Vietnam: 10 Days, Infrequent Updates

To get to Cambodia from Vietnam you have a few options. The easiest, of course, is flying, and this was our first thought, but the tickets between HCMC and Siem Riep (the base for visiting the Angkor temples, the next stop on our trip) were more expensive than we had anticipated. Another possibility is overland travel, which can be a little messy and a lot tedious. So when we learned that there is a new bundle that includes an inexpensive guided passage along the Mekong River and then over the border by boat, we decided to book and sight-see our way to Phnom Penh, from there to take a bus ride to the temples.

Of course, we’re not tour people by nature, but we figured at least we would get where we wanted to go, and if we caught some sights along the way that would be a bonus. As it turns out, multi-day tours in Vietnam exist for the sole purpose of detouring you to places where you can buy things. These detours are dressed up as opportunities for the westerner to “explore the local culture” or some such, but really it’s all about moving wallets from place to place. Cynical? Yeah. Southeast Asia will do that to a traveler protective of his limited cash.

On the way, we learned about how to buy coconut candy, how to buy rice paper, how to buy popped rice, how to buy snake wine (warning: may include bird), how to buy rambutan, and how to buy other knick-knacks from the surprisingly pushy children of various ethnic minority groups. The scenery down the river was quite pleasant at times, though; not a bad way to get from one place to another, even if we had to stop to admire the merchandise from time to time. One of the final touches was a row in a small boat down a small section of the Mekong. Some people would use this opportunity to admire their unique surroundings, clearing their minds and taking in the scenery. Or, perhaps they would wonder about how one world could embrace such diverse and beautiful ecosystems, and adapt life and cultures to suit them. Still others would naturally use the blessed time to construct a series of self-portraits in conical hat. Which is the best use of time? Who could say, really?

By the way, Claire looks adorable is a conical hat, even if it does make her look bald.

The rest of the river passage is mostly described in Claire’s Mishaps post, so I won’t repeat it. In short, though, infrastructure was lacking, hotels were floating, rain was falling, wetness was achieved, but ultimately passage was granted. ‘Till next time, when we fast-forward again, this time to New Zealand, here we have a whopper of a post already waiting for you. I know, you can't wait!