We hired a guide and driver to take us to the Mekong Delta from Saigon. This was pricier than going with a big organized group but nice because we could be flexible and not have to worry about other people. We're selfish like that. We were also glad because our guide was awesome and funny. I couldn't tell a joke in French to save my life but he kept us laughing over the entire 2 days. He began by telling us that vegetarians can eat extremely well in the Mekong Delta. I'm like, oh, because of all the amazing vegetables and produce? And he explained, with a completely straight face, that rats in the Mekong feast on rice in the fields and are therefore "vegetarian" - meaning vegetarians can eat them with no worries.
Anyway, we drove about 3 hours outside of the city and then abandoned the car to explore the area by boat. The Mekong River has created a maze of canals throughout this area, so the canals are like streets, and everyone gets around by boat.
The Mekong river is the lifeblood of Southern Vietnam; almost every part of the economy depends in part on the river. Our guide told us this is the lushest and most fertile part of Vietnam and the best produce is grown here, especially rice. And it's known for its fish of course! This is a crispy fried elephant ear fish. He was delicious when wrapped in rice paper with pineapple and herbs. Yum!
Our guide told us that, until about 10 years ago, everyone navigated the river by taking advantage of the ebb and flow of the tides, as below:
Eventually, however, motorized boats started to show up and now they are everywhere.
Mark and I agreed that we could totally imagine American GI's cruising through the canals on the lookout for VC snipers and stuff. It was enough to make Mark wish he had put the Forrest Gump soundtrack on my ipod.
Most people spend the night in Can Tho so you can wake up at 5 AM to go to the floating markets at dawn. The river is completely packed with vendors selling their wares: primarily produce and some seafood. There are also vendors hawking to the vendors: bowls of noodles, beer, coke, and other snacks.
The day before, I was all "this place is so rustic and quiet and what a slow, beautiful way of life!" I changed my mind when we saw the markets (both floating and not floating). They're bustling and crazy and loud and filled with crazy things I couldn't even begin to identify. I kind of loved it, except for the part where chickens were running about scaring me with their potential bird flu germs.
At one market, we saw some guys making puffed rice by heating white rice grains in a giant cast iron wok with oil and sand. And what do you do with puffed rice?
Make Vietnamese rice crispie treats of course!
We had a sample. It was flavored with coconut milk and vanilla rather than marshmallow. I liked it!
Up next: driving up to the coast to Mui Ne and Nha Trang.
Our guide told us that, until about 10 years ago, everyone navigated the river by taking advantage of the ebb and flow of the tides, as below:
Eventually, however, motorized boats started to show up and now they are everywhere.
Mark and I agreed that we could totally imagine American GI's cruising through the canals on the lookout for VC snipers and stuff. It was enough to make Mark wish he had put the Forrest Gump soundtrack on my ipod.
Most people spend the night in Can Tho so you can wake up at 5 AM to go to the floating markets at dawn. The river is completely packed with vendors selling their wares: primarily produce and some seafood. There are also vendors hawking to the vendors: bowls of noodles, beer, coke, and other snacks.
The day before, I was all "this place is so rustic and quiet and what a slow, beautiful way of life!" I changed my mind when we saw the markets (both floating and not floating). They're bustling and crazy and loud and filled with crazy things I couldn't even begin to identify. I kind of loved it, except for the part where chickens were running about scaring me with their potential bird flu germs.
At one market, we saw some guys making puffed rice by heating white rice grains in a giant cast iron wok with oil and sand. And what do you do with puffed rice?
Make Vietnamese rice crispie treats of course!
We had a sample. It was flavored with coconut milk and vanilla rather than marshmallow. I liked it!Up next: driving up to the coast to Mui Ne and Nha Trang.
2 comments:
you did not eat any chicken while you were there? BLASPHEMY!! (ps i changed from cheeny_pepper). I hope you squawked back at the birds.
Yes, I did eat (cooked) chicken. I just didn't want to make friends with live chickens at the market.
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