Catien National Park Vietnam

Well we made it there and back and it has been quite an experience. I feel that George and I have together and separately experienced more of the culture and countryside in this country than any other on this amazing voyage. We did an orientation tour of Ho Chi Minh city, which I and many South Vietnamese prefer to call Saigon. We certainly got a feel for the size, population, pollution and traffic here. I went to the Mekong Delta and enjoyed that experience very much particularly the markets and travelling on the Mekong river which I have already mentioned. That day George took his students on an FDP to the Vietnam National University and had a delightful time with the students there; he said that watching our students and theirs interact and enjoy each other was wonderful ....and should be arranged more often. On our third day we took off early in the morning for our 4-5 hour bus ride to the Catien National Park.

There was a couple of hours of crowded city and town driving before the landscape started to change. Suddenly we were in a rural area with volcanic hills, huge round boulders and fields of cashew trees, rice paddies, banana plantations, villages and far, far less traffic and general 'buzz'. We felt the pace of life slowing outside and people seemed to be more leisurely, sitting in the shade under bridges and trees, swinging in hammocks (under bridges and trees!), sitting in groups chatting, waving to us on the bus; children coming home from school and more cyclists than motor bike riders. We eventually arrived at a river crossing ...the Dong Mai river. It was hot! We lugged our back packs off the bus and made our way down a hill to 'the ferry'. It took only a few minutes to cross the river at this point and we were just steps away from our destination.

I should mention our wonderful guide Ve (pronounced Vay). A small Vietnamese man, about 30 years of age with a wonderful grin and a sweet personality who has for the last few days taken the greatest care of our group which consisted of 17 students, George and myself. (of the students there were 7 men and 10 women). Ve took charge and led us to the park headquarters where we handed over our passports (always worries me that does!) and were allocated our accomodation. We had been warned that it was very basic but actually we were all pleasantly surprised because the rooms were spacious and wonder of wonders air conditioned and with fans and mosquito nets. Each room for two people had three double beds!

We have all been having terrible trouble with our broadband and publishing posts....I have lost two so am publishing this partial one before I lose the connection. More later.