Border Crossing by Boat

We left Cambodia on Saturday after securing Oded's Vietnam visa. We decided not to go the direct route ( a very long and unexciting bus ride) and opted for the scenic route--a van to a boat to another boat to another van to another boat to a bus. And it may have been our best decision yet...

We followed the Mekong Delta from Cambodia to Chau Doc in Vietnam. The first boat ride was a fast boat down a main waterway--kids and adults alike waved at every chance, yelling hello at the top of their lungs. On either side exists entire neighborhoods and communties built on the water. Houses stand on tall legs, built from bamboo, wood and sometimes stone. Boat is the only means of transportation in these parts and everyone seems adept at steering their little boat in the right direction, whether that be toward a rice paddy or a popular fishing spot.
















The border crossing itself was low key and took only a few moments. We got our passports stamped, ate a quick lunch of pho, and got on another boat that took us through smaller waterways to the town of Chau Doc. We stayed overnight in town only to wake early to head further into Vietnam.

Our morning started with a two hour ride in a row boat rowed soley by one woman (think gondoliers in Venice Vietnam style). The woman was all smiles and probably 50 pounds soaking wet, which made sense after seeing the amount of work it took to row us around. She took us to many small waterbound communities around Chau Doc--only slowing to wave at her children who were hanging off their island of a home, waving back at us. We visited a fish farm and a small Muslim community (Cham) before heading back to shore. It is hard to put into words the creativity born of necessity that make up these water worlds. It is a truly amazing thing to see people really make the most of their surroundings and natural resources.

Once back on land, we boarded a van and headed to another small town that boasted a number of pagodas, temples, and a stunning view that required quite a steep climb. It was a festival at the time that we visited the town and many, many people filled the temples with offerings of fruit, pig, incense and prayer. We headed from this town down three hours of rocky roads, literally being thrown back and forth in the van, to a short boat ride to a full size bus that took us triumphantly to Ho Chi Minh City/ Saigon. And it was in this fashion that I entered my 29th year...
















To see photos of the Mekong Delta, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/abbey.greenberg/MekongDelta##