ISLAND HOPPING Vinh Long to Tan An 81km Tan An to Saigon 52km The last two days Ive been on six ferrys and crossed numerous bridges, one high enough to give me vertigo. And every time I crossed water, it was the same river. The Mekong. I remember learning about River Deltas in Nobby Andersons Geography class in 1969, at PNBHS. He used the Mekong Delta as an example, and I thought it would be cool to see it for real........ Tick. This whole area is a maze of canals and river, making thousands of islands. And some of the islands, in the river, are huge, as big as Stewart Island. An amazing area. On one if the ferry crossings I was mobbed by others on the ferry. It only takes one person to break the ice, and theyre all there. This guy just couldnt resist stroking my blond, hairy arms. They are fascinated by arm hair. Lots of scooter riders here wear ex military helmets. So here Iam, in the middle of the Mekong River, surrounded by smiling Vietnamese all wearing Kevlar helmets. Pretty weird. I cycled past a group of French tourists, standing out to the sun, near a disused shed, near a very rickety bridge. Apparently their tour driver had abandoned them there, because he didnt want to drive across the bridge. For some reason they all got out of the bus, maybe to look at bridge, and he drove away....... he he he. Good guiding skills. Also rode past lots of Sunday activities. Cafes seem to be the place to play some sort of very competitive, noisy draughts/checkers. Also quite a number of cock fights happening. Also very noisy and competitive. Young boys out on their bikes or playing noisy and competitive marbles. And the girls.....playing that jumping game, with a long piece of elastic, just like used to happen in NZ schools. And then I arrived in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City, and the traffic. Yeah . I love this stuff. Especially detours down narrow lanes. Cant wait to take Ju out to share the fun. Oh and did I mention western food. Pizza, spaghetti, ice cream, cornflakes, streets of real food, just outside my hotel. Im a happy boy.....and tomorrow......
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 02:59:09 +0000
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