Cruising the Mekong Delta
Trip Start
Jan 22, 2008
1
7
25
Trip End
Apr 16, 2008
Can Tho,
Vietnam
Friday, February 15, 2008
We took a bus for 2-hours to My Tho and took a ferry across the river. Jumped back on the bus for a short ride to connect with a smaller boat which took us out to Dragon Island to enjoy some tropical fruit and traditional Vietnamese music; then headed to Unicorn Island where we toured around canals on small wooden long boats and visited a coconut candy workshop; next stop was Turtle Island where we visited a honey-bee farm, enjoyed tea with honey,some 70 proof rice wine, and an encounter with a mighty big python; and finally to Pheonix Island for a nice lunch.
We both enjoyed the holding the snake, but it was obvious that Sharon was a real "snake charmer" as she was the only one who enjoyed a kiss from the 14 kilogram critter.
After that we jumped back on the bus and headed to Can Tho where we were greeted by the host family for our overnight homestay. We were the only ones who opted for this as the others on the tour stayed at a local hotel right in the city. We drove on the back of 2 "mottos"(motor scooters) for about a half hour to our home for the night. We were situated right on a tributary of the Mekong River. It was lovely. We were given a nice meal and spent the rest of the evening chatting, sharing photos, and watching the stars.
The following morning we visited a local market with our family.
Creating Laughter at the Market - Smiles are Free!
A treat the others didn't get to enjoy. Bought some fresh eggs for breakfast and then met up with the rest of the group back in town. The boat picked us up and we went up river to the Cai Rang Floating Market. We bought a fresh pineapple off one of the boats for a mere 5000 dong (about 30 cents). It was tasty!Then we went to a rice noodle factory and saw how they make noodles. Everything was handmade with all parts of the rice are used in the process. The husks are used to fuel the cooking areas, the ash is spread in the fields for fertilizer, and rice noodle waste is fed to the pigs.
Had a quick stop and enjoyed some coconut milk before boating to the Can Tho Market (back on shore) where we had about an hour of free time to wander around. We took a walk down a laneway and gave a bag of toiletries to a small family. They could'nt speak English, but we knew they appreciated our small gesture.
From there we headed back towards the hotel area and had a small lunch before the long bus ride back to Ho Chi Minh City (about 5 hours). Our tour guide "Mr Khanh" (Mr Can) was a real joy as his English was pretty good - we helped him with some pronounciation and the names of things along the way, but overall learned a great deal more from him than he did from us.
Today we went to the Main Post Office to find a 78-year old gentleman, Duong Van Ngo, who we had read about in the Toronto Star back in September 2007. We kept the article as it had a nice photo of him, which we thought we would pass onto him when we traveled this way. He was most appreciative of our thoughtfulness. His role there is strictly volunteer as he is now a retired postal worker. He currently spends his days - usually 8 AM to 4 PM every other day - at the post office helping locals and foriegners with their translation needs. A very pleasant man and well worth the effort to find.
Tomorrow we head to Yok Don National Park to find some elephants to ride. We'll be in touch soon. Please keep the emails coming as we really enjoy the feedback from our blogs. Take care.
Norm and Sharon
Comments
Snake, rattle & roll
Seriously, Sharon - good thing you had drinks BEFORE the snake encounter, you are way too brave. That's totally amazing about the rice and the full cycle of utilizing everything - something we can all learn to be more aware of. Off, to ride high on the elephants, hold tight and no drinking first!
Tall Man/Short Man
Pretty cheap for a pineapple!! Norm was that man jealous of you and your feet?!?!?
RD
Sharon, make sure you keep a picture of that snake for Maria. I'm sure she would have loved that. Enjoy the elephants. Keep the messages coming. LD
Proud to Grandparents
Hey guys Glad to see that your trip is full of adventure. Oh by the way, we are extemely proud to tell you that we the grandparents of Gabrielle Taylor Ground. She was born Sat. Feb. 9 7lb 14 oz. Both mom & baby are perfect!! Jason has not yet come down to earth. You can only imagine how thrilled Pauline is. Keep the blogs coming. Love the pictures. They truly tell the story
Lee & Pauline aka Grandma & Pops
Awesome Postings!
You guys are doing a great job keeping all of us up to date with your journey. The tales are amazing to read and it is exciting to share your trip with you. Our only news is that Will lost his first tooth on Friday and all else is great. We both look forward to your postings, so keep 'em coming.