Carry on Up the Mekong!

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3 Pages of photos! Sorry, but hope you enjoy them!!

We had a fantastic weekend on the Mekong Delta. Delta Tours looked after us very well indeed. We had stayed overnight at the Duc Vuong hotel which was really good. We had to be up at a ridiculous hour though as we were picked up for our tour at 0715!

Our first stop was the quay in Saigon where we were quick to grab the outside seats at the back of our boat. Two and a half hours later we had travelled along the River Saigon meeting up eventually with the Mekong. Along the way we had seen wonderful views of the developing city and some extraordinary scenes on the water. There were banana boats, coconut boats, pottery boats, trawlers, sand dredgers and even a wedding!

In My Tho we got off the boat to view a honey farm. Our guide picked up a slab from a hive which was covered with bees. We were assured they do not sting!! After tasting honey tea with fresh pollen and some dried fruit, we walked through the jungle a little before jumping into canoes and being paddled back to the main river. The number of canoes was unbelievable!

Another boat then took us to another island. There we saw how coconut candy is made. It was so delicious that we bought some. We didn't have the waiting python wrapped around us for a photograph though, and we managed to avoid getting bitten by the waiting red ants!

Next up was our lunch stop. We passed off the chance to pay extra for the local delicacy of "elephant ear" fish, so called because it looks like, yes, an elephant's ear! It was a nice rest stop though and then we had a stroll around and got up close and personal with a water buffalo. Shame it was tied up as we can't really class it as wildlife.

Yet another boat took us to yet another island. This time we were treated to fresh tropical fruit and traditional Vietnamese music. The singing was a bit too high pitched and screechy to be emitted just a foot or so from the ear! They must have sung a rain dance because the heavens opened. We got drenched waiting for our boat to moor and take us to My Tho as there was no shelter and we had left our umbrella on the bus with our bags for transfer from Saigon. Big mistake!!

In My Tho we got onto a bus, dripping wet from head to foot, only to find that the journey was going to be the best part of 3 hours! Spirits were a little low but we were with friends and life was good. In Vinh Long we had a comfort stop and an ice cream to cheer us up!!

Eventually we reached the city of Can Tho. That's where we were staying overnight but we were a little surprised to be led down a dark sidestreet to our hotel. The Xuan Mai has no website but we were more than happy there. After freshening up and getting into some clean, dry clothes, we walked out to the riverside and found a wonderful restaurant for dinner. Afterwards our wanderings took us to a square with a big statue of Ho Chi Minh which is affectionately known as "The Tin Man". We were surprised by the amount of children wearing Christmassy clothes. It would appear that Santa has this non-Christian country well and truly on his radar now!!!

The next morning was another early start. This time we were on a boat to see the legendary floating market. It was fabulous. Boats have bamboo sticks hoisted high displaying a sample of their wares so you know which boat to go to if you want to buy fruit and vegetables. Other vendors drift by as though they are in gondolas shouting out what they are selling. Noodle soup, coffee, pineapple - you name it, it was probably for sale! The coffee was very good, strong and cheap and eventually we all settled next to a pineapple boat and feasted on fresh pineapple peeled in front of us and served up like ice cream.

Our penultimate stop was a walk out to a rice paper factory. This cottage industry is massive in the area and we were impressed by just how factory-like the whole procedure was. As well as rice paper they showed us how rice noodles are made. We also got the chance to sample some Vietnamese "donuts" which, while delicious, were not exactly donuts as we know them.

From there we had one more boat ride out to a rice mill. It was interesting but I think the early starts were taking their toll and everyone's attention was starting to drift towards the bus journey back to Saigon. First though, lunch, and we went back to the same restaurant we had visited the previous night. Once again it was wonderful.

4 hours was all it took to get back to Saigon including a comfort stop. It was hectic with a lot of travelling but it was a great weekend trip. We highly recommend it and we look forward to going back independently and exploring the area at a rather more leisurely pace.

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