Mekong Delta

5 AM: The alarm clock rings. Get dressed, brush teeth and apply cream. 5:20 AM: my guide picks me up on the scooter and rushes through the night. 5:30 AM: a Spanish couple and I get into a small wooden boat and off we go. We head towards the first floating market. Along the way, floating gas stations. Pretty crazy:)

Around 6 AM, we arrive and slowly navigate through the hustle and bustle. 'Coffee?' Yes, why not, to wake up. Right away, a similarly small wooden boat stops next to us and makes us four a coffee.

Sipping coffee, we watch the locals buy and sell. Each boat even has license plates and our guide tells us that some come from places 40 kilometers away and therefore live on their boats on the water for 3-4 days because they have such a long distance ahead of them.

Because the market starts at 6 AM and goes until 9 AM. That's why it would be impossible to travel such distances every day. On the way to the next floating market, he hands us each a pineapple on a stick. Pretty cool!

The second market is much smaller and here we buy fresh coconuts and simply observe everyday life.

After a short tea break and a small breakfast, we continue and finally get off the 'main river' into calmer river arms. It suddenly becomes so beautifully quiet. The boat drifts along and we enjoy nature and 'let ourselves drift'.

At one point, he lets us out and we can explore the area a bit on foot. Huge jackfruits, papaya trees, chili bushes and of course palm trees.

We hop back into the boat and the next stop is a cocoa plantation. He takes us through and gradually explains how cocoa is made. We try the cocoa bean - the pulp, of course you can't eat the core, but it tastes totally sweet, a bit like mango. In the end, we get a cold cocoa and a shot of the juice used to make white chocolate, because it contains alcohol.

Back in the boat again, and our guide diligently supplies us with all sorts of fruits that I hadn't tried before, but are very tasty! No idea what they all were. And then we are generously gifted with jewelry that he secretly made for us. Incredibly good!!

Adorned and stuffed, we continue to a rice noodle factory. I already knew the procedure because Jule and I tried it once in Hoi An, but it's fine.

We don't want to miss a special dish that is apparently only available there and we are thrilled! On the way back, we enjoy another pineapple and mango, and then he surprises us! Our guide secretly created a work of art! The tour ends around 12:30 PM and I am happy. What a great day! So many impressions and much new learned and tried out.