Disclaimer: This isn't a plane trip but It was interesting...Sorry if it's a TL
R and pictures are coming up soon...
During the days of December 20-23, I traveled to Southwestern Vietnam or more commonly known as Mekong River Delta or Mien Tay in Vietnamese which includes the city of Can Tho (A fast growing city) and borders Cambodia, which is all about 250km from Saigon.
Travellers: 9 (Two Kids that don't know Viet and no one knows Khmer)
Day 1 - Woke up at 5 in the morning to go to Long Xuyen (this was a family visit trip) with a few stops. Went past a car-ferry and eventually arrived there to pick up a relative of my Uncle. but I didn't know what would happen next.
Chau Doc - Founds out we were going even further to some place called "Chau Doc" and actually homes one of the very few Mosques in Vietnam.
Hotel what? - We went to book a hotel and came across a one star hotel called "SFO" and I was thinking "Who the hell names their hotel SFO?. I went inside and see walls of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge then it ticked "Ahh the Airport code for San Francisco!" Though we didn't book there because it smelt like cough..but we did book an ok ish hotel across the road. But it wasn't in Central Chau Doc but further up past dusty roads.
Temple of Boom in Beggars - We went to one of the few temples and visited, payed our respects. the usuals but the thing was that the whole town including the shops were telling is to buy stuff like food,cars and whatever.
After that we went to eat and went back and slept..Heck I had no idea what was in store for tomorrow
Day 2 - Ding Dong Foo Fighters alarm, at 3am..What is this? Found out that my uncle booked a day trip to Cambodia!!! What the!? I've already been there but he insisted I haven't been there so I went and the tour guide car was already there, couldn't sleep until we got to the border because my little 4 year old cousin demanded that the piercing LED lights be turned on but heck it was dark and he was scared.
Preparations - After awhile we arrived at some countryside farm field thing and we had to "legally" change cars to a van with Cambodian plates. Huh seems fishy, then after awhile we arrived at a small village.
Crossing The Border - So there was this dingy ferry and dodgy people, they were stacking their whole vans and stuff..We crossed then we arrived to this other side and in the distance was a boom gate...Yup that was the border..Upon going up to inspecting it there was three guards, one motorbike and no weapons..
CIA Agent Attempt - The tour guide who knew Khmer told us "Since you are Viet Kew, you gotta fake your personal details and say you are from Long Xuyen. my uncle was like "We can't do that hohoho, I do not know the streets of Long Xuyen!" And then I was like "My Vietnamese is very accented and look at me! do I look like a guy from Saigon?". He didn't listen and told the border guards that we are from Long Xuyen but my uncle said Saigon and the Border Guard yelled at the tour guide and said "Are you messing around, LX (Long Xuyen) or Saigon?"
Eventually he sniffed out us as Viet Kew and we ended up paying 250,000 dong to get through. Yay for now.. that was a lengthy process and the tax reminds me of CRK or BKK
Cambodian Side of the DMZ - Now we were in Cambodian and the border, which was a wooden boom ate, a guy drinking beer and a wooden hut...
Cambot or Kampot? - We arrived in Some town called Kampot which was apparently near Snooky or Sihanoukville..We ate at some place and headed to the only place of interest was the market which had a drainway in the middle and I tripped and my legs smelt like poo..oh dear. After an hour of stuffiness and market goers, we go back on our mystery machine and head off the main event of the day: Bokor National Park.
Bokor - Surprisingly while we were going up the mountains and this song called "On Top Of The World Came Up" hehehe..We got to the summit which housed a massive Buddha statue and in the distance was the Island of Phu Quoc! (That story will come later) and then after that we were about to go to a waterfall but nope! So we headed to the nearest casino conviniently called "Thansur Bokor" and stayed there for awhile.
Casino of Doom - Here they used USD, And didn't allow photos..Some guard was like to me "No Choop Hin, No Choop Hin" which is actually "No Chup Hin" which means No Photography and I was like huh?! Then I realized I was Instagramming things on my iPod. after spending 20USD on Canapes and Evian water, we were heading home at last..
The Aftermath - After hours and sundown, we were back in Chau Doc at night around 1am and needed rest because we went to LX the next day for the main part, which was to visit relatives of my uncle.
LX - Arrived in a really bustling city, they had a 4 star hotel and a Department store. We stayed there for the night in the 4 star hotel.
The Village of Relation - On the last day, we arrived in a village where everyone was related to my uncle and they were having a Memorial and after staying there for a few hours,mwe were about to head back until...My cousin caught a baby chicken! and my uncle forgot his stuff in LX! more delayed..As je caight the chicken, the whole place was just staring at him..Then some old guy was like "Put the chicken in the plastic bag and take him home to Saigon with you, if he dies just threw him across the road" I literally just stood there speechless..
Saigon Dep Qua - Finally back in Saigon, needed so much rest and a good cup of coffee...untill someone told me that The trip we took was illegal, non Vietnamese citizens are meant to go through Ha Tien or the one near Tay Ninh..So therefore we arrived im Cambodia ilegally, and would of got sentenced to jail..If we got caut by Cambodiam Authorities.
Thank you for reading his if you read this...
R and pictures are coming up soon...During the days of December 20-23, I traveled to Southwestern Vietnam or more commonly known as Mekong River Delta or Mien Tay in Vietnamese which includes the city of Can Tho (A fast growing city) and borders Cambodia, which is all about 250km from Saigon.
Travellers: 9 (Two Kids that don't know Viet and no one knows Khmer)
Day 1 - Woke up at 5 in the morning to go to Long Xuyen (this was a family visit trip) with a few stops. Went past a car-ferry and eventually arrived there to pick up a relative of my Uncle. but I didn't know what would happen next.
Chau Doc - Founds out we were going even further to some place called "Chau Doc" and actually homes one of the very few Mosques in Vietnam.
Hotel what? - We went to book a hotel and came across a one star hotel called "SFO" and I was thinking "Who the hell names their hotel SFO?. I went inside and see walls of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge then it ticked "Ahh the Airport code for San Francisco!" Though we didn't book there because it smelt like cough..but we did book an ok ish hotel across the road. But it wasn't in Central Chau Doc but further up past dusty roads.
Temple of Boom in Beggars - We went to one of the few temples and visited, payed our respects. the usuals but the thing was that the whole town including the shops were telling is to buy stuff like food,cars and whatever.
After that we went to eat and went back and slept..Heck I had no idea what was in store for tomorrow
Day 2 - Ding Dong Foo Fighters alarm, at 3am..What is this? Found out that my uncle booked a day trip to Cambodia!!! What the!? I've already been there but he insisted I haven't been there so I went and the tour guide car was already there, couldn't sleep until we got to the border because my little 4 year old cousin demanded that the piercing LED lights be turned on but heck it was dark and he was scared.
Preparations - After awhile we arrived at some countryside farm field thing and we had to "legally" change cars to a van with Cambodian plates. Huh seems fishy, then after awhile we arrived at a small village.
Crossing The Border - So there was this dingy ferry and dodgy people, they were stacking their whole vans and stuff..We crossed then we arrived to this other side and in the distance was a boom gate...Yup that was the border..Upon going up to inspecting it there was three guards, one motorbike and no weapons..
CIA Agent Attempt - The tour guide who knew Khmer told us "Since you are Viet Kew, you gotta fake your personal details and say you are from Long Xuyen. my uncle was like "We can't do that hohoho, I do not know the streets of Long Xuyen!" And then I was like "My Vietnamese is very accented and look at me! do I look like a guy from Saigon?". He didn't listen and told the border guards that we are from Long Xuyen but my uncle said Saigon and the Border Guard yelled at the tour guide and said "Are you messing around, LX (Long Xuyen) or Saigon?"
Eventually he sniffed out us as Viet Kew and we ended up paying 250,000 dong to get through. Yay for now.. that was a lengthy process and the tax reminds me of CRK or BKK
Cambodian Side of the DMZ - Now we were in Cambodian and the border, which was a wooden boom ate, a guy drinking beer and a wooden hut...
Cambot or Kampot? - We arrived in Some town called Kampot which was apparently near Snooky or Sihanoukville..We ate at some place and headed to the only place of interest was the market which had a drainway in the middle and I tripped and my legs smelt like poo..oh dear. After an hour of stuffiness and market goers, we go back on our mystery machine and head off the main event of the day: Bokor National Park.
Bokor - Surprisingly while we were going up the mountains and this song called "On Top Of The World Came Up" hehehe..We got to the summit which housed a massive Buddha statue and in the distance was the Island of Phu Quoc! (That story will come later) and then after that we were about to go to a waterfall but nope! So we headed to the nearest casino conviniently called "Thansur Bokor" and stayed there for awhile.
Casino of Doom - Here they used USD, And didn't allow photos..Some guard was like to me "No Choop Hin, No Choop Hin" which is actually "No Chup Hin" which means No Photography and I was like huh?! Then I realized I was Instagramming things on my iPod. after spending 20USD on Canapes and Evian water, we were heading home at last..
The Aftermath - After hours and sundown, we were back in Chau Doc at night around 1am and needed rest because we went to LX the next day for the main part, which was to visit relatives of my uncle.
LX - Arrived in a really bustling city, they had a 4 star hotel and a Department store. We stayed there for the night in the 4 star hotel.
The Village of Relation - On the last day, we arrived in a village where everyone was related to my uncle and they were having a Memorial and after staying there for a few hours,mwe were about to head back until...My cousin caught a baby chicken! and my uncle forgot his stuff in LX! more delayed..As je caight the chicken, the whole place was just staring at him..Then some old guy was like "Put the chicken in the plastic bag and take him home to Saigon with you, if he dies just threw him across the road" I literally just stood there speechless..
Saigon Dep Qua - Finally back in Saigon, needed so much rest and a good cup of coffee...untill someone told me that The trip we took was illegal, non Vietnamese citizens are meant to go through Ha Tien or the one near Tay Ninh..So therefore we arrived im Cambodia ilegally, and would of got sentenced to jail..If we got caut by Cambodiam Authorities.
Thank you for reading his if you read this...
