Since we arrived in Bangkok, almost 2 months ago, we have been in Mekong River country. We have crossed it, floated on it, biked along it, and waded through it (in the flooded areas). So it was quite fitting that our last ride would be dominated again by the Mekong.

The Mekong winds down from Cambodia into Southern Vietnam where it empties into the sea. Somewhere before reaching the sea the river splinters and so it is not one main river that joins to the sea but rather a multitude of tributaries. These tributaries have for years carried silt the length of the river (from the Tibetan plateaus of China!!) and just before merging with the ocean the silt is dropped. As this process is such an aged one the silt has over the years created a delta which because of rich soil and fishing possibilities has become quite populated over time. It was through this flat, densely populated region that we would cycle to the Cambodian border.

The first day was a crazy one. We cycled almost all day out of Ho Chi Minh City without feeling we had left it. The urban jungle just continued and continued along the two sides of National Highway 1. At the end of the day we arrived in Mytho, a town known as the place to day trip out of HCM City and go on a boat cruise of the Mekong. Apparently the police are some of the most corrupt in Vietnam and have a tight reign on the boat trade making it one of the most expensive places to make the trip so we passed and decided to wait for the next town, Cantho.

Cantho was a nice town although it was home to a strange phenomenon. Every night, at dark, the streets of the town would all become flooded. There was no apparent reason for it. It didn't correspond to the weather and we were baffled. Besides that we enjoyed our stay there. We stayed two nights which enabled us to spend one day biking out to a town 18 km out of town famous for its floating market. The market was bustling and it was interesting to see people who obviously spent most of their lives going through their daily routines.

The next day we cycled to Long Xuyen. It was here we had one of the more coincidental experinces of our trip. We checked into our hotel and a while later went to the Internet cafe to do some mail and check out the news. We surfed over to the New York Times site and went to the International page. And there it was. A picture and a feature story on Long Xuyen, the very town we were sitting in. Apparently the catfish industry of Vietnam is embroiled in a fierce trade dispute with the industry in the United States. It was a little weird to be IN the faraway, distant place that the news is always about.

Long Xuyen is famous for catfish, but it was also notable for its unaccustomed treatment of foreigners. Every where we went we got lots of stares and some verbal abuse. All the attention wasn't negative though. The adults seemed to have some grudge but the kids did not. They loved saying "Hello" over and over and one girl even followed us all around town in our search for dinner.

Our last stop in Vietnam was the border town of Chau Doc. The area surrounding Chau Doc is a fascinating one. It is a water world of Mekong tributaries, fish nets, and rice fields. With all the water the border of Cambodia is a pourous one to say the least. So while the area is in Vietnam lots of Cambodians liver there. The whole area has an area of not quite belonging. We got a good feel for this on our day trip with Mr. Minh.

We had heard about Mr. Minh a few days before in Cantho by a couple who recommended him as a most excellent guide. They gave us his address and so when we got into town we started showing it to whomever would give us the time of day. In spite of all our effort (our hotel staff went out twice on their motorbike looking for the place) we couldn't hook up with the elusive Mr. Minh. The next day we were resigned to do a little touring by ourselves when out of the blue, while we were enjoying a delicious cup of Vietnamese coffee, Mr. Minh appeared.

He took us on a great tour. We rented Honda Dream motor bikes and drove around for the day. After our experiences with Minskes in Sapa these bikes really were a dream. They were automatics and kept running without stalling no matter the situation. Sure beats a bike that stalls everytime you have to slow down to squeeze past someone.

We went up the 265 meter mountain that juts out of absolute flatness, saw our first look at the brutality of the Khmer Rouge who slaughtered an entire Vietnamese village, rode down quite roads lined with green, and ended the day on a boat tour through a bird sanctuary just teeming with life. It was a great way to end our stay in Vietnam. A country of contrasts, colorful people and great beauty.