Cindy and I spent 3 amazing days in the Mekong River Delta. The first day we took a bus to Cai Be, where we went by a floating market, which is where local people sell fruit. Their market system is pretty interesting. If you're selling pineapples, you spear a pineapple and raise it on a stick over your boat, kind of like a flag. If you're selling both pineapples and dragonfruit, you spear both on the same stick and raise them both over your boat, etc. It was really pretty cool to watch their system. The one thing I didn't get though was this: If you're selling dragonfruit, why would you want to park your boat next to all the other dragonfruit sellers? :) There must be a method to their madness, but I just don't get it.
After the floating market, we continued on to a coconut candy factory. After getting sick off coconut curry in Thailand I've been shying away from coconut anything, but I was able to stomach the candy (did anyone doubt that I would?) and we bought some that we've been snacking on the last few days.
A honey farm was next on our agenda, but it was pouring rain so our visit was cut a little short. We did manage to make it from the honey farm to the fruit farm, however, and enjoyed some wonderful tropical fruit - jackfruit, lychee, etc. which was really fun. (Ellaine - you would've loved it!) We'd tried most of the different kinds served before, but this was a little different experience because we were "serenaded" by women singing traditional Vietnamese songs. VERY OFF KEY!
We ended up the first day in Can Tho, and left the following morning for the Cai Rang floating market. It was a market very similar to the one the day before, and since it was raining we probably missed out on a bunch of good pictures, but . . . I think we got enough so we weren't too disappointed. We spent more of the day at a local market, then were taken to a rice-husking mill. Although it was rice and not wheat, it was dusty enough in the mill that it reminded me of harvest and made me miss home a little bit. We learned all about the different types of rice and what they use rice by-products for -- fish food and other animal feed.
All in all, days 1 and 2 of the tour were mostly the same, but on day 2 we agreed to pay $5 extra to float down the river overnight instead of busing to Chau Doc, and it was worth every penny (and probably even the $10 they wanted to change us). We got on the boat the evening of day 2, where we met mostly French people. NOTE: Vietnam was ruled by the French for years, and many French people travel here, especially to Saigon. Everyone was very nice, even though we typically think the French hate us, and we had a great time. We had dinner on the boat, then sat on the rooftop deck and had a few beers before going to bed early so we could see the sunrise.
The morning of day 3, Cindy and I both woke up just as the sun was coming up. There were 13 other people on our boat, and only one other person was up early enough to enjoy the sunrise in all its glory, so we had the whole deck of the boat to monopolize and take millions of pictures. The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous, hence the title of this post. I even found some art that looks nearly exactly like one of my pictures, so I bought it and am going to frame it to preserve my memory. :)
After breakfast on the boat, we disembarked and did a short hike up Sam Mountain, which is home of the Cavern Pagoda. From there, we could see the Cambodian border and looked down over rice paddies. Then, we boarded a longboat rowed by an old woman who gave us bananas and let us try on her cone-shaped hat for photos, and visited a fish farm. It's a small farm that is contained under a person's house.
From the fish farm, we toured the floating village of Chau Doc, then went to Cham, a village that is inhabited by the Islamic minority people in Vietnam. The Cham weavers are famous for their work, and we (of course) bought some of their exquisite handicrafts. Then we boarded the big boat we arrived on, and came back to Saigon just to go to the night market and shop till we dropped. (Mom and Dad - look out. In about 3 months your mailbox will be full!)
We spent Friday and Saturday shopping and shipping all of our souvenirs, and today boarded a bus for the Cu Chi tunnels, which are tunnels that the Viet Minh built, lived, and fought in for about 20 years during the Vietnam War. The tunnels are quite extensive, and we climbed through a stretch about 100 meters long that has been enlarged so Western tourists can fit in it. Good thing, too. They were tiny and we were crawling on our hands and knees for a while. Some people had to stop early because they couldn't fit throught he tunnels!
After we came back from the tunnels, we spent 2 hours at the Vietnam War Museum. Not knowing much about the war, it was really interesting to see the Vietnamese viewpoint on how things went. I think I should educate myself a little bit more so I'm not brainwashed in the next few weeks that I'll be here. :)
The bus is here, so I have to go. We're headed to Mui Ne Beach for a few days in the sun before going to do some hiking in Dalat and (more) shopping in Hoi An.
I hope everyone is safe and sound back home and that you're getting good weather.
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