Friday, July 17th

We left the hotel at 7:30 am and arrived in the Mekong Delta (Vinh Long) at around 11am. Along the way, we passed many carrying their wares on their bikes, juggled in a way to carry as much as possible. Not even a large Canadian van could top some of these. We also passed a small water way with these beautiful Lily Pads growing in abundance. This memory will be scarred by the multiple men that stood by the side of the road peeing while on the other side many were washing and/or fishing for their family dinner, so you either pee or fish, either or. The Mekong Delta is an area which consists of small craft villages, mangrove swamps, island orchards and floating markets. As timing would have it, as we drove up, the rain came pouring down. No problem, since there were about 3.5 women just waiting to sell us rain ponchos. Nothing like going back to the 70's. The tour was amazing. Unfortunately due to the weather conditions, we didn't get to see the floating markets in it's full working capacity. We continued along the river with its murky waters until we reached a dock that was probably made sometime in the 1800's. To avoid the full impact of the rain, we ran inside, which still leaves to wonder, do you get wetter if you walk or run in the rain? Inside we were introduced to the business of popped rice. Everywhere you turned, there were people working hard to make the asian version of Rice Krispy Squares. We got a good taste and agreed it was delicious. It's amazing how these people don't let anything go to waste. They would put our recycling programs to shame. They use the rice husks to keep the fires going and the rice is used for many things...popped rice, regular rice, for fire, for compost and for fertilization...and the list goes on. We then headed down the river away from Cambodia and stopped at a restaurant in the middle of this amazon. There we sat for a typical Vietnamese fare of Elephant Ear Fish, Soup (with broth that was made from the water of the rivers), Pork (which at least that is what we were told it was) and fresh fruits. As we sat, trying hard to enjoy this authentic meal that was not going down as easily as we would have liked (and we aren't fussy people), this dog came up and urinated right beside us. Yes we did see a few dogs there, which we figured were just meals in waiting since that is a one of the meats served here in Vietnam. There has been a consistent stench that has been hitting the core of our stomachs and we finally found out what it was...Poly Jack Fruit. This porcupine shaped fruit, tastes as good as it smells, at least in our honest opinions. (Like dirty feet multipled many times over). Our next stop was an orchard island and we were introduced to the many fruit trees that thrive in the weather conditions of Vietnam. After some tea and fruit, we were on our way home. A 3 hour ride that left us in a huge traffic jam, surrounded by a herd of motorized bikes. We slept, we reminisced, laughed and Franca finally figured out what Reuben looks like...an asian baby version of David Carradine (with his hair do). We really do need to do something with his hair. Man, you would be proud, his hair is sort of long in the back, almost long enough for an elastic.