Mekong Delta

"Good Morning Vietnam"  Today we woke up and had a wonderful buffet breakfast al fresco on the roof of the motel.  It was a wonderful combination of continental food and local food.  At 8 am we were transported to the docks for the tour of the Mekong delta.  We took a boat on a daylong boat ride about 40 miles into the countryside.

The Mekong is south of Saigon and known as the breadbasket of Vietnam.  The trip on the Saigon river and various canals was a marvelous cross section of the country.  Waterfront property is definitely not the same as home.  Many of the homes were on stilts and not very hospitable.  It is very much a working river, transporting people and goods throughout this portion of the country.

As we got further into the countryside, it did get more rural.  We stopped and saw a couple of pagodas and temples and learned a lot about the various religions of Vietnam.  We had a paddle on one of the canals, had coconut milk out of coconuts, walked through a market, did shots of banana liqueur, had lunch and overall a wonderful adventure.

We were accompanied by a group of 15 or so folks.  They were from all over, Australia, France, Russia and the United States and very well traveled.  Our young tour guide shared with us his perspective on Vietnamese history and politics.  All very interesting.  I am proud to say that Julie stayed awake past 5 pm tonight.  It is 5:30 and she is still going strong.

The homes on the river with the new government construction behind

                                     

Rice paddy on the Mekong delta

The captain of our vessel for our paddle on the canal

Rural section of the tour

Sugar cane on a boat on the river.  The eyeballs are to help the boat avoid hazards.

Both of us out on the rive

Julie doing a shot.... enjoy this because I am going to get in trouble.

Tomorrow will be another fun day.  I have another adventure planned around the city.

Our official tour does not start until tomorrow night.