The one where I cross the border

Finally my visa was sorted for Vietnam and I could hop on a bus and be on my way. Having only $3.42 left, I was determined to make it over the border without having to take out more Khmer currency and I don't think you'll be surprised to hear that I managed it. My next seat neighbour on the bus was a young Vietnamese guy who didn't take long before using Google translate to invite himself to travel with me...I replied with some lame excuse as to why he couldn't, rather than the truth which was because he was weird.

And no, buying me a tiny can of iced coffee from the service station was not going to change my mind...! I have put my life into the hands of many bus drivers whilst travelling and what does not reassure me is seeing one check that a huge bus tyre is still fully pumped up by giving it a squeeze with his hand...! After a long day of awkward conversations and fake sleeping, I finally arrived in Ho Chi Minh City ready for a big bowl of Pho. I've found that when going out to eat, you should not at any point make an effort to watch the preparation. Trust me, the last thing you want to see is what goes on in those Asian kitchens before you eat the finished product....Who'd have thought that Cody Varnish would be adding chilli sauce and dried chillies to her meals every night! My first day in Saigon was spent strolling around the city haggling in the markets, admiring the buildings, avoiding Chinese tourists and waiting, and waiting, and waiting to cross roads. Tip: when exploring HCMC with a time limit, factor in at least an extra 2 hours for crossing roads. I was more than happy to return to the guesthouse to see 2 familiar faces and the fact that they knew the location of a huge food hall with everything you could ever want in it was just a bonus I guess..