Day 5: My Tho, My Tho, My Tho

Sunday night is the night that I got the least amount of sleep. I think I only got 3 hours per day for 3 days and only 1 on Sunday night. After finding the tour at the hotel to be exorbitant (350,000 VNDs, 200,000 VNDs after bargaining), I found that all these companies charge foreigners something like 5 times the rate as locals. At 7 AM, I was not going to find any foreigners to go with me. The boat fits 12 so it is fairly inefficient just take one person out. I found a lady on the street who was willing to do the job for 180,000 VNDs. I did not make sure her responsibilities were clear, which became beneficial later.

Dragon Island 青青水村 蔭蔭柳煙
We have here Ben Tre, the coconut district, famous for their coconut candy.
I finished the Dragon Island, the Coconut Island and Ben Tre, which is normally a one-day tour, just in one hour. I had a bus to Phnom Penh to catch in the afternoon. Follow our return to My Tho's shore, I made the woman guide take me back to the bus station, which could cost 30,000 VNDs. I got to the bus station and bought a ticket back to Saigon (24,000 VNDs). At this time, I still have not paid the woman guide, to whom I still owed 180,000 VNDs. I gave her 100,000 VNDs and 15,000 Cambodian Riels, which is equivalent to 160,000 to 170,000 VNDs. I got on the bus before she had anything to think. She got on the bus and almost wanted to drag me off the bus. Not knowing the exchange rate, she probably believed she was being tricked. A scene was made. Another woman in the front row offered to exhange 100,000 VNDs for 15,000 Riel (worth 60 to 70,000 VNDs). The guide finally relinquished and got off the bus.

I then talked to a Vietnamese student studying in Saigon. Before long, I realized that people were smiling and talking about me. Amongst those, there was a girl that completely took my attention. She is the most beautiful girl with the sweetest smile. She knew I liked her.

正是
紅暈燃干江畔水 青衫哪及綠媛蓉
靨比紅姑俏三分 笑較圓圓多顏色

She took this picture. You can also see another girl between us in the aisle.
About thirty minutes before Saigon, the passenger behind me got off and I was able to sit next to this girl. I found that she did not speak a word of English. I was going to see if she could read, since spoken English comes after reading comprehension. She gave me her hand and asked for the word for phone to the man behind her and whispered it. The hand thing did not work so well so I wrote all my information on a piece of napkin.

I am on a writer's high.

野花向我笑
你不記得這首歌
過時帶你輕輕哼
算錯音塵分

纖纖手 眼波轉轉
嗲嗲嬌 語笑癡癡

日光讓了刀月
哪怕草動風吹
街角萬千春色
及不了你半分
無結果的如果
消磨我又如何

此時陶冶幾許
猶在美托淺處
快滿酒醉不醒
盈盈約人生意

She walked out the bus as she reached her stop right as I finished. There was no time for me to take any information from her. I simply took too long and that was a mistake. I was explaining this to the girl that switched seats with me, whose name is Ha, and the girl that spoke a little English, whose name is Diep, what had happened. I ended up having to writing a note down, hoping that one of them would give it to the girl. They talked for a while and Ha began to write a note as well. Later

Diep showed me to the bus to Phnom Penh. I had a Vietnamese sandwich, fruits, and a cake for lunch before getting on a bus back to Cambodia ($10).

The ride back was rather smooth. The bus left at 2 and arrived at 7:30 PM.