The six of us joined a tour group early this morning and set
out to explore the Mekong Delta. A two
hour drive out of the city through the rice paddies took us to the
Upper
Mekong. Along the way our tour guide,
Hai, found out that the six of us are from America. He paid special
attention to our group, “I am
very happy to meet you. I served with the American Army during the war.
I have some good friends from America.” For the rest of the day he
treated us with a
little more honor and respect than the rest of the tour group.
At the Mekong River we boarded a long narrow wooden boat
that sat low in the water. Hai explained
that the water looks brown due to the rainy monsoon season; the rest of the
year it looks darker.
The boat motored
up river passed the floating market.
Long house boats serve as individual stores selling turnips, pumpkins,
rice, fruit, and other various goods. A
passerby can know what is being sold by checking out the bamboo pole
standing
up in each boat where a sample of the goods is hung. Hai explained.
“Many people live in the boats. You can tell if they live in the boat,
because there is a TV antenna on top of the boat.” Hammocks, laundry,
and kitchens were also
evidence of residence.
Hai had been dropping hints about sweet coconut candy all
morning. We finally stopped and he took
us to see people making the taffy-like candy.
For a good five minutes we watched as the workers cut and wrapped the
candy, while Hai talked about the nutrition and delicious taste of the candy. Finally we got to sample the treats made from
coconut flesh. The taste was slightly
coconut and the candy stuck to my teeth.
The technique worked; hardly anyone walked out of the shop without a
package of coconut candy in their hands.
Our next stop was to see the daughter-in-law of Hai making rice paper
and rice crispies. Of course these goods
were being sold also.
After a boat ride across the river we disembarked on an
island resting in the middle of Upper Mekong.
For lunch we enjoyed elephant ear fish, which can only be found in the
Mekong River.
The fish had a nice mild
flavor and was added to our personally made spring rolls. After a filling meal we were encouraged to
take a bike ride around the island. The
six of us coasted by banana trees, canals, and Vietnamese bikers. It felt great to be on a bike, but by the
time we returned we were glistening with sweat.
Our next adventure on the trip was a row boat through the
canals. The boats rocked back and forth
as we clumsily boarded. I sat on the
wooden seat and realized that most of me was below the level of the water. The boats seem to barely float as they sit so
low.
A man stood in the back of the boat rowing slowly; it was so quiet and
peaceful.
We were given hats to shade us
from the sun; I don’t think I would be able to pull this look off in the US.
I was pretty thirsty
as we climbed out of the row boat and into the long boat. Sitting in the long boat were freshly cut
coconuts for us to drink. I am not a big
fan of the coconut juice and was not able to finish it, but the first half of
the juice tasted good.
After the bus ride back to Ho Chi Minh City Emilie, Morgan,
Andrew, and I headed to a local night market.
The vendors were not too exciting, but several food vendors were set
up. We got large tasty portions for
about $2. On the way home we stood at
one of the corners for a good amount of time working up the courage to cross. We started to cross, but the sea of traffic
forced us back to the side of the street.
Two twelve year old girls selling roses pulled us across the street and
stopped traffic for us. Even with their
help I felt like I had two or three close calls in crossing just one
street. The girls laughed as they helped
us cross. We walked through the park where
hundreds of mopeds were parked. Young
Vietnamese couples sat on their mopeds together; I guess sitting on a moped in
the park at night is the cool thing to do in Vietnam.
