20. Mekong Delta

One night in Ha Tien and a bus journey to Can Tho was the plan for the next day, with the four girls who were all travelling in the same direction. The Mekong Delta is the rice bowl of Vietnam..... And as on all our journeys we passed through many paddy fields verdant green, dotted with small graves, presumably family graves on family land. The delta must have change dramatically over the past few years with the building of many bridges, large and small, and some huge toll bridges linking communities which previously would have been dependant on ferries and their own boats to get from one place to another. The amount of water depends on the seasons. This is the dry season but still the area of water is vast....

We thought we had booked a 5 hour tourist mini bus trip but it turned into an 8 hour journey on a local bus.... And what a journey! Packed to the gunwhales and more people still trying (and succeeding!) to get on.... Plastic stools in the aisle for people to squat on, along with boxes, chickens, a puppy, lots of chat and laughter. Boxes, push bikes, luggage on the roof and under the bus. When people wanted to get off they mostly climbed out of the window as the best means of escape....

This man squatted in the aisle next to me. I realised that he had a cockrell in his bag when it tried to escape but it was firmly put back in its place in the bag!

We were travelling a few days before the Tet Chinese New Year celebrations, and people were already on the move to see family and taking presents with them, including chickens...!

Eventually we arrived in Can Tho in the delta, and this lovely lady helped us find some rooms... Cheap cheap! And good good! With both air con and hot water, two luxuries none of us had had for quite a few days!

Can Tho is noted for its floating market, so we all booked to go the next morning at 5.30... 

Sunrise over the river...

Early morning coffee deliverd to our boat...

The locals selling their wares. It was very much a local market with no tourist hassle...

They hang some of their produce up on poles so people can see what they are selling... Cabbages, carrots, bananas, pineapple.....

With the girls...

The next day the 5 of us booked to go by mini bus to Ben Tre, still in the delta. But we were dropped off on the outskirts of My Tho, at a roundabout. Luckily someone spoke English and after a taxi ride we were dropped of in the town and found a hotel....cheap cheap and clean clean yay! 

Lunch beckoned so we found a local cafe for Pho soup.... And soon we were the celebrities of the town! Word got around and everyone came out to meet us, shake our hands, wish us Chuc Mung Nam Moi... Happy New Year! They brought fruit for us to have, their children to wave to us, the volume was turned up and the party got into full swing!

The place was empty when we arrived....! I don't think they get foreigners very often. That was a lunchtime to treasure....