Advertisement
Published: January 24th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Saigon Harbour
A hive of activity... And so here we are - leaving Vietnam after 43 days of exploring an amazing country. Having conquered the North and most of in between, the only thing remaining on the 'to do' list was the Mekong Delta.
Departing at 8am, we had a short bus ride to the pier, where we then boarded a ferry type boat to travel along the Mekong out of Saigon to My Tho, a large village/town in the Mekong Delta region. Avoiding buses once again, we decided that the boat was a great option, allowing us to see Saigon from a different perspective, and allowed us to sit around a table to play cards when bored with the scenery! First we travelled through the industrial part of the Mekong, and then gradually the banks became more and more occupied with funny little houses on stilts, jutting out into the water (which was brown, poluted and full of rubbish!). As we ventured further along the river and out of the city, the banks became less inhabited and covered in tropical plantations - ferns, banana trees etc. After lunch and cards on the boat, and a stint on the deck in the sun, we arrived about
5 hours after departing at My Tho. Here we boat hopped and proceeded on a smaller tour boat to one of four islands in the My Tho region - the 'unicorn' island.
On the island we tasted several tropical fruits, local honey, and sampled the most awesome coconut candy ever! Ali was game enough to have a fat python wrapped around her neck (apparently a common pet!), whilst the rest of us were most happy behind the camera! Somehow Ali and I managed to get ourselves thouroughly lost on a one way street whilst on a short bike ride - we were supposed to have a quick 15min ride around the small town and return to the meeting point, but as our tour quide commented to Ange and Cath as they helplessly tried to make an excuse for us - 'god only knows' where we'd got to!!
A short canoe on a canal took us back to our boat, and then we boarded a bus for the final leg to Can Tho - our final stop for the day and accomodation for the night. Given the local dining speciality was snake (once again they eat their pets!), we
Living on the Mekong
A typical house built on the banks of the Mekong - when the floor gets a little unstable you just add another bamboo stilt - as simple as that! were taken to a restaurant that served it in many different forms - however we all chickened out and opted for the standard vietnamese dishes!
Day 2 of the tour took us to the Can Tho floating markets - a bustling and interesting set up on the river in the centre of Can Tho. Each boat had a large stick on top of it with the produce they were selling attached - and the locals go from boat to boat purchasing their daily supplies. From here we boat hopped to various locations along the river where we saw a large family rice noodle factory, a rice mill, and yet another local (on land) market.
The most disappointing part of the tour came about when we were having our final lunch before heading back to Saigon on the bus. After 6 weeks of Vietnamese food, we fancied ourselves to be pretty damn good pancake connoisseurs (we would have sampled at least one from every place we'd been to!), and so, deciding we'd have to have some from the Mekong Delta, we ordered 'sugar pancakes with lemon'. The pancake arrived with lemon on the side, and we assumed we would
On the canals
...the locals kept pointing at me...apparently i look a little asian in this hat!? just get sugar from the sugar bowl on the table. Ali, in charge of the decorating, proceeded to squeeze lemon all over the pancake, followed by a healthy dose of sugar on top. But when ali took the first bite of the pancake, and grinned sheepishly trying not to spit it out, we knew something was wrong....the bloody sugar bowl was full of salt, and our pancake had been destroyed! From that point on, it was routine procedure to check the sugar bowl before using its contents!
Back in Saigon we made the most of our last couple of days before leaving - we fly out tomorrow morning to Thailand for a holiday from a holiday!! Dinner at the markets, shopping at the markets, and spending all our 'dong' has been the aim of the day! We are splurging and paying $20 for our final nights accomodation - with airconditioning, sprung mattresses, and an awesome bathroom!
And so that's all from Vietnam - an awesome country that comes highly recommended for any of you thinking of travelling in this part of the world. I want to leave you with these few 'learning experiences' that Ali cleverly summed up
(sorry Ali - I take no credit whatsoever, except maybe as being a participant in some of the experiences!) - enjoy!
1. Appreciate Australia's magnificent healthcare system, and definately, definately invest in travel insurance (unless you can afford a $700 medical bill!)
2. Don't get a foot massage if you have ticklish feet (Ali experienced 60 minutes of pain whilst we were all in heaven!)
3. Don't attempt to crawl through 80cm high tunnels boxed in by other
tourists if you are claustrophobic.
4. Travelling by train is way better than by bus.
5. Don't stand up quickly from a vinyl chair in tropical heat.
(rapid 'unsticking' to the chair will rip at your skin eventually
causing a mottled bruise that looks like an elephant has given you a
hickey on your upper thigh)
6. Don't count on 'Australian Made' products coming from Australia.
(at one rice factory we saw the finished product being carted out in
bags marked 'product of Australia'!)
7. Remember to apply sunscreen when you begin a 90km bike ride in
direct tropical sun (or you will be blessed with an instant cyclist tan)
8. Don't try and
relax at a cafe beside the National Sport Shooting Range.
(where dumb tourists will suddently pop off their AK-(big number goes
here) rifles, causing you to fly through the roof)
9. War is painfully devastating for all involved.
10. You must remove your top and bra and lie nakey (face up) on a bed
to get a facial in Vietnam (Ali learnt that one the hard way!)
Bye for now!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.134s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0663s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
PAUL
non-member comment
SEE IT I SOON
BE THERE IN JULY 2007 THANKS FOR YOUR PICS AND COMMENTS