Tales of Transport

I am currently on an island off the coast of Vietnam and couldn't be more content. I left Muine beach 4 days ago, intent on spending some time in the Mekong Delta, really experiencing the life on the river so many people here depend upon. Unfortunately, my plans didn't work out quite like I thought they would.

I left Muine for Saigon on an early morning bus. Arriving at around 1:30 pm, I immediately went to a travel agency to book a bus ticket to one of the many villages along the Mekong. I randomly picked out a town on the map and told the lady I wanted to go there. I should have realized something was amiss when she gave me a strange look, booked it, and then gave me the phone number for her cousin that lived there in case I needed anything. After jumping in a mini-van, I was whisked away to a makeshift bus station in Saigon and put on another mini-van. The vans are supposed to sit 12 people, but somehow we managed to fit 15 people in it. I was stuck in the very back with my legs shoved against my chest and after popping some Dramamine, settled in for the ride. It only took me a second to realize that I was the only Westerner in the van. The driver didn't speak any English, in fact, only one person spoke a few words. I didn't know if I was on the right bus, I didn't know where I would end up, and I was stared out for hours. Surprisingly enough, this didn't bother me one bit. One lady kept staring at my skin and then my hair back and forth for hours. Finally I figured out that it was because my skin is the same color as theirs, but my hair is curly and blond from the sun. I also had a good 6 inches on everyone aboard. I pointed to my skin and then her skin and said "Same, Same." She nodded and laughed, apparently understanding a little.

After several hours, we stopped at a makeshift outdoor cafeteria where all the mini-vans and buses stop for food. There were literally hundreds of people there and I was again, the only white person. I posed for numerous pictures and bought enough treats for the entire group in our van and then we got on our way. With the sounds of Passion Pit playing on my Zune, we finally stopped in what I assume to be the town I had pointed out on the map. It was a dirt lot in the middle of a dirty city, motorbikes streaming by and again, not a single white person to be found. The driver threw my bag out and took off before I had a chance to ask him where I was (not that he would have understood). I strapped my life on my back, and stood there, not knowing where I was or where I should go. I was then approached by a friendly guy with a motorbike that, in barely understandable English, said he could take me to the center of town. I walked through poring rain to a hotel and booked a room for the night and then went in search of food. I was the only white person in town I assume, as people stopped and stared everywhere I went and little children said "Hello!" and pointed at me laughing. Again, I didn't mind it one bit. It was actually quite cute. I didn't actually find any food that night, the only thing available was sidewalk vendor food and of course, all writen in Vietnamese. My hotel room had a bag of chips in the room, so I ate those along with an iced tea.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early and checked out of my hotel room. The same guy that had taken me to the hotel was waiting outside for me and I had him take me to camera store so I could buy my 3rd camera of this voyage. After that, he dropped me back at the same dirt lot so I could get on yet another bus that would take me to the coast and further out, to the island I am on right now. Wash, rinse, repeat the exact same sequence of events as the day before. My destination was Rach Gia, Vietnam a port city with regular ferries to the island. Again, no one spoke English and I'm pretty sure I got massively ripped off with my "ticket" for the mini-van, which didn't actually include a ticket, just me handing some guy over a hundred thousand Dong and hoping that I wouldn't be dropped in the middle of nowhere.

I finally made it to Rach Gia, and checking into yet another hotel. However, this one was extra special because it actually had a bathtub in my room instead of the usual shower over the toilet I have been using for months. I bought my ticket for the ferry the next morning and soaked for hours, feeling like a princess. The next morning, I walked to the ferry and saw the first white people I had seen in days. I was so excited I could barely contain myself. To have a real conversation with someone had become a luxury it would seem. I quickly made friends with a couple of Londoners and settled in for what I hoped would be a smooth ferry ride. Luckily I took some more Dramamine because the ride was anything but smooth. We were rolling back and forth with the sea for hours and the trip took an hour longer than usual because of the rough seas. I get motion sickness quite easily, but luckily I have plenty of drugs to counteract it.

We finally arrived at Pho Quo island and I checked into an unbelievable villa right on the ocean. The waves crash right outside my door and there are several beach front bars to eat at. All that for the price of 200,000 dong or $10.27 a night. I plan to spend at least a week here, maybe longer and really explore. I would like to go to the local school to do some English tutoring, so I'm going to try and arrange that later today.

The coast of Cambodia can be seen from the island and I will be going there next. In the meantime, I am going to live it up Vietnamese island style perfectly content in a little slice of heaven.




Peace, love, and joy!

Lara