Ben Tre

We left Vinh Long at 11.30am on a crowded 17 seater mini bus. The problem with these is that everyone has heaps of luggage and there is very little space. My bag managed to squeexe in under my seat and Brian rested his in the doorway, holding it up right the whole trip.

Our plan is to slowly move towards Saigon. This time we want to get right of the beaten track and have consulted our Lonely Planet carefully, taking instructions literally. We had chosen the guesthouse we wanted to check out.

Once again the bus was heading to HCMC and we were dropped off at the turnoff to My Tho. From here we were to catch a ferry across the river to Ben Tre.

Luck had it that someone could speak a little English - enough for us to organise a motor bike to take us to the ferry. Kathy managed this trip of about 4km without gripping onto the driver!

Luck again when we met the brother of the guesthouse owner on the ferry. He and a mate drove us to the place. Its a quiet place in a pleasant garden setting. This little hamlet is here as a ferry stop. Most people go onto Ben Tre which is about 17km away. We might catch a bus there tomorrow but will just rest a little. One week to go before we return.

Brian's still getting over a cold so he's resting while Kathy went for a walk. Guess what she found?