Mekong Delta - Coconuts and Grilled Rats

From Ho Chi Minh, we book a two-day trip to the Mekong Delta. We are very excited to get out into nature after spending so much time in the big city. We are armed with mosquito repellent and hats.

The starting point is the travel agency where we booked the tour. But there are many other people here who are also being transported in different directions. However, we find our bus and it's time to head towards the Mekong. Once we reach the river, we get off the bus and board a boat. We sail across a very wide section of the river before turning into one of the canals lined with countless coconut palms. The water is brown and opaque, and we don't see any fish. But we do see the occasional plastic bag floating by. Then we reach our first stop: a coconut candy factory. The hardworking employees show us how to expertly open and peel a coconut using a spear-like tool stuck in the ground. There are also various other tools for pressing. We get to taste and of course buy the finished candies. They are delicious. Not so delicious is the snake wine that is also sold here. At least it doesn't look very appetizing...

Then we have delicious local fruits with chili salt. Lisa is particularly fond of the combination of pineapple and chili salt. But the fresh mangoes taste a thousand times better than the ones in our German supermarket. Delicious! There is also a traditional music performance. The music is a bit unfamiliar to us, as it is not always melodic, and unfortunately we don't understand why the singer seems to be in pain. However, we do understand how little money the singers and musicians earn from their work here, so we gladly give them a tip.

Now it's back to the boat until we transfer again. This time we transfer in groups of four into small boats. To protect ourselves from the hot midday sun, we wear traditional conical hats. It's so nice to sail through the canals like this. Around us are palm trees, below us is the Mekong River, and above us is the bright blue sky. It's just as we imagined. The good thing is that there are no other tourists in sight except us, so everything is very relaxed. The bad thing is that the ride in the mini-boat is unfortunately too short. We go back to the larger boat and continue to lunch.

Two Vietnamese couples sit at our table: a very nice older couple who immigrated to Belgium 40 years ago, and another couple who have a friendly conversation with us about our trip and Vietnam. When they realize that the tour organizer forgot to inform the restaurant that Lisa is a vegetarian, they ask the kind ladies to bring enough vegetarian food. Lisa seems to be very hungry because more and more spring rolls, soup, vegetables, and tofu are brought to the table. But calling this place a "restaurant" is not quite right; we are in the middle of nature on a small farm, sitting at wooden tables, and the ladies of the house cook for us - very very delicious!!

After a satisfying meal, we board the tour bus again, which will take us to our hotel. We are curious. However, we drive out of the green countryside and into a larger city. Our hotel is quite fancy but very remote. However, we will be picked up again for dinner, and afterwards we will go for drinks at the waterfront promenade. Blanca, a girl from Germany, has joined us, and our Vietnamese friends from lunch really want to treat us to a meal because we are guests in their country. How sweet!

The next morning, a huge breakfast buffet awaits us - a dream! Fresh fruit, coffee, juices, pancakes, toast, rolls, etc. Finally something different from eggs! Then we drive back into the rustic delta, with its palm trees and small canals. We sail to one of the floating markets. There are all kinds of boats around us, all loaded with fruits, vegetables, or other goods. It's a beautiful sight.

After the floating market, we go back into the canals of the delta, where we rent bicycles to explore the area. Unfortunately, the bikes are all a bit small and old, but we bravely pedal with them. Our route takes us along narrow paths, past the daily life and private homes, small houses, and yards of the locals. We occasionally have to dodge a family of chickens or make way for incoming scooters. Dishwashing is often done on the riverbank. Unfortunately, we also pass several garbage dumps here in the middle of nature. One of them presents a particularly contrasting image, as it seems to be a disposal site for old televisions. The cemetery of CRT TVs, surrounded by palm trees. We make a stop at a small temple before returning to the bicycle rental.

In the courtyard of the bike rental shop, there is also a very special barbecue. Frogs, snakes, insects, and rats are thrown on the grill. Some are still alive, some are already dead. Lisa is not at all thrilled about this barbecue and quickly retreats. Sebastian's appetite is also not stimulated by this barbecue, so we prefer to wait for lunch.

For the final part of the tour, we have lunch at a restaurant right on the riverbank. Our Vietnamese friend from the previous day, who was so concerned about our well-being, asks us to join his table and invites us, together with his friend, to order whatever our hearts desire. Vietnamese hospitality. We feel honored and order some vegetarian dishes shyly. Beer cans are passed to us one after another, and we toast between every bite. The men have another reason for this trip - they are meeting their old university professor here. Of course, we are introduced to him and numerous photos are taken. A fun and truly beautiful end to our tour before the bus takes us back to Ho Chi Minh.