Sihanoukville to Chau Doc, Vietnam
After a four hour drive we crossed the border and traveled into Vietnam. We stopped at a small fishing town located on a tributary of the Mekong called Chau Doc. The town was small yet busy with bicycles and motor scooters. I was very excited to be in Vietnam to enjoy some great Pho among many other things. And yes, I have become addicted to the Vietnamese Coffee.
One of the popular tourist attractions in Chau Doc is to take a scooter trip up to the top of nearby Sam Mountain. I would say that the Vietnamese use the term mountain as liberally as Minnesota's because this was no mountain although it was taller than any other point for miles. Most of the group opted to hitch a ride on the back of the numerous mototaxis around the city but a few had the nerves to drive their own. I was one that had a few nerves. Driving in Vietnam is more crazy than trying to navigate New York. The appears to be no traffic rules however people manage to get around safely. This being a fairly small town I though it would be a good introduction to the Vietnamese world of Motor-scootering. For three hours of riding, the moto cost about $4. I have since heard that that should be the price for a full day. To get used to my first scooter I drove around town for a bit to get used to driving through the intersections which often have no stop signs or signals. Rather, people simply slow down and maneuver around one another. The views at the top of the "mountain" were spectacular. From that point you are able to look out over the Mekong River deltas and the mountains of Cambodia off in the distance.
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