Adventure Day

Today was a travel day, but since the territory covered was a continual stream of new images it felt more like an adventure than simply getting from one point to another.   I left the hotel in PP this morning at 8am and cruised on a long tail boat down the Mekong Delta towards Vietnam.  After several hours we stopped at a village, the reason uncertain, but the possibilities ranged from our boat needed repair, to simply switching boats, to seeing how noodles are made.  We followed a path into the woods and walked through an island village, population 100.  The children greeted us with open hands, asking for dollars while a dozen or so adults in the community were making noodles and rice.   We walked further to a woman selling coconut ice pops in the courtyard of a Wat, and then back to the banks where the children jumped into the river to cool off from the afternoon heat.  A smaller, speedier boat arrived and we climbed in and proceeded two more hours down the Delta to immigration and customs.  Our tour guide took all of our passports while we waited in an area where snacks were sold.  Ten minutes later he returned with freshly stamped books, without the officials ever seeing us or our bags.  I had officially arrived in Vietnam.  Forty minutes later we were in Chau Doc where I needed to make a connection at the bus station.  After some confusion, my bag was separated from the group and I followed it up a gangplank to the street where it was placed on the back of rickshaw.   I climbed on, feeling awful for the driver who had to pedal me and my luggage in the late afternoon heat.  Unlike in Cambodia, no English was spoken and the vibe was very different.  The Vietnamese stared at me, and were much more reluctant to wave or smile.  At the bus station I was deposited at a van with the placard in the window that said Can Tho.  I received a complimentary bottle of water with my ticket for which I was grateful.  Concerned about the limited availability of bathrooms I had refrained from eating or drinking too much, but after 8 hours and only two bananas and a piece of bread I was starting to feel weary.  Staring at my transportation, an old model gray minivan with dingy curtains and cracked vinyl seats, I felt a little queasy thinking about the next three hours.  Two little boys sat next to me, stealing furtive glances and giggling, and then a woman in front of me turned around and started to speak English.  Her name was Chi and she was an auspicious start to this new leg of my adventure.   She loved the English language, studied it years ago at University, but lamented she didn't get to practice it much.  We shared basic information -- she teaches history to secondary students, her husband is a doctor and they have two small daughters.  She lived two hours from my destination which was unfortunate because she wanted me to join her family for tea.  She was modest, friendly and inquisitive.  She had a hard time comprehending why I was still single and didn't have children.  I baffled her with my response, I was still looking, I hadn't met my husband yet.  We exchanged email addresses and bid a sincere goodbye.  She said she hoped to see me again.  It was dark by the time I arrived in Can Tho.  Exiting the van I was assaulted by several men yelling at me in Vietnamese.  In the commotion one guy grabbed my suitcase from the van and wedged it between him and his motorcycle.  He laughingly handed me a helmet and repeated, "hotel, hotel?".  Not a tuk tuk in site, I hoped on the back of the bike and giggled at the absurdity.  Checking into the hotel I was assaulted yet again, this time by women selling tickets to the floating market.  I struck a deal with one of them, and before I even checked in I had paid 40 US dollars for a 530am ride on the Mekong Delta.  The woman disappeared as quickly as she had appeared and I opted for trusting that the transaction was legit rather than letting my mind run wild.  Sitting in the lobby waiting to check in I was reminded of the concerns I had about the hotel when I booked it, the comments on Tripadvisor were average at best, but vacancies were hard to find and I wanted to have a destination upon arrival.  Unfortunately, it was worse than my fears.  My room was dirty, musty and worn.  Ants invaded my toothpaste the second I set it down.  The carpet and sheets were stained, and, icing on the cake, a near-by karaoke bar could be clearly heard through the thin walls.   I was too hungry and tired to deal with finding a new room that evening. I could endure, especially after I booked a room for the following nigh at a five star resort, and swallowed half an Ambien.