Getting lost on the Mekong Delta River

Yes...my guide got us lost while exploring the smaller canals around the Mekong Delta near Cantho (The floating market in Cantho earlier that day was pretty amazing to check out). We explored for a good 3 hours and then we were going to return back to the main port as the sun set. That was the plan, but as I have learnt on this trip, nothing ever really goes according to plan.
You didn't have to be fluent in Vietnamese to realize she was asking directions to locals along the river as it grew darker and darker. You also didn't need to know the language to realize she was a bit panicked and worried once we realized we were going in the wrong direction (4x). A worried tone of voice and forced smile is pretty universal for "bad situation - but pretend its ok!".
Through all of this, I was pretty relaxed. There were plenty of riverside houses, the stars above were beautiful and curious fireflies came to hang out in the boat for a while. With no light on the boat though, it was hard to see where we were going and dangerous if other boats didn't see us until the last moment.
When it got a bit scary though was when we ran out of gas for the motor and she started to paddle. At that rate, we could possibly have been on the river the entire night! Lucky enough, we found a gas station on the water only 20 minutes of paddling, and we realized where we were as well, so it was only another 30 minutes to shore.
What fun is travelling without a little bit of unexpected adventure! As long as it all works out in the end! :)