Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

An early rise and breakfast and Annie, Maria and I boarded our 8am bus to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Seven hours and a straight forward border crossing later and we arrived in the busy 'backpacker' area of Saigon. A population of nine million people with over four million motorbikes and scooters makes for some hectic traffic - all honks of the horn - and can make crossing the road an unnerving experience. You basically have to step into the road and walk straight across whilst the traffic filters itself around you. It really is organised chaos!

We booked ourselves into a triple room at US$10 per night and went out to get something to eat and to book a trip to the Melong Delta for the following day. My early impression of eating in Vietnam was not good, since nearly all of the restaurants have menus that are dominated by 'western-style' food - all pasta, pizzas and burgers. Where are the noodles and rice!?

Following a completely forgettable dinner I had an early night as I was completely shattered after too many early mornings and late nights recently.