The Mekong Delta

“The Mekong Delta is carpeted in a dizzying variety of greens. It's a water world that moves to the rhythms of the mighty Mekong” that is how the lonely planet describes the southern tip of Vietnam. A place filled with small villages and covered in lush forests. For us it was a refuge from the busy, well trodden paths of Ho Chi Minh City and the rest of the country.

We left Saigon on the ninth day of the year. The wheeled vessel that carried us to our next destination did not limit itself by transporting solely human cargo, but picked up a variety of oddly shaped parcels on the way. The journey was prolonged, due to countless stops, but ended right in front of our homestay (the bus company organized a car to take us there ). Ben Tre, the first stop on our journey though this jungle covered land, is a small itself unspectacular place. Arriving after the sun had disappeared behind the horizon, we instantaneously set out for the next quest: Dinner. We strolled through deserted streets, where the rows of houses were ever so often interrupted by a patch of forest, leaving us questioning whether anyone still lived further down that road, even as we walked towards the city center. It is well known that “help comes to those who ask for it” and our hobbit stomachs were definitely asking for it, So, it is no surprise that a nice, open, local restaurant appeared at the horizon. It was a merry place, filled with lovely Vietnamese, laughing, talking and teaching us the art of eating Banh Xeo. For those of you not so well traversed in the Vietnamese cuisine, It looks like a thin pancake, filled with shrimp, cheese and fresh sprouts. To eat them you take a large leaf, put a small piece of the Banh Xeo, a couple of mint leaves, fresh sprouts and optionally chili on top and roll it up. Then you dunk the roll in a for us unidentifiable liquid (there were pickled carrots in it) and try to eat it without making a mess of you and all your surroundings (we failed there). It was absolutely delicious, potentially earning the spot of the best food we've eaten in Vietnam so far. It helped that the atmosphere at the place was great as well, half the people cheered, when we handed the lady working there the right amount of money, having apparently discussed beforehand whether or not we understood the info given to us in sign language.

The next day the sun rose bright and early, letting us wake up in a room filled with clear sunlight. After a small, but tasty breakfast we ventured out to explore the surrounding area. Reminiscent of our most used mode of transport in our every day life, we set out, for the first time in our trip, by bike. Listening to good music, the wind in our hair we travelled over roads shaded by coconut and banana trees. The very kind lady in our homestay recommended some nice destinations we would stop by on the road. After a brief ferry ride we ended in a small café on an island in the middle of the river. Here, we relaxed in hammocks drinking iced tea and became friends with Boc. Boc is one of the living descendants of the dinosaurs and the pet of the kind owner of our resting place. While this place was nearly paradise, there was one vital aspect missing: there was no food available. So when we started craving lunch we said goodbye to Boc and whisked onwards in search of food. We were successful on the succeeding island where we found a place willing to make us soup. Replenished by Bun Bo we ventured on through jungles, over roaring rivers and across half build bridges. Finally we reached a coconut candy farm where we run into the private tour of a French family. Their guide just included us into this part of the tour. We got a glimpse into the traditional art of making coconut candy. We got to try a large variety of different flavors, got entertained with traditional music and ate fresh fruits. Just as the point arrived, where we started to worry that we might have to pay for joining the tour we said our goodbyes, swung on our bikes and ventured on through the greens of the jungle. This great day ended in the heart of Ben Tre where we dined upon a fresh, steaming bowl of pho, served to us on in a stone basin.

And then the road goes on. After breakfast the lady of our homestay and her father drove us to a corner, where the next bus to the next destination awaited us. So on to Can Tho. The capital of the region. The riverside inn we stayed in was a bit outside of the bustle of the city which we decided to explore on the following day. As our bodies are so used to new quests on foot, we could not just relax in our hostel for the rest of the day. Instead, after a tea and coffee in hammocks, we walked to a nearby ancient house from some mystical character (I forgot who and can’t be bothered to look it up). On the road we also found some ridiculously cheap bananas who have to come straight from the realm of the Valar… you cannot taste anything similar in Europe. Some time later with Com Tam for dinner and a nice walk back to our hostel, we were ready for bed.

We rose early next morning to explore Can Tho before we would venture further to Chao Doc. Ready for a new adventure we took a new mode of transportation. One we have travelled on with others before but never alone. Fueled by the burning of ancient Hydrocarbons we snaked our way through the chaotic structure of the Vietnamese traffic faster than a racing horse (at least in theory). In practice we managed not to crash the bike and arrive at our desired destinations: The first one the city center, at the riverfront. There we saw a nice temple, got ourselves ices teas and enjoyed them while watching the small boats floating over the water. The next destination was the floating market. I can imagine, that they are a piece of the river crammed with boats, on each one sits a vendor shouting to sell their goods. Well that’s what its like when you get there at 5 am. We did not. That’s very early. We came around midday and there were a few boats and mostly people selling pineapples. It was still nice to have been there.

We ventured back to our Hostel after lunch to be picked up by our bus, that will carry us to the next stop in the Mekong Delta: Chau Doc. A small city very close to the boarder to Cambodia and very much like the other cities we have seen in the Mekong Delta divided by a mighty river. The Hotel we stayed in was run by a very kind family. The last thing to mention for this day was dinner: we dined at a great street food stall, that served all kinds of tofu with noodles or rice. It was truly great. We searched for that place every following meal in Chau Doc, but sadly it was never open.

The next day we ventured out again. Once more on the two wheeled contraptions, so common on the south east Asian streets. Our first destination: Tra Su. Tra Su is a place shrouded in mystery, an ancient forest filled with flooded paths. On the way there we traveled past small villages and bright green rice fields. The only natural way of getting around Tra Su is by boat. The boat drifted through a canopy of waterlilies and other exotic plants. During raining season the whole forest becomes submerged, but the rainy season just passed we got the chance to see the intricate patterns formed by the roots, which would be hidden beneath the muddy waters during these times. Tra Su is not only a forest fit for any fantasy world, it is also a bird resort. We saw quite a few different herons and ducks. I am very sad to announce that we didn't spot the black-crowned night heron, that lives there. But that is a title I might have to steel. Another honorable mention, at least name wise, these birds didn't make an appearance either, is the lesser adjutant stork. Who names these birds? I love to talk to them, they sound like an interesting character. After a walk over a creaking bamboo bridge, we were convinced to just crash through them, we left Tra Su and drove on, in search of food. For the next part you need to understand, that the Vietnamese language is written in Latin letters, so we can read them! (That is a big thing). The only words we can actually understand are meals. So we enthusiastically stopped at a sign that proclaimed the adjacent store sold vegetarian rice (something we always crave, as we eat meat way to often). That we only understood half of the sign didn't bother us. It turned out to be some kind of charity and they really didn't want our money, no matter how much we insisted that we could pay them.

The next stop on our road was Sam Mountain. A lonely mountain in the middle of the rice field covered plain. Sam Mountain is a sacred place for Buddhists and covered with temples and pagodas. We ventured into a beautiful one half way up the mountain, offering us stunning views over the countryside and into Cambodia. The Temple was a labyrinth of small passages. I consistently expected to hit dead ends, which was true two out of three times, but the one other time the way snaked on through hidden caves and sacred halls.

At this point the afternoon sun relentlessly beat down on us and we decided to head back to our hotel. Spending the afternoon looking for breakfast for the next morning and drinking fresh orange juice. The next morning our paths separated. Julia ventured to a distant continent to claim the official title of master of war, while Sina travelled south, but that is a tale told elsewhere.