Even though our hostel was pretty basic, it did the job considering we probably only managed 6 hours sleep.
Today, we took a tour to the Mekong Delta. We were told to be at the office for 7.30am which we were but didn't leave until 8.30am. Our tour guide was called Chau. A rather friendly chap with a very dry sense of humour. The journey took approx. 2.5 hours from HCMC. Upon arrival, we took a boat passing the Qui (Tortoise) Phoenix and Unicorn Islets before entering the Ben Tre Province, which is allegedly known as "the county of the coconut". We hopped off the boat here and visited a coconut candy mill where we got to sample some candy and quite nice it was too! Much to my surprise, the next item on the agenda was to hold a shake. Now I'm not scared of them but I don't particularly like them but for once I thought, what the hell! So yes, I held a python. Crazy huh?
Lunch was served in the middle of the orchard garden. It wasn't anything to race home about but it was alright. We then took a stroll into the nearby village. It amazing to watch just how different it is. One noticeable feature was the number of gravestones along the road. As the families don't have the space nor the money to build a proper graveyard, they bury their beloved on the side of the road or on their land.
Finally, it was the main event- rowing down the Mekong Delta. We took a boat from the restaurant and went through the shrubs and tributaries for roughly 20mins. Thankfully, we could just enjoy the scenery whilst 2 ladies did all the hard work. It was an amazing experience and something that I will hopefully never forget. Incredible! We were then treated to some tea and fresh fruit before listening to some traditional Vietnamese folk music which was quite frankly, odd!
It was now the end of a very busy day. We got back on the bus for a 2 hour journey to our accommodation for the evening. There were 2 options- a home stay or a hotel. We went for a hotel only because it was cheaper. As we drove down this bumpy, almost desolate track, Raj and I knew that we'd made the right decision. The next morning I heard mixed reviews as to what it was like, but overall, it didnt sound great. The hotel, however, was pleasant. In the evening, we wandered around for about 45 mins trying to find somewhere to eat. Eventually, we stumbled across a large building that was lit up. We headed towards it and it was a market and restaurant over looking the river. We had a lovely dinner with the exception of 3/4 cats who frequently made me jump out of my skin. My phobia is certainly not getting any better and I probably embarrassed him a tad!
The next morning, we walked down to the river for about 8.30pm and took the boat to explore the floating markets. It was amazing how they transferred stock from one boat to another and how the women selling drinks would latch onto the side of the boat. We visited a Vermicelli noodle factory which was really interesting and headed back to Saigon that afternoon. In the evening, we went to Allez bar to meet a French couple we'd met for drinks and dinner. Tomorrow would be our last day in Vietnam, so it was nice to head to bed early.
K x
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