Familiarity Breeds Contempt?

Being Malaysian and Asian, I guess the Mekong Delta tour was not as interesting as for say, someone living in the cosmopolitan / Western countries. All the flora and fauna is the same in the tropics and way of life is quite similar to our local nelayan. Having said that, it is still an experience if you can tolerate high degree of heat and mosquitoes.

After booking the 1-day tour with Delta Tours (off De Tham street) for USD17 the previous night, we departed by bus to the port at 7.15am where we were taken for a speed boat ride which took us 3 hours to My Tho. The guide, Viet was knowledgeable with good English (american accent) and instilled humour along the way. During the journey, we saw many wooden houses on stilts amidst 3-storey bungalows (the new saigon for the rich, we were told). Mainly fishermen, they spend most of their time on boats, one even performed bowel movements on board in full view!

After arriving in My Tho, we were transferred to a bigger boat and viewed the 4 islands (unicorn, dragon, phoenix and monkey) which was nothing to shout about, before reaching a bee farm (wasn't even close as there were only 2 hives on display).

There we were briefed on honey-making and tasted their honey-lime drink and some dried tid-bits (ie. sweetened ginger, lotus seeds and banana crackers) . We visited the coconut making factory in Ben Tre and saw the womenfolk wrapping freshly made candy. These people move really fast like clockwork! The candies are individually wrapped in rice paper so these can be eaten when you remove the outer layer.

We headed for a feast of local fruits which consisted of the usual fare -bananas, pomelos, jackfruit (an acquired taste for ang mohs) and papayas while being entertained by some local music and singing (which according to our guide was better than the professional singers! we believe him considering the fact that they sing the same song over and over again). We then proceeded to being rowed on the sampan while adorning the cone hats through canals. Important way to stay afloat is to balance the boat and not stand up too suddenly! This was the highlight of our trip really.

Lunch was simple with rice, veggies and stir-fried pork. However, appetite diminished when I discovered that my veggies came with a worm! Extra flavouring, not! Rain came but that didn't prevent us from bicycling around the village. We ventured into a small town with a stretch of shophouses. I noticed peddlars selling duck eggs which I later found out, contain embryos. Apparently, it's a local delicacy consumed immediately upon cracking the egg open! Further down we saw a brick house with 4 watchdog statues placed strategically around the house. We were sure they were placed there to 'guard' the house. Raised in Malaysia, I have yet to see a sight like this.

The bus ride back was uneventful, passing by paddy fields and the Ben Tre town. Arriving in Pham Ngu Lao at 6.30 pm we were absolutely exhausted from the heat and decided to retire for the day.