Days 14-15: Mekong Delta & Saigon

We got up early in the morning to get on a bus to take us to the Mekong Delta. It is about a 3 hour drive (the traffic doesn't move very fast here - the highest the speedometer got was 60 km an hour)! The tour group consisted of us, 2 sisters from Hong Kong, a couple from Holland, a couple from Oklahoma and a couple from California. Everyone was really nice!

The tour started with a cruise around one of the numerous floating markets in the delta. The market we went through was for locals only. The way the boats advertise their wares is interesting. For example, say they were selling pineapple - they would hang a pineapple from a pole on the front of the boat.

After touring the market, we cruised around the delta for a bit and then went into several workshop areas. The first was a place where they made coconut candy (yum!), rice paper snacks and sweet puffed rice (almost like Sugar Crisp cereal). It was fun to see - even if it was the first "tourist trap" of the day! Next we went to a bee farm, where Melissa was brave enough to hold a screen filled with bees. Melanie was NOT brave enough...

We went down a small tributary and got into small rowboats to go further down the river. Next we had a nice lunch, listened to some local music and then it was bike riding time! We had the opportunity to ride bikes through the small stone and dirt pathways of a Mekong village. As Melissa is banned from driving or riding anything with only 2 wheels in foreign countries (motorbike in Croatia anyone?), she hung out with a few others from the group in hammocks while Melanie braved the crazy pathways. It was fun - parts we paved while others were not, Melanie shared the path with people, motorbikes and animals but got to glimpse the Mekong countryside. At the end of the bike ride it started raining and by the time we got back on our boat it was pouring. It reminded both of us of those scenes in Vietnam war movies.

We got back on the bus and three hours later were dropped off at our hotel. The rain stopped and we went to a lovely sushi dinner that only cost us $12!

Today we wandered around Saigon. First we went to the Jade Emperor Pagoda. This is a beautiful house of worship. Next we decided to go to the Saigon Zoo. We saw lions and tigers - but the bears were sleeping! Our next stop was to get Melissa some bao, a steamed bun that she loves. After that we headed to the Reunification Palace, where the South surrendered to North Vietnam and the country was reunified.

After lunch, it was pampering time! We sat at a cafe and had iced coffee and ice cream then headed off to get pedicures - $5 bucks each :)

Tomorrow we leave Vietnam and head to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat!