What did you do today?

Me? I went for a boat ride along the Mekong Delta. I was picked up at the hotel at 8 this morning and relieved to find the bus had some other people aboard- hooray, company at last. We drove for two hours then got on a ferry, filled with scooters all racing to get to the front of the queue to get on so that they could take part in the great race to get off first. Twenty minutes later we were on the other side of the river. Tis a big river and my guide told me that it flows all the way from Tibet, through many other countries before arriving in Vietnam.

Once off the ferry we got onto a smaller boat with a little tin roof that did nothing to shade us from the scorching sun. The skies were blue, the waters were brown and it was time to do some touristy stuff. We pootled around on the boat for a while and went down a stream to a place where they make traditional candy. One coconut candy and a glass of banana wine later and we were back on the boat and off to the honey farm.

I am sure that beekeeping usually involves some kind of protective clothing but this woman was just standing there nonchalently holding onto the honeycomb and encouraging us to stick our fingers amongst the bees to eat the fresh honey. Tempting but I got distracted by another form of wildlife. A python. Not from Vietnam but now in the country and being wrapped around people's necks by a small child who looked as though he should barely have the strength to lift it. It was pretty cool.

A glass of jasmin tea with honey in it and off we went again. This time we stopped for lunch, included in the six dollars that we paid for the tour. We were on a little island, Turtle Island, and noshing into some delicious barbecue pork and rice when the heavens opened and the deluge started.

The rain went on and on and just as it appeared that it was over the storm found fresh reserves of water and continued, accompanied by loud thunderclaps and blinding flashes of lightning. It was also cool, literally, as it brought the temperature down.

The cool factor wore off a little when we realised that it wasn't going to stop so we were going to have to go out in it and just walking to the boat was enough to soak us through to the skin.

Figuring that the little tin roof on the boat might help us we were all eager to get onboard. We didn't notice in the sunlight that the roof was riddled with holes so there was no escape.

Undaunted we went onto the next stop and listened to some traditional Vietnamese music. For some reason the recital ended with a strange interpretation of Auld Lang's Syne.

Next it was our turn to be locals as we donned conical hats and paddled off down the river in rowing boats to a platform where our motor boat was waiting. By now there was not a single part of me left dry. Ah well. We stopped on the way back to look at some bonsai trees (don't ask me why, I didn't make the tour) and some of the saddest monkeys you ever did see- in cages smaller than those we would happily keep a hamster in back home.

Back into the chaos that is the traffic here in Saigon

Then home again to dry off and get changed. And here I am. Can't seem to get into hotmail from this computer so I will ask the English teachers amongst you here, when is your summer vacation this year?

That is all for today. I had planned lots of things that I was going to write but I am hungry and my stomach won't let me tally any longer.