[Chau Doc to Phnom Penh, Cambodia] For the first time since Western Europe we have a border crossing that is not causing us any stress – because we are part of a tour group – almost too easy.

Vietnam was a short but good experience in all. It was VERY cheap (less than £20/p/day), easy and comfortable, but we did feel that being funneled down through the regular tourist route was less adventurous than what we are accustomed to. Ha Long bay was, due entirely to the weather, a disappointment and Hanoi felt more like China than we wanted but the coastal towns we visited were wonderful. It was also great to get a little exposure to the war history in the form of the tunnel tours and our guides. It makes us want to rent all the war movies, read a few books (well for V) and spend a few days online checking out the history of the places we have visited. The local foods were good and got better the further south we went but the availability of western meals meant we were not very adventurous. If (and that is a big ‘if’) we ever come back to Vietnam we would want to travel the country on motorbikes, stay away from the honky route (except for the occasional steak) and spend more time in the Northern highlands.

After a brief (ie. pathetic) tour of a local fishing village and mosque we boarded our speed boat (max 37km/h – I checked) for the hour ride to the border crossing. The floating border post on the Vietnamese side of ‘no mans water’ was a real novelty while the Cambodian side was less impressive. Border procedures were simple but we did get ripped off – the ‘guide’ charged us $2 each more than the visa price – cheeky since this service should have been included in the tour price. We really cannot recommend the Delta Adventures tour/transit from HCMC to Cambodia. Collecting our luggage from the small speed boat was emblematic of the trip. V and I grabbed our gear from the boat and were ready to go in seconds. The rest stood around on shore waiting for the poor guide to offload bags. I finally had a chance to realize my dream of being a baggage handler and grabbed the opportunity to offload packs, wheelie bags and huge suitcases. Sweaty work and it made my sunburnt back look like bubble wrap. Useless wimpy tourists !

It took another entertaining hour on a bus to get into Phnom Penh. The guide was very cool – his sales pitches for accommodation and currency exchange were hilarious and his demonstration of saying ‘Thank You’ in 50 languages (including Afrikaans) was brilliant. We passed dozens of grandiose shiny temples and pagodas on the way into the city but it is obvious that Cambodia is not (yet) doing as well as Vietnam.

Phnom Penh is another sprawling city with enthusiastic tak-tak drivers and chaotic traffic. Wanting to stick to our ‘don’t take the first thing you see rule’ we checked out a few hotels and found a reasonable one not far from the well know ‘Capitol Hotel’. From our room we relaxed to the sound of the BBC, builder’s hammering, chanting monks with their drums and a monsoon style downpour. Tomorrow we’ll hit the sights.

[Pictures: How to gossip on the Mekong]

– Posted from my iPhone via WiFi