THE MEKONG DELTA ( A REAL MISSION THIS TIME!)
OK, so much to update after my positive end to Saigon and the adventure that lay in wait. Before I get to the tragic (and frustrating) demise of the 'Tour De Cambodia''in Phnom Penh and in keeping with the rest of the entries I need to update on my latest SBE (schoolboy error to the unaware).
In typical style so far on this trip an early wake up the next morning for my 2 day trip down the Mekong meant only 1 thing - go massive the night before!
Again in typical smile, I gave the person next to me a cursory attempt at a smile and promptly fell asleep there and then.
It was only about 30mins out of Saigon that I realised something wasn't quite right, I had all my bags, money belt...oh yeah......PASSPORT!!!!
As I found previously with the episode with the orange bike in Laos, frustration seems to oversome me without any slef restraint and I again found myself shouting (well talking quite loud) a profanity amogst a crowded tourist bus rather than a desolate island!
This was made all the wore as I interrupted the tourist guide in mid flow presumably talking about the surrounding area.
After some panicked discussions, we agreed the best thing to do (after arguments between my hotel and the tour company) would be to get my hotel to send my passport by bus ahead of us and I would pick it up at our overnight stop in Vietnam, thankfully a couple of hours before the Cambodian border.
At this point I was now able to semi relax, semi secure on the knowledge that my passport would be waiting for me at my hotel.
The first day trip itself was very nice and sure enough we arrived at out hotel that evening as I described in detail to my hotel on the phone, although no passport to be seen!
After some slighlty more heated discussion (involving them hanging up on me twice) it transpires that my hotel lied when they said they sent it on a bus, instead in their wisdom keeping it hoping I would return and spend more money in the hotel!
An interesting approach to repeat business I thought, lieing and cheating the customers...I mean who wouldn't come back and enjoy their stay??
This now meant that at 7.30pm I needed my passport in my forgetful handsby 7.30am in order to leave for Cambodia the next day with my group.
Feeling hope was gone, we all went out as a group and despite the desolate tyown, had a good night involving lots of beer and karaoke.
At this point I feel I must apologise to Greenday, Bob Marley and George Michael (I know!)... I have ruined yours ongs for those poor people listening forever!
SO after waking up at 6.30 not expecting to see my passport ever again let alone before 7.30 - it turns up....with a whole 20 mins to spare!!
I've never been so glad to look at my dodgy 18 year old picture in my passport!
So that was major SBE #1, SBE#2 was on a smaller scale but basically was that I miscalculated (or forgot - whatever) my visa date in Vietnam, meaning I had stayed 2 days longer than legally allowed!
So just when I thought my border crossing to Cambodia was safe, I then had to hope my boat driver could sufficiently negotiate past a hefty fine, being sold for street food or whatever they do to overstayers!
Thankfully, after this eventful trip (that was supposed to be realxing) I made to Phnom Penh on the same day as planned to meet up with the other riders.....I will update the tragic loss of any hope for the 'Tour De Cambodia'in the next post.
OK, so much to update after my positive end to Saigon and the adventure that lay in wait. Before I get to the tragic (and frustrating) demise of the 'Tour De Cambodia''in Phnom Penh and in keeping with the rest of the entries I need to update on my latest SBE (schoolboy error to the unaware).
In typical style so far on this trip an early wake up the next morning for my 2 day trip down the Mekong meant only 1 thing - go massive the night before!
Again in typical smile, I gave the person next to me a cursory attempt at a smile and promptly fell asleep there and then.
It was only about 30mins out of Saigon that I realised something wasn't quite right, I had all my bags, money belt...oh yeah......PASSPORT!!!!
As I found previously with the episode with the orange bike in Laos, frustration seems to oversome me without any slef restraint and I again found myself shouting (well talking quite loud) a profanity amogst a crowded tourist bus rather than a desolate island!
This was made all the wore as I interrupted the tourist guide in mid flow presumably talking about the surrounding area.
After some panicked discussions, we agreed the best thing to do (after arguments between my hotel and the tour company) would be to get my hotel to send my passport by bus ahead of us and I would pick it up at our overnight stop in Vietnam, thankfully a couple of hours before the Cambodian border.
At this point I was now able to semi relax, semi secure on the knowledge that my passport would be waiting for me at my hotel.
The first day trip itself was very nice and sure enough we arrived at out hotel that evening as I described in detail to my hotel on the phone, although no passport to be seen!
After some slighlty more heated discussion (involving them hanging up on me twice) it transpires that my hotel lied when they said they sent it on a bus, instead in their wisdom keeping it hoping I would return and spend more money in the hotel!
An interesting approach to repeat business I thought, lieing and cheating the customers...I mean who wouldn't come back and enjoy their stay??
This now meant that at 7.30pm I needed my passport in my forgetful handsby 7.30am in order to leave for Cambodia the next day with my group.
Feeling hope was gone, we all went out as a group and despite the desolate tyown, had a good night involving lots of beer and karaoke.
At this point I feel I must apologise to Greenday, Bob Marley and George Michael (I know!)... I have ruined yours ongs for those poor people listening forever!
SO after waking up at 6.30 not expecting to see my passport ever again let alone before 7.30 - it turns up....with a whole 20 mins to spare!!
I've never been so glad to look at my dodgy 18 year old picture in my passport!
So that was major SBE #1, SBE#2 was on a smaller scale but basically was that I miscalculated (or forgot - whatever) my visa date in Vietnam, meaning I had stayed 2 days longer than legally allowed!
So just when I thought my border crossing to Cambodia was safe, I then had to hope my boat driver could sufficiently negotiate past a hefty fine, being sold for street food or whatever they do to overstayers!
Thankfully, after this eventful trip (that was supposed to be realxing) I made to Phnom Penh on the same day as planned to meet up with the other riders.....I will update the tragic loss of any hope for the 'Tour De Cambodia'in the next post.
posted by aboutabwoy at 11:18 AM
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