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Published: February 10th 2008
With little knowledge of what the tour entailed beyond the promise of seeing a floating market on the busiest day of the year, we joined three friends on a two-day trip to the Mekong Delta this week.
Unfortunately, “busiest day of the year” actually translates to “floating market closed for Tet holiday” so we did not get to see the floating market - just the spot where it would have been. Fortunately, we did find much needed rest and relaxation, and further proof of the genuine warmth of the Vietnamese people.
After an extremely bumpy bus ride, we took increasingly smaller passenger boats required for navigating the nooks and crannies of the Delta. We saw stilt houses, visited a coconut candy factory, walked around a rice paper farm, ate fresh fruits at an orchard, and spent the night in Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta. Everywhere we went, the locals smiled and waived and wished us Happy New Year.
When we got back to Saigon, it was New Year's Eve, which is based on the lunar New Year. Since Marc and I were lost somewhere is the space-time continuum over the Pacific Ocean on January
1, it seemed appropriate to celebrate the New Year with the Vietnamese. Also appropriate with finishing CELTA and starting our real vacation on Monday. We got together with the few CELTA trainees that did not flee to Cambodia or Thailand in order to avoid the pandemonium/boredom (yes, they sort of both occur at once) of Tet, and rang in the New Year while overlooking the city from our friend’s 17th floor balcony. We’re happy we stayed in Saigon.
On New Year’s Day, we visited the Jade Pagoda. It was supposed to be the last stop on the walking tour we blogged about in our first few days here, but we never made it. Assuming that all the Vietnamese would be at home with their families, we rented motorbikes and headed to the pagoda. The streets were practically empty, so Marc felt confident cruising around for the first time - I eventually loosened my grip after the first 10 minutes. Unbeknownst to us, the pagoda is the go-to site on New Year’s Day, where Vietnamese families burn incense and pray to various gods at their individual altars. Everyone has continued to be very friendly toward us during the week of
Tet, shaking our hands and wishing us good fortunes in 2008. It has been a nice winding down process since finishing the course and preparing for our upcoming adventure out of Saigon.
As mentioned earlier this week, we leave for official vacation on Monday. Our travels will take us to Mui Ne, Dalat, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, and everywhere in between. For those familiar with Vietnam, you know it’s pretty much beach, beach, beach, with the exception of Dalat and Hanoi. For those who aren’t, we’ll be happy to tell you all about it, every stop along the way.
Miss you all,
Marc and Krysta
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Auntie Marcia
non-member comment
Good Morning...
How great it is to sit in my bed this rainy Sunday morning in Seattle with my coffee and my laptop and tune in to your adventure. The writing and the pics are so wonderful....thanks for bringing us along like this! Congratulations you two, and Happy New Year! Love, Marcia