Vietnam! Here I am. Ho chi Minh City is not as I expected at all. I thought I’d be in a place like Pnom Penh only multiplied times ten but that isn’t a case at all. It’s modern and clean and commercial. It feels almost western compared to what I’ve seen. It’s busy and everything’ s true about people say about crossing the streets here — you do it at your own peril.

Hordes of motorbikes and the occasional car do not stop if they see you. They dodge you. To cross, you need to do as the locals – walk out on the street without hesitating. Don’t look left or right and don’t hesitate — ever. It’s counter-intuitive for me (and most westerners) but it’s the only way to get across safely. I won’t miss this when I’m home. Tonight I took another ride on a motorbike taxi so I could avoid crossing the streets!

I forgot to mention one of the biggest highlights I had in my last day in Pnom Penh: I went to Wat Lang Ka, a Buddhist pagoda where the monks offer free meditation sessions to anyone interested. I went and received a how-to on Buddhist meditation. After the how-to, the monk invited me to sit inside the temple and meditate for 30 minutes.

It was hard. I don’t think I ever got to the right state of mind but apparently with practise you do get there. The monk gave me some literature too which I intend to read when I’m home.

Today I went to a small town in the Mekong River Delta, called My Tho. The river is huge. It makes the Fraser look piddly. I saw only one arm too. It’s hard to imagine scale until you actually see it with your own eyes. If the Mekong is one of the great rivers of the world, I believe it. My tour took me through endless channels lined with coconut trees and other palm-like trees. The main arms of the river are tremendous, beyond words I think.

Food, food, where do I start? Breakfast: sticky rice with coconut and peanuts. Lunch: pork, mini bananas, and spring rolls. Dinner: prawns with chili paste (of some sort), eggs and spring onions, fried rice, shrimp rice cakes, something wrapped a stringy potato batter and deep fried. It’s all so good. I’ve also had soursop shakes everynight I’ve been here, my new favourite drink.

Tomorrow I go to Nha Trang.