Mekong

I booked a two-day, one-night tour of the Mekong delta for $55 USD. My expectations are not particularly high, so already, I am pleasantly surprised. The vehicle is big enough for me and 20 friends-to-be, and we all seem fairly mature. There is an empty seat beside me, one of the advantages of singledom. Also one of the disadvantages…

Our tour guide is Philippe. Not his real name of course which sounds something like Purr. I’m playing it safe with the French version. He is funny as hell, but there’s always a slight delay as my brain makes its way through the heavy accent to get to meaning. He was talking a bit about weather earlier so I showed him a pic of the aftermath of one of last year’s snowstorms. He was momentarily speechless. I’m not sure that happens often…BTW, he just noted there are 6 million motorbikes in Saigon. That’s pretty much what I counted yesterday.

We transferred to a boat after a two-hour drive in the area of the Cai Be floating market. We were a bit late for it today but those of us who have two days will see it tomorrow. It’s not as big as it once was. Before cars and bikes and highways, this was the only mode of transport other than bicycles and they too needed to cross the river and canals that snake through the fertile land. The market is still viable of course, just smaller.

We stopped at a coconut candy place where we saw them make rice popcorn (think puffed rice cereal). They also add things like sugar and various spices to make sweets that resemble rice crispie squares. The coconut candy was delicious, and I hear the rice wine had a kick to it. Philippe says it’s good for making babies.

On to a market, then a honey bee farm where you can buy royal jelly which the label claims is a superfood (including a Viagara replacement). No one from our group bought it so we’ll never know…

The highlight was a leisurely paddle on a sampan with a local man at the oars. We saw folks going about their daily business both by boat and by bicycle on the narrow pathways that run along the canals. Next a fruit stand where we ate products grown along the river  -jackfruit, mini bananas, watermelon, water apple and something resembling a lychee nut. And we were entertained by local musicians with regional folk songs.

Finally, lunch and a hammock to lie in. The day trippers left us about mid-afternoon and we are now at the hotel in Can Tho, the largest city in this breadbasket. Population is about 1.5 million, a breeze after Saigon. The tour has been brilliant so far. Perhaps a bit more “shopping” than I’d like but all the stops were informative and no hard pressure tactics. The hotel is heavenly, and the restaurants and night market are around the corner.