Mekong Delta

Day 16 – Mekong delta, Vietnam

So yesterday, I had booked this wonderful-looking tour of the Mekong delta, with floating market, coconut candy factory, orchard, local music, local lunch organised… looked very nice. All that for 12.5 euros, it seemed a very good choice.

But first, someone asked for more pictures of my daily life.

So, my hostel has a roof-top terrace:

 

From there, you can see the street:

 

And my nice chicken lunch:

 

So, back to the tour. A shuttle came to collect me from the hotel -strangely enough, at the end of the day, I was left to find my way back alone-, we drove a few hours, arrived at the quay, boarded the boat. We went straight to the floating market, the guide explaining that the real time to see it was between 5 and 7 AM, for which we would have to get up at midnight to see.

I didn’t quite understood that that would mean absolutely no activity. The boats, which are barges where family live, are anchored and show no sign of activity. Frankly, I don’t see the point. No vendors, no goods on display, no customers, and ugly boats at anchor. What was a high selling point of the tour is a bust.

But onwards we go, to the coconut candy factory. This is interesting, and if you want to know how to pop rice kernels, head to the gallery -> Vietnam -> Mekong delta tour to see the pictures and read my explanations. We see how to open a coconut (with a pointy object reminiscent of a miniature pal, the kind you stake people on, then a machete, just don’t put your fingers on the way), how to make rice paper (the kind you roll spring rolls in), how to make rice and tapioca snacks.

Of course, there is a generous shop where to buy all kinds of touristy stuff. I acquire a bit of tapioca mixed in onion caramel, coconut flat bread, and coconut candy.

We go next door to the beekeeper, where we see a honey comb covered in bees, and have a bit of tea with honey and lemon. A nice laminated document tries to convince us of the virtues of royal jelly and pollen and of course we can buy some if we are interested. (I’m not.) I speak a bit with my neighbour, a woman from Rio (Brazil) who can’t stand the heat.

Back in the boat, we cross a huge part of the delta to go into a smaller channel. We switch to rowboats, where we are lent conical hats (my dream), and we go to a homestay for lunch. The basics are included, but if you want a drink or a special dish, such as local fish, you have to pay, of course.

After the meal, we can enjoy a small rest in a hammock, then ride on a bike back to the motor boat. (In the original description, the only biking mentioned is an alternative to resting in a hammock. When asked if that was alright, I mentioned doubts about my fitness: no trouble, a scooter ride was arranged for me (you know, when you go on the back of a scooter with a total stranger, and no helmet?) I tried to say that biking would be just fine, but too late.

So, back on the boat, back onto land, back on the bus, back to the city. Frankly, nothing to write home about (which I just did, shhh). Of course, it started raining as soon as the bus dropped us off, nice.

Here is the street by night where I waited for the rain to slack off:

 

It was a ten-minute walk back to the hostel, which is why one should always pick one in the most touristy part of town.

And tomorrow, I’m resting. Enough buses, boats, and so on for the week.