6/27: Besides eating, I had to get a bit of exploring in around Saigon – so Sunny and I booked a tour to the Mekong Delta, the very flat, and very green network of streams and rivers south of the city.
First – it has to be said... Vietnam makes it extremely easy to travel, sometimes almost too easy. There are tours for every possible itinerary under the sun, and they are all for ridiculously low prices that it would cost 3X as much to see only half the sites on your own.
Sooo, a group tour it was.
We started with a boat trip up the river, and it quickly became apparent that the Mekong is the commercial lifeline meets interstate 5, with all sorts of boats filling the waterway:
Basically, our tour took us to a few islands where contrived or not, we got to at least get a taste of what life outside the city is like... from making honey:
...sampling the amazingly not-horrible snake wine:
...and rowing around the canals, to visit a working coconut candy factory. The tastes ranged from peanuts to chocolate, but remind me a lot of very chewy taffy. The unique thing is that the owners chose not to automate the process, to keep the villagers employed.
Our lunch stop was an indifferent meal, but it did have the bonus of a water buffalo outside, keeping cool in the heat... I'm guessing the whole 'rope through your nose' thing won't catch on with the SF hipster community.
We also got the chance to take out some very decrepit bikes for a spin in the back roads of the island. It's counter-intuitive, but cycling actually keeps you cooler than just sitting in the shade.
… no real sites of note, but we did get to participate in our own real-life propoganda poster:
Then it was back to Saigon, for *sigh* yet more gin & tonics, as I am worryingly starting to sound a bit too fond of these guys, and a HUGE meal at an upscale place. From banana leaf salad, to grilled eel, and chili baby squid, we ate, gorged, and basically wreaked havoc on our table, until we had to waddle back. What a meal...
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