Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
A few pics representative of the views. It’s end of rainy season so a lot of the farm land is flooded. Lots of water buffalos in their wallowing holes. Very cute.
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And all this just after train lunch. Very scrummy, even if presentation won’t win them the Masterchef final. Not bad for 35kD/£1.17.
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The train is an hour late now so will be getting to Nha Trang at 9pm rather than 8pm. We might be doing dinner on the train, though hopefully not breakie.
4th Nov 2019 5:19 am
stew 46
Member Since: 01 Dec 2011
Location: cornwall
Posts: 10146
Looks very much like soggy cornwall
I’ll be on my 4 hour flight today to the sunshine -------------------------------------------------
if you cant hold on dont let go , it ill come in handy for something even if you never use it.
D3 SE 05,
110 s wagon 300 tdi SOLD
h top transit
crew cab transit
transit connect
ausa dumper, muck truck .
peljob 2.5 digger
06 L 200 crew cab
4th Nov 2019 6:27 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
Enjoy.
And don’t forget the pics.
4th Nov 2019 7:09 am
stew 46
Member Since: 01 Dec 2011
Location: cornwall
Posts: 10146
🍺👍-------------------------------------------------
if you cant hold on dont let go , it ill come in handy for something even if you never use it.
D3 SE 05,
110 s wagon 300 tdi SOLD
h top transit
crew cab transit
transit connect
ausa dumper, muck truck .
peljob 2.5 digger
06 L 200 crew cab
4th Nov 2019 7:17 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
View at the mo, and pos for a while yet.
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We’ve either hit something (hopefully as opposed to someone) or there’s a problem with the train and/or track. Lots of train staff running around, one with a fist full of disposable gloves. They were looking under our carriage, but there are non railway peeps outside, who don’t look too concerned. I think they were just annoyed a honking great train is blocking their path.
Needless to say there’s lots of theories flying around c/o other passengers but my Vietnamese linguistic skills aren’t up to any of it.
It’s all SWMBO’s fault as she clocked our speed at over 80kph and thought we were getting there.
4th Nov 2019 9:39 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
And Merry Chrimbo from Nha Trang folks. This is very surreal as it 26c & humid outside.
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We better get used to it as we’ll be in Singapore for Christmas Day.
4th Nov 2019 1:18 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
Our last Vietnamese departure station, with obligatory line of eager taxis. Next station will be Ga Sai Gon in HCMC, or the Big Revolutionary Smoke.
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The station is just a few hundred m from our hotel, so pretty handy. Quite nice & comfy for a cheap Vietnamese hotel, and the wall to wall Chinese tour group certainly made breakie interesting, esp sharing a table for part of the meal.
PS Last VNR train for the trip, unless things go wrong.
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And it’s cozy, to put it mildly!
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5th Nov 2019 2:12 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
Well, that’s the Reunification Express ticked off, been there & rattled the whole length. We did it in 5 chunks, would hate to do it in one. Will see how they compare with Royal Cambodian Railways, that’s going to be interesting.
Good to see we were causing traffic chaos as usual. What I love is to one side of the tracks there is kerb to kerb scooters, on the other side there is kerb to kerb scooters. Unfortunately we never get to see what happens when the barriers are moved aside.
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It was prob the most interesting section of the train journey through VN. The topography was much more varied than further north which was mostly flat with rice paddies and hills in the background. Today was spot the crop. Rice, rubber, trees for charcoal, pepper, cassava, dragon fruit, sugar cane and a new crop, solar panels. For a country that grows on virtually every available sq metre it does seem a bit off to see solar panel farms.
For anyone that doesn’t know what a dragon fruit is, these are what the “tree” looks like. Rubbish pics as dirty windows, well that’s my excuse. The fruit looks dramatic but tastes a bit mah.
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And we’re back in HCMC, it’s been a while but it hasn’t changed at all. A short walk from the station to the bus stop, crossing a road that was just a conveyor belt of scooters. Luckily a taxi did a U turn right where we needed a road block, let us half way across. It was fab getting on the bus, it was so over air conditioned it was positively fridge like. Fantastic as it was 32c outside & I was getting soaked.
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Once off the bus it was traffic chaos again, and we had to get across it. We have a system for getting across the roads, bear in mind red lights don’t apply to motos.
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Now tucked up in the hotel with a lightning storm right on top of us, no plans to go out & get soaked.
5th Nov 2019 3:28 pm
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Back to the "civilisation" of HCMC
and you're still complaining about the weather............ soooooo British Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
5th Nov 2019 5:46 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
Weather was good, just need a bit of acclimatisation and/or AC.
Should be a nice 31c today.
6th Nov 2019 1:13 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
Morning/afternoon/evening folks, depending on location.
