Day 24: The crazy journey

Early in the morning at nine o'clock, I went back to the restaurant where we had dinner the previous days, because we read that they also have delicious Bahn Mis. When I arrived there, I was told they were already sold out, so I had to continue the search for sandwiches. There were some stands in the area and on the way back to the hotel, but none of them really impressed me. When I finally returned to the accommodation empty-handed, I had to disappoint Giovanna, who was looking forward to breakfast in bed. In the end, we both got ready and started a new attempt together. This time, we turned in the opposite direction and were rewarded. Less than 200m away from our accommodation was a small bakery with all sorts of delicacies. Besides croissants, muffins, and pizza, you could also customize a Bahn Mi. We did that, of course, and it was delicious. We also had an "Iced Coconut Coffee", a milky coffee with coconut ice cream. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel and started packing our things, as we had to check out at 11:00 a.m. When we were done, we sat in the lobby for a long time, looking for accommodation for our next stop, booking flights, and figuring out a way to go south to the Mekong Delta. Finally, with the help of the receptionist at our hotel, we found a bus company. To get provisions for the long journey, we went to the same bakery as in the morning before starting our journey from the hotel at 2:00 p.m. After a short ride with Grab, the Asian Uber, and then a minibus to the actual bus station, our long journey in the "sleeper" began. After more than three hours of driving, we made a stop at a large station that apparently belongs entirely to the bus company, as only "Futa buses" were there and even advertising for the company hung in the hall. After a 20-minute break, the journey continued. We arrived in Can Tho at 8:30 p.m. Then the bizarre part began. The bus company usually offers to take passengers to their respective hotels by minibus. Unfortunately, according to the staff on-site, our accommodation was too far outside, so we had to get a taxi, which frustrated us because we specifically asked when buying the bus tickets in Ho Chi Minh City if our homestay is still within the radius for the shuttle bus. The taxi driver, who did not speak English, also did not know our accommodation and had to call there and ask for directions. Finally, the ride started. In principle, we drove a long way back over the huge bridge before Can Tho until our driver left the road and made a 180° turn. Then he drove on the gravel paths under the bridge towards the river. After we were able to experience every pothole, the taxi got slower and slower. Eventually, we were only driving at walking speed until we finally stopped in the dark under the bridge. Suddenly, three young men on scooters appeared and our taxi driver told us to get out. For a brief moment, we had a strange feeling about the situation until one of the men came smiling towards me, shook my hand, and said, "Hi, we're from the homestay". It turned out that the last stretch to the accommodation is a narrow footpath, which is why we had to be picked up by our host. One of the three put our big backpacks on the scooter and the others took us with them. On the last stretch, we had to realize that we didn't know all the potholes yet and apparently have to encounter each one. When we finally reached our destination, we were greeted with a delicious iced tea and everyone introduced themselves. We quickly put our things in our room and went back to the pool. The owners were sitting there with friends, eating snacks and drinking a few beers. We also got to know two Germans who had just arrived and joined the sociable group. Together, we spent a fun evening with a few beers.