Following the Footsteps: Vietnam

THE MEKONG RIVER
Mekong delta is a net work of canals , 4 hours form Saigon and is the biggest rice growing region in Asia. The net work of these canals is a little like Kerala backwaters.Houses are all along the banks or in the house boats and the daily activities like washing cleaning etc all takes place on the river. The water ways are like high street. All trading activities is done by boat and on boats. Hundreds of tourists boats on the river simply adds to the traffic and collisions are frequent. Spending hours travelling in the boats and watching the same mundane activities can be very boring in 90 degree heat.

During such boat trips you meet different people from different countries, who have either been to the places you are travelling to or are going to places you have just been. Exchanging of information and maps etc becomes very useful, specially about means of transport and hotels and a price of a bottle of water. A bottle of water can cost you form 20p to 1.20. but people very soon get wise and would not pay any more than necessary.

The Mekong in the morning

Sun set on The Mekong

Exploring the small canals of the Mekong

On the Mekong

Back from a shopping trip on the river boat.

River is like a highway

Floating market boats.

A river Cruise on the Mekong

SAIGON 1-4TH NOV.

Saigon is even more busy than Hanoi and definitely has more motorbikes on the road. When crossing the road the trick is to ignore them and simply walk. It is up to them to avoid you and they will whizz past , in front or at the back of you. After a while one gets used to it. There was a group of Australian couples who would, from eleven o'clock , sit by the intersection of the road , drink beer all day and just watch the fast flowing traffic.

Women in Saigon are very enterprising. Girls as old as ten are on the road selling, either books ,post cards, maps, fruits and various items. They are allowed to come inside the restaurants and bars right up to the table and offer you the goods. Their favourite word is "buy me" when they actually mean buy from me. However they are always smiling and flirting with you and using gentle persuasion . One can also exchange books old for new ones, which is always good, although the bargaining can be tricky.

The local bars in Saigon are about ten feet square. The table and chairs are all laid out on the foot path and they are the one like you find in a nursery school in England. They are meant for locals who are small but are all occupied by big fat Europeans and Americans. One has to buy the beer in a big plastic bottle poured from a big pressurized tank. The beer is quite strong. After a while you can see some people falling off the chairs, a sign that you have had enough to drink. It is very funny when women with big bums laughing loudly one minute and then the next minute they are off the chair on to the footpath. The chairs are very uncomfortable for tall people like me also but when it comes to beer I know my limit, and no I did not fall off the chair.

The Saigon bars are no longer seedy as they use to be 30 years ago but very simple and good fun to sit out and converse with local people who want to improve their English.

A street in Saigon

A customer in the Post office

Inside the Post office

Post office built by the French

Notre dame in Saigon

NA TRANG 30TH/31ST OCT.

Na Trang on the ease cost of Vietnam is fast becoming like any other beach resort except the beach is set in a lovely bay and is very picturesque with rolling hills in the background.

Finally we had a day when no trips were planned and spent the whole day on the beach only being woken up from time to time by fruit sellers selling irresistible tropical fruits and lovely ladies wanting to give you a massage. This I found very tempting and decided to go for a four hand massage. This is two lovely ladies messaging your body at the same time for a full hour. Made me feel very good but only for a little while. I think they want you too keep on coming for this massage everyday.

Visiting the various small island off the cost was nothing exciting but being on the boat with mainly Vietnamese crowd was great fun as they involve you in all the activities like singing and dancing that goes on the boat.

Na Trang is a favourite honeymoon resort for the young Vietnamese so there were many young people on this resort. Some of them thought that we were also on our honeymoon here.