Tuesday 10 November 2015

Civilisation……..I’m not a city lover so Saigon should not really appeal to me yet compared to my last two destinations it seems like returning to civilisation. The central districts of Ho Chi Minh City are cosmopolitan and the Vietnamese who service the tourist trade have some English. It’s chaotic in the streets most of the time but it’s a necessary evil to be here and it would appeal to many people but for me it’s not really in the spirit of travel. It’s my penultimate day in Vietnam and I have a plan that was established last week when I was here.
Can Gio……..Ho Chi Minh City is located in the Mekong Delta. Considering how far it is to the source of the Mekong River it’s not surprising that the delta is vast. Even some of the tributaries are wide in comparison with many rivers in Europe. The Saigon River runs through the city itself and joins the Mekong south of the city. As yet I’ve only seen the Mekong in this area from the bridge yesterday and from the air. Today I’m going to take a closer look. Tours to the delta can be arranged from any tour office in the city but as I haven’t booked anything I’m going to use local transport. A piece of useful advice was offered by a subscriber to Tripadvisor and I thought I’d check it out. Sen Hotel is not much more than five minutes from Ben Thanh Bus Station. The recommendation is to take Bus No. 20 to the ferry pier at Pha Binh Khanh. The ferry crosses the Mekong River. This service to the pier takes half an hour. To view the mighty Mekong at this location is an experience in itself and adds to my numerous other locations I’ve seen it in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The ferry serves Huyen Can Gio which is an area of the delta dominated by salt marsh and mangrove.

So far things are going exactly as described. On the other side of the river there is another bus waiting. Bus number 90 runs through the mangrove to a village on the coast, a distance of some 35 kms but one thing I hadn’t been told was the type of bus I might find myself in. So far the honour of the worst bus I ever sat in is claimed by one in Laos. This one is just amazing. It’s a short wheelbase type that holds about 20 people seated. The conductor sits near the driver on a seat that is propped up by a wooden block. The door closer doesn’t work so she opens the door manually. To keep it shut she holds her foot against it. The bus wins my award with distinction but of more concern to me is the heat. The driver waits till the bus is full and even then it doesn’t move. I cannot see a ladder anywhere so passengers can sit on the roof. With no air inside this is really uncomfortable. The bus pulls away slowly but soon into mangrove lined forest it picks up some speed and there is some relief as I gasp for air near an open window. At this point I can only imagine what I will find. I would like to take a tour of the mangrove at a price which will justify my decision not to book a tour in Saigon. Fortunately a man sitting nearby smartly dressed in uniform, makes conversation in English. We know that Can Gio has a location that tourists visit and it appears that the man will helps us to get there.
Monkey Island……..The bus stops on instruction from man and we get off seemingly in the middle of nowhere but there is a road and sign to Monkey Island through the forest. I’m told it’s not far but in the heat it’s really awkward. When I arrive at the park office I realise that this is not an island at all but a designated area in the forest. I pay the 60,000 vnd which is double what locals pay and head towards a parking area. All that’s here is a couple of restaurants and a small museum. The latter deals with the natural habitat of the mangrove. It also has some relics from the war indicating that there was a guerilla base near hear. It’s time to see the monkeys. These I’m told can be real pests and so it proves. I know that Katoon has tried to get a monkey off her back for a long time!!! There are pathways around the swamp and walkways over a crocodile pit and of course monkeys; lots of them. A short distance inside is a shelter where the speedboat tours start from. The price to hire a boat seems to be 600,000 vnd but as I try to enquire I’m met with total ignorance. I guess that they are used mainly for the tour groups. As Katoon is not interested, a boat for one is not feasible so it’s beginning to look as though there’s no tour for me. We head back and take lunch in the restaurant. As it’s still early I wonder what else there is to do here.

Can Thanh........I head back to the main road but decide to take a bus to the ocean. The 90 bus service terminates at Can Thanh, a small fishing village that overlooks the Vinh Gan Rai estuary but this is not the mouth of the Mekong. As I don’t have transport I’ve missed that opportunity but the viewpoint could have been reached from Monkey Island. It’s another missed chance. At least there is a park area in the village, an obvious place to rest in the afternoon under sea pine trees. I’ve had a beer and a look around and at 2.30pm feel it’s time to head back.

No relief........I don’t wait long for the old bus, the same I came in but I’m not looking forward to the trip of more than an hour in incredibly hot conditions. So it proves. Just to reach the ferry is an ordeal. After crossing the Mekong there is still another grueling bus ride into the city. This proved incredibly slow now in late afternoon as the traffic builds up. It’s just a hot with bodies crammed in the isle. Just after 5pm I arrive back in Ben Thanh, march straight back to Sen Hotel gasping for a drink. Such relief! With recovery underway I head straight out for dinner but first there is one more duty and that’s to book a city tour. Aware that my flight tomorrow is very late, I’ve purposely left this tour till last. Dinner consists of prawns and rice and two beers disappear in no time. At 8pm I’m back in the hotel. I try to make it a early night as tomorrow is a long day. Next Page.