Song Tien Hotel My Tho

... existing structure was taken apart we have started creating the steel reinforcement for the foundation, piece by peice tying it together, twisting everything with our hands and hand made tools!! Its so slow but so great to see it all coming together. This morning we mixed the first batch of concrete....also all by hand making a nice big well. Oh yes first we had to carry the materials to the site from the main road almost brick my brick...although we ...

... River and surrounding canals which were so pretty. We stopped at Phoenix Island for a wander round; there was a kind of small zoo which had some chickens, emu/ostrich and some cages with monkeys. They also had a cage with the weirdest kitten... It had the markings of a tiger but looked like a kitten! See the pics... We also saw a pit of alligators and got to feed them! It was great fun! The highlight, though, was ...

... bricks, set out to dry in the sun along the roadway. (Bill told me later that one of the women workers darted up behind me while I was busy looking at something and quickly measured her height against mine. Apparently I'm quite tall in this part of the world.)<br><br>After our tour of the brick factory we boarded the boat for a long ride to our next destination. Along the way Lan served us the cut-up papaya he'd purchased the evening before, also more jasmine tea and cookies. Talk about ...

... another pot containing a syrup made of sugar, ginger, and some chopped peanuts. Have someone help you mix vigorously with big wooden paddles.<br>5.Pour into a large rectangular mold and press evenly by hand, and again with rolling wooden implements, avoiding the ever-present flies which would like to become candy too.<br>6.Cut, stack, and cut again into large squares.<br>7.Transfer to a team of people who will then wrap each piece in cellophane and toss into a big pile for ...

... most of it was storage space. The actually living areas were very small (most of them are house boats as well) and several were drying their washing next to their produce!!<br><br>We also tried the local delicacy of the area &#8211; elephant ear fish (named after what it very vaguely looked like!). These fish are found in the river and it was served grilled, and wrapped it in rice paper with salad leaves, mint and cucumber &#8211; very yummy!

... People in Vietnam don&#8217;t know their birthdays. Since most of the people are Buddhist they celebrate their birthdays during the Chinese New Year. </li><br><br><li>When someone dies here in the Mekong Delta they will be buried but then to save money they can be dug up after 15-20 years and another person will be buried there. Also, the tomb stone will face east. They are also taken away in a decorated truck and flower petals can be found in the road to their burial ...

... lunch which was really nice until we were told that they had rats, snakes and frogs on the menu. We were told we had fish and pork, so fingers crossed.<br><br>We were driven back to Ho Chi Minh City for a final night and are now in Nha Trang. There are loads more little stories we will share when we get back but time for dinner now. As you can tell we are having plenty of laughs along the way and really having our eyes opened to the Vietnamese culture.<br><br>Jen and Luke<br>xx

... rusted wheelbarrows to carry the endless amount of gravel, sand, rock, brick, concrete from a couple hundred meters thru the maze of footpaths, a couple of shovels, and a hammer....nothing else. You have to give credit to what these guys can do with nothing. The work isn't made any easier with the muggy and at sometimes unbearable heat. Most days it would be 100% hummidity and reaching around high 30's, drenched in sweat its a life saver hearing the locals call 'Muir' meaning ...

... Then it was time for lunch. A basic lunch of fried noodles and vegetables but tasty. <br><br><br><br><br> <br><br><br>Then it was off to Ben Tre and a coconut candy factory it was good candy but a little sweet, like taffy. <br><br>Then it was time for the trip back to Saigon. This was very good value for 120,000 dong. I had a great time.

Hello, <br><br>It's a frequent image from the Vietnam war movies. Little boats with heavy arms sputtering along a narrow river in the jungle. At that time, the Mekong River was one of the most dangerous areas to travel. Today, the Mekong Delta is the agricultural heart of Vietnam. <br><br>The mighty Mekong originates way up in Tibet. It traverses seven countries and ...