Last day in VN, just a day bumbling around central HCMC, nothing much to do apart from check out where to get the bus to Phnom Penh tomorrow. Oh and, most importantly, buying a pair of shorts for travelling in. The ones I have are consigned to lounging and slobbing.
First job, check out how to get to the Giant Ibis pickup point tomorrow morning. Fine looking bus. We need a bus as those pesky French colonialists didn’t join Saigon & Phnom Penh by train.
And proof of the pud, today’s bus to Cambodia and it left spot on time wise.
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The traffic here is such that routes are planned on the basis of crossing roads, whether there are light controlled crossings (sometimes more dangerous) or whether we can find a quieter crossing. Soooooooooooooooo looking forward to quieter streets of PP. Fingers crossed.
Then off to the local(ish) market for a look around. Lots of clever T-shirts I’d never wear, all pretty pricey so will save my t-shirt purchase for Cambodia. Mind you this might work for SWMBO.
I did briefly think about one of these as a wall hanging for the back of the downstairs loo’s door, as a surprise, but wasn’t sure I’d have gotten them home (CITES & all that, plus declarations going into Aus) or survived SWMBO’s first visit to said loo.
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Off looking for shorts, mission successful via a Japanese department store where we bought our Japan Rail passes back in May. Good to see they are ramping up the Chrimbo message. This time in 32c. The AC in the store was suuuuuuuuperb, very Chrimbo like.
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Here’s an ex appt block in central HCMC that’s been converted into cafes. Lady in the pic was gearing up for a selfie, and was amused that she was in my pic. Well you gotta have a scale, plus standing around in 32c until she’d finished wasn’t on the cards:thumbsup:
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Briefly backed to the Saigon River, well until it started raining. Watched a couple of barges going past then it was bus time back to the hotel and coolness.
In the Circle K beside the hotel, water from Lake Baikal!! We could have brought a load with us and made a fortune!!
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Instead settled for a can of coffee’s nuclear option. Booooootiful stuff.
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Just planning scoffing out & about tonight, going to leave HCMC with a bang. Hopefully not!
6th Nov 2019 9:30 am
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
With the nuclear coffee I'm guessing you are over your man-flu........or is this the cure? Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
6th Nov 2019 11:38 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
Apart from an annoying cough that’s not shifting, man flu is gone. For now, hopefully for the rest of the trip.
Hope you lot are hungry, a few pics to feed y’all.
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And to follow that lot, lots of sweets. The Vietnamese certainly have a sweet tooth.
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Re the T-shirt I was looking at, this is the bad boy. However I doubt I’d ever wear it out & about. A clever Tee but too clever.
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I had a look at a Bia Saigon tee but even a XXXXL was too tight. And too heavy material, it being “winter” here. Will try again for a beer tee in Phnom Penh.
6th Nov 2019 12:11 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
And greetings from Cambodia, well the restaurant/duty free complex in no-man’s land.
Cheers all, it’s 31c & the sun is shining.
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Here’s hoping they let us in!!
PS, oh and on the Khmer food already.
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7th Nov 2019 7:20 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72775
Now in nice hotel in Phnom Penh. Often in these hotels you get a cold towel and welcome drink today was a first, welcome ginger & honey ice cream. Really nice.
Was a bit of a long drive but interesting to see the change from Vietnam to Cambodia. A few pics from the day.
Our last major crossing in HCMC, all went fine, don’t know what the fuss is about.
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Good to see traffic through the windows of the bus. And this is our first international bus for both of us.
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And this is the only accident we saw the consequences of in VN. He’s busy putting it all back together, totally oblivious of the chaos all around him.
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Another fruit in VN/Asia that’s not that common back home, Jack Fruit. Tastes bit like banana with a bit of a rubbery texture. I like it, SWMBO’s not that keen.
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SA-2 & SA-3 batteries on display at an VN Army’s base when heading out of HCMC.
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We had the usual stops for picking up passengers, comfort breaks, customs, immigrations etc. And one for the driver to pick up a little something for we’re assuming is his little daughter. The bear got one of the best views in the bus.
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Into Cambodia, all went no probs with getting stamped out of VN and got a visa on arrival for Cambodia. All straight forward and sorted by the bus chap for US$2 each, plus visa fees. Cambodia mostly uses good old Uncle Sam’s wonga. Bought a very nice $4 bottle of Californian VC which is being quaffed now.
One of a fair few temple complexes. Rubbish pics as bus has a tint film on the window.
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The mighty Mekong passing over the massive bridge at Neak Leuong. If my history and memory of The Killing Fields book is correct, the town that was hit by an accidental B-52 strike when the radar nav had his settings wrong.
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And finally, on the drive in to Phnom Penh, how’s this for packing? And all without the D3 style lower tailgate.
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Not bad for 35kD/£1.17. 
