Advertisement
Published: February 15th 2008
Edit Blog Post
Cai Be floating market
It was their day off for Tet, not even a mango to buy. The Mekong Delta, is it? Lovely! Sounds like a type of Toyota car but it is not. For all of you non-geographical bodies out there it is a group of islands in the estuary of the mighty mekong river containing 9 vast tributaries (nine giants - vietnamese name) or it is the place where the largest mozzie's in the world live, just waiting for some pale flesh. Dengue fever is definitely here!
We left Saigon planning on making the trip from the city down to the delta for a night and then over the border and into Cambodia. As we were now verging on being professional travellers we thought that we would opt for an organised tour with A/C buses and short people to translate. A bit of a cop out I hear you cry but as it was far cheaper to get onto one of the tours than do it ourselves, frugle Smth took over and the decision was made...just 26$ for the whole thing, it was bound to be good!
We boarded the bus from Saigon and started heading to our first port of call which was Cai Be, a floating market on the delta that pretty
much sold everything, even the elusive 1977 Kevin Keegan annual with him in the tight Newcastle away strip. We were joined on the bus by a mixture of other so called hippyites and with the A/C on full and the IPOD securely programmed our three hour trip rocked away nicely. Well that was until our Vietnamese tour guide stepped upto the microphone to introduce us to a traditional song from the region. Neither Emma or I have been blessed with a good singing voice, a surprise to you all I know. I have volume while Emma produces noises like a Lobster being cooked - being beutiful at the same time however. So we encouraged the young guide with equal depth of scowl and waited for the joy to begin, we were pleasantly surprised, the light loaferd young chap belted out a couple of soothing bars of traditional chime that did not damage the cocklea too much.
At Cai Be, the mouth of the delta we jumped on a traditional Dragon boat and headed for the floating village. Not to our surprise the Tet situation of nothing being open had struck the floating market and the sellers/buyers for the day
were still out with the joss sticks, but we got the idea. Bessey market on a river, 'in it''. At this point we changed guides, this was going to be a common occurence for the tour. We also had lost quite a few of the origonal party that were on the bus and now it was just six of us, a young couple (She was from NY and he was SA - Diplomatic immunity - who was obsessive ultimate frisbee players), a older couple from Germany/Holland and of course the legends - that is us if you had not of guessed.
We toured the river for about 40 mins and arrived at the coconut sweet factory, Ronseal moment, it does make sweets out of coconuts and other assorted items. As we have now discovered if you take a tour at some point you will feel oblieged to buy somthing as the places that you visit will be in environments where people have so much less than yourself. So Emma expertly opted for a some peanut brittle, mmm good choice, it was out of date, just like shopping at Lidl really.
The Mekong Delta is a vast place, you
can't comprehend the vastness of the place, some houses are made from the materials surruounding them and then some our like palaces. It just does not figure out, you have to scratch the head in a Laurel and Hardy style on many occasions.
Lunch was called, hoorah. A short walk though a traditional village, pass the open sewers and cockroaches and then onto a bike for a short ride to our venue. The food was OK, a bit on the same, same but different line. Most food places in Vietnam will have some spicy rice with a meat for lunch and this was following a simalr routine. As we were placed on a small table we had to get to know our fellow travellers a good opportunity to tell people that we are not going to be working for the next twelve months, I love this moment. Nice people. we got chatting to the youngsters and they would be our co-conversationalists for the remainder of the tour.
The Mekong Delta is a tropical paradise and in a large cage outside I was to meet one of their common inhabitants. A large python (so many jokes, may brain hurts)
was there for all to see, my first view of a snake, now a bit nervous of the grass moving.
We climbered aboarded our floating snail boat and headed to our docking station where we would change tour guide (Again) and get a local ferry to a bus that would take us to the hotel. I could not help to notice that our young, new found travelling companions were very much light on the luggage. A couple of backpacks contained all of their gear, probably only room for a hanky and roll on deodrant but I was extremley envious. At this stage me and the travelling Dr Lady were lugging some decent packs, more like moving house rather than skipping around the world.
We arrived at our hotel after the next three hours on a bus, it was not a moment too soon. However the hotel did seem a little like the scene out of Dust til Dawn where they are about to enter the bar and that everything is a bit out of place. Snapping *****, apple pie *****, you get the drift.
Up and at them the next day and surprise, surprise a new
tour guide and another boat. Dajah Vous! (Gandi's French cousin) We knew that we would be heading for the boarder of Vietnam and Cambodia and that was our goal.
After visiting a floating fish farm we were off to a muslim village, this was not the highlight of the tour. As with a lot of western travel you get put into everyday life of people with very little and this can sting of the senses some what. Loads of young kids being really cute and none of them in school. I did offer to take an English class concentraing on sentence structure and spelling but cone of them were up for it.
More boating and closer to the boarder where we would have lunch and cross over the line declaring nothing and keeping a low profile. On our way up the river we were given the opportunity to cross the boarder on our own steam for a cheaper price so again frugle took over and we decided to go for it. No translator, no guide, just a couple of over laden bean pole westerners crossing the boarder to one of the most violent countries in the world.
Finishing our food with ultimate glee we helped eachother with our backpacks and headed for the Cambodian line. Nerves were high and our wits were ignitied waiting to be confronted by tricky questions and AK47's. But it weas to the contary, the boarder compound was filled with beautiful fauna, leafy palm trees and ornate pagoda's. All of the Cambodian guards treated us with a smile/smerk (after paying the $20 of course) and we were through. Cambodia Baby!
We had finished our trip in Vietnam and look back with complete fondness. A miriad of memories from beaches to mountains and back to bustling cities. This is a country that I would suggest you visit and come with confidence that you will be treated kindly by most all considered with an open mind.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.1s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 13; qc: 60; dbt: 0.0596s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Lisa Wheatley
non-member comment
Yeah, the bi hotel had me confused for a while too!!! Stuey your blogs are getting more and more difficult to follow....a scarey insight into the workings of your mind me thinks! I took Wendy for a walk today with Welshy and Baker....she says she's missing you loads! xxx