The Mekong Delta is a lovely area. Water is a part of life and while there are roads, just about every home on the water has a boat parked out front. We started our Mekong adventure in Can Tho, the capitol of the Mekong. It is so different from Phu Quoc and Whitecorn is convinced she will never get used to the traffic in Vietnam. Where Cambodia is organized chaos, Vietnam is just chaos. The driving speed is at least double that of Cambodia and there seems to be no “right side” of the road so you don’t know where to look for cars. Despite this we found some peace on the most amazing boat tour. After some haggling with a little old lady at the pier we managed to secure a boat for the next morning slightly nervous whether or not we’d been had. 5am on the dot however, the woman’s sister was ready and waiting for us at the dock. The two of us boarded the little boat and we set off for the floating markets. Whitecorn fell asleep during the beginning of the trip so you don’t get to hear about that but it was dark anyway J Whitecorn awoke as the sun was rising and we were approaching the floating market of Cai Rang. Large boats are set up in the middle of a large canal. Each boat hangs what they are selling from a pole. Customers pull up in their own boat and tie on to the bigger boat until the transaction is complete. Most of the boats we saw sell fruit and vegetables, but we have heard other things like clothing and haircuts are available at times too! We docked against another small boat for breakfast which was a wonderful noodle soup. Then we headed back out on the water to the floating market of Phong Dien. This market was like the first, only smaller. From the market our amazingly sweet guide took us through side canals where we caught glimpses of the countryside and rural Mekong life. We stopped at a garden and had coffee. Our guide took us around the garden and showed us all the plants. She didn’t speak much English but she told us all the Vietnamese names and showed us how to eat everything- lotus seeds, mini oranges, and bell fruit. From there we continued through the canals back to Can Tho. While the two of us took in the beauty around us she busied herself in the back creating little creatures out of palm leaves for us- a bird, a cricket, and a stem of flowers. She then decided to take us to a noodle factory quickly which was cooler than expected and made the noodles we ate for dinner much more interesting! We sadly said goodbye and ran back to our hotel to check out and catch our bus to Ben Tre. We arrived in Ben Tre to some confusion and we essentially forced to hire moto taxis to our guesthouse. Given the above statement about Vietnam driving Whitecorn was not a fan of this and kept her eyes closed most of the ride. We didn’t do much exploring but did attempt a trip to Cai Be the next morning (again, via moto :/) which did not go as planned and left us feeling frustrated and, well, a bit angry. But we don’t really need to go into that. We hope everyone is doing well. We miss you very much and have realized we have been gone from NYC for 4 months!! So is the glass half empty or full? We have so much more to see and do but everyone back home can officially start counting down since we’ve hit the halfway point. Lots of love to everyone! W&G
