Mr. & Mrs. Vandebilt + kids

We decided that the easiest way for us to get from HCMC to Phnom Penh and also get a taste of the Mekong Delta in between was to take a tour. I’m not sure what I thought the Mekong Delta was going to be like but it definitely was not what I had in mind. I suppose I had been picturing serene waterways through the trees and sailing next to huge rice fields but I was mistaken. Instead the Delta is made up of communities and villages
living right on the water or at the very least on the river banks. We got to see the locals going about their daily lives washing clothes in the river, the kids scrubbing down and the fishermen on their boats. It’s an interesting style of life to live on the water. It’s not something I think I’d like but I can see that if you grew up there you could never imagine any other way of life.

The tour took the better part of two days and with not much going on we entertained ourselves the way we usually do – people watching. We’re traveling a fairly popular overland route and we have the opportunity to spot people again and again as we move along. We often make up stories for the people we encounter. This tour was no exception. Unfortunately, the people made up the best part of the tour. Our tour group was made up of four teenagers from different European countries, two Israelis and a lone Brit. The Israelis breaking up and the girl latching on to the Brit (who we saw together later in Phnom Penh) and the fact that the Israeli male was one of the dumbest people I’ve ever met really was quite entertaining. After finding out that Jacob was a fisherman, his only question was how much you get for catching a shark.

The tour was long and at times rather confusing. We had to transfer boats and buses quite a few times and usually with no idea where we were going or for how long. I can definitely say that I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have your heart set on seeing the Mekong Delta (which I didn’t find that spectacular). After day two we finally arrived in Cambodia exhausted. We checked into our hotel and spent the rest of the day watching movies on satellite tv.