The Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is where are huge proportion of Vietnam's rice production comes from. They eat a lot of rice here in Vietnam and are still able to export an average of 3.5 million tons per year. That is a lot of rice!!! In order to see the vast area that is considered to be the Mekong Delta we signed up with a tour that promised to keep us away from other foreigners and show us a unique part of Vietnam. They kept their promise!! To start the trip we took a boat to Thoi Son or Unicorn Island where we got a taste of honey tea, banana wine and got to enjoy some traditional music. We also rode a smaller boat, paddled by a local woman, through tiny canals that were surrounded by dense vegetation and local fishermen in their own tiny canoes. From there we took a bike ride around a small village and saw rice fields, a rice factory and a coconut candy factory where we not only tasted the local specialty but got to hold a huge boa constrictor. Kenny "sort of" overcame his fear of snakes for a few seconds before he threw the thing at it's owner and ran away. I think he must have been running for some more coconut candy. We spent the night at the home of a villager in the area. We had a delicious dinner of "fish ball soup" that she and her daughters prepared for us and spent the night on wooden platform beds under a mosquito net. It was not the most comfortable night of sleep I have ever had but I think I would get used to it eventually. Then next morning we headed to the local floating market. At the market each of the boats had a long bamboo pole sticking out from the bow. On the bamboo they tie each of the items that they are selling. So, if you are looking for watermelon, pineapple, or spring onions, you simply look for the boat that has those items hanging from their bamboo. My favorite part of the market was what I called the "Floating Starbucks." It was a small wooden canoe that paddled around the water offering the strong local coffee, complete with sweetened condensed milk. It is an acquired taste but one we have come to appreciate. The rest of the day we spent fishing for and preparing our lunch. The "Elephant Ear" fish was caught and then looked as if it deep fried while it was still alive. It was served to us standing up between two poles and we were instructed to take off the scales, if we wanted, pick off a piece of fish and to wrap it along with rice noodles and vegetable in a piece of rice paper. It turned out to be unexpectedly delicious, and after taking off the scales Kenny and I devoured the entire thing which just a few minutes ago had been swimming happily in its home. We loved getting a chance to stay with a local family and get a tiny glimpse into the life of a kind and hard working woman who was widowed by the Vietnam-American War. We were welcomed into her home as if we were her children and although her means were very limited she was more than willing to share all she had.