Day 3 - Mekong Delta

Apologies for the brief story yesterday as Murray copped a bit of the dreaded ‘Bali Belly’ or it’s Vietnamese brother which took it’s toll overnight and into today.

I am sure there is at least 2 ways to pronounce this.....

Today we headed out on an organised tour to My Tho (pronounced ‘mee toe’) for a look at the Mekong Delta. We headed off at about 7.45 this morning and rounded up the rest of the bus load of tourist in Saigon before heading south on a 2 hour drive to My Tho. Whilst the bus trip was uneventful, it did show us the life of the rice farmer as we headed down highways surrounded by rice paddies as far as the eye can see.

One of the tourist motor boats near My Tho plying his trade

When we arrived at My Tho, we were herded onto a tourist motor boat to cross the Mekong River to Unicorn Island. The trip over was a little surreal, it’s a bit hard to believe you’re riding on it! At Unicorn Island we sampled the local honey and fruits available on the island and during the sampling of all the fruit, we were serenaded by the local band before heading back to the canals for a row boat ride back to the tourist boat dock.

Vietnamese tea served with the local honey

Michelle grapples with the local bees on Unicorn Island

The youngest of the singers who entertained us whilst we sampled the local fruit

One of the many row boats in the Mekong canals

We then departed for Turtle Island, number 2 of 4 islands on the Mekong near My Tho. At Turtle Island we were taken to a traditional Vietnamese lunch (not for Murray) and for the adventurous, a bike ride around the village (not for Murray or Michelle this time!). The bike ride ended with one of the Japanese girls on the tour falling from her bike into a small canal, resulting in her being saturated from head to toe. Following the bike ride, we were treated to a horse drawn cart ride back to a coconut candy making operation on the island. The cart was a typically Vietnamese affair with wooden seats and the only suspension supplied by the several PSI of air in the tyres. I renamed the ride ”The Haemorrhoid Express” as some of the bumps we hit certainly made you sit up straight. We swear when we got on board the cart and shifted the centre of balance somewhat, the horse turned to the driver and said “You’re kidding me right?”

Paleface Adios struggles to climb the hill and finish the final 400....

The candy making facility is almost prehistoric and all the candy is hand made, hand cut and hand wrapped before sale. It was quite an education watching it being made. They use rice paper as the inner wrapper so it is edible along with the candy! Smart bastards!

Our last night in Saigon was a quiet one with dinner at the Hotel rooftop restaurant enjoying some Pho as we haven’t had any since arriving.

Pho and beer.... made for each other

Tomorrow sees us off to Hoi An to let us put the holiday in neutral instead of racing around like madmen as we have for the past few days…. and Yibbita Yibbita, That’s All Folks!

Holiday Fun Fact #1: M&M's in your bag in Saigon's 35 degree heat does not end happily!