Mekong Delta

Our trip started early in the morning, with an expedition to a fish farm. Basically the fish farm is a floating wooden house. Underneath the house, they breed large quantities of fish. Since the fish are in their natural habitat (i.e. the Mekong), they grow really well and fetch a big price at the market. During three months of each year, the homes flood, and the fishermen and their families live in boats.

We then stopped at a Cham minority village, home to a group of relocated Malaysians. The village's economy is based on fishing and silk weaving, and they follow the teachings of Islam. (The term 'minority village' is typically applied to a group of people whose culture differs from that of the surrounding area.)

The primary reason we signed up for this tour was the option of a "homestay" with a family in the Mekong Delta. It took a bit to get to their house: we got on board a bus, followed by a tuk-tuk, then a boat before we finally arrived. As soon as we arrived, we had lunch (nothing spectacular), which was followed by a long nap. After everyone woke up (there was five of us in total), one of the women and her two daughters escorted us on a walk through the nearby rice fields and orchards. It was a bit rainy, though it was still nice.

After we got back, the five of us went on an expedition to find beer. It turned out to be a journey of epic proportions. We didn't find any beer, but (fortunately) we made it back in time for dinner.

The dinner was absolutely fabulous. There were some pre-made spring rolls and the "roll-your-own" variety. I ate so much I nearly felt ill. The grandfather and grandmother in the house (it's a three generation household) kept piling food in everyone's bowl. They were extremely excited to feed everyone. The grandfather chatted a bit about his experiences serving in the war, which I found a bit unusual, as people who have fought in wars tend to be a bit reticent when asked about their experiences.

The next day, we had a 'typical Vietnamese breakfast', which turned out to be ramen noodles, the breakfast of champions. Not kidding about this one. We then piled in a boat to see some floating markets. It was a bit hot on the boat. We all wore Vietnamese rice farmer hats. We looked silly. These floating markets were on a much larger scale than the ones in Thailand. I think it catered to wholesalers of fruit. It was pretty crazy to see people tossing pineapples back and forth, without wearing gloves! Can we say 'ouch'? We also checked out a rice paper making workshop. The rice paper that I speak of is the edible kind. You wrap it around spring rolls. Rice paper looks like a tubular bit of latex when wrapped securely around the spring roll.

We then hopped on a bus, destined for Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City). There were a few random sort of stops. An incense factory. A bonsai garden. An open market. I slept for much of the drive until we changed buses and I got wedged between two large fellows.

We were dropped off in Saigon in the early evening, and I sure was excited!!!!!