlights include a random opportunity to hold a gigantic python (see gallery) and a visit to the village of Sarong (guess what they make there!?) where Joe and Sophia were dressed up in traditional outfits and I got to hang out with a 2 month old baby! (See below)
All in all, we were glad that we chose to take this route to the border over a 6 hour bus journey. We really did get to do all of the things listed in the itinerary, and had quite a giggle along the way! A great way to say s’laters to Vietnam!