The Mekong River stats in the Tibetan Plateau and runs through China’s Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and end in the Vietnam Mekong Delta where it empties into the South China sea. It is the river of boundaries. Many people crossed the Mekong to flee political persecution or for economic reasons. While living in Thailand, I have met people who crossed the Mekong fleeing their homeland for a new life. I learned that in Vietnam it is called, “Cuu Long, which means Nine Dragons, for the nine mouths’ that flow from, this great river to the sea.
One of the places that I wanted to visit was the Mekong delta. It is called the “fruit basket” of Vietnam. A country girl at heart, cities are fascinating but I always try to visit the outlining areas of the places that I have the opportunity to visit to get a small sense for life outside the city. So, after spending a two days in Saigon, I was eager to get to the country. I hired a tour guide and off Laura and I went. After 1 ½ hour drive south of Ho Chi Minh City we arrived at our starting point. Laura and I boarded a river boat that would take us down the Mekong to visit some of the unique places on the river’s delta.
Our first stop was to the home of a family with a working orchard. It is not life orchards in America, it is small and in the middle of a bamboo and coconut jungle. We tasted fruits that are grown on the orchard, mango, papaya, rose apple, water coconut, and pineapple. The fruit was so fresh, the pineapple tasted different then the Thailand variety, which I prefer). Everything in their house was made from the coconut tree, they do know how to use what they have.
Next we took a “cart” ride through the village. The Vietnamese in that area still live simple lives, except they have cell phones! It is pretty funny to watch them squat next to the road talking on the phone. We stopped by a honey farm, the bees are different then the honey bees we have in the states, they are smaller and not aggressive. The hive keepers wear no protection when changing the hive boxes. Laura and I then took a small canal boat ride back to the larger river – it was a woman’s duty to row the small boat, they do it standing up in the back.
Once we were transfer back to the larger river boat we went to a coconut candy factory, which was no factory at all – but a small family business. I ask our guide if there were others and he said yes, but this family makes the best. I of course had to sample and then walked away with a few packages.
 |
| Coconut Milk and Sugar being mixed together |
 |
| Cooking the mix...can you smell the coconut! |
 |
| Must wrap to unwrap to eat! |
We then made our way back up the river and to our tradional Vietnamese lunch! Not sure we ate much, as it starred at us!
 |
| Rice field with family tomb |
Our driver and guide accommodated me on the way back to our hotel by stopping so that I could take a picture of the beautiful rice fields. Vietnam is the second largest exporter of rice in the world, Thailand being the first. It is not uncommon here to find right in the middle of their rice fields to have the tombs of their ancestors. They believe that ancestors should be buried on their land as they will then watch over and protect the crops and bring the family prosperity. I love how the Asian culture reveres their ancestors and honors them. I wish that was a part of American culture.
It was a wonderful day for this country girl.
The Mekong River stats in the Tibetan Plateau and runs through China’s Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and end in the Vietnam Mekong Delta where it empties into the South China sea. It is the river of boundaries. Many people crossed the Mekong to flee political persecution or for economic reasons. While living in Thailand, I have met people who crossed the Mekong fleeing their homeland for a new life. I learned that in Vietnam it is called, “Cuu Long, which means Nine Dragons, for the nine mouths’ that flow from, this great river to the sea.
One of the places that I wanted to visit was the Mekong delta. It is called the “fruit basket” of Vietnam. A country girl at heart, cities are fascinating but I always try to visit the outlining areas of the places that I have the opportunity to visit to get a small sense for life outside the city. So, after spending a two days in Saigon, I was eager to get to the country. I hired a tour guide and off Laura and I went. After 1 ½ hour drive south of Ho Chi Minh City we arrived at our starting point. Laura and I boarded a river boat that would take us down the Mekong to visit some of the unique places on the river’s delta. 
Our first stop was to the home of a family with a working orchard. It is not life orchards in America, it is small and in the middle of a bamboo and coconut jungle. We tasted fruits that are grown on the orchard, mango, papaya, rose apple, water coconut, and pineapple. The fruit was so fresh, the pineapple tasted different then the Thailand variety, which I prefer). Everything in their house was made from the coconut tree, they do know how to use what they have.
Next we took a “cart” ride through the village. The Vietnamese in that area still live simple lives, except they have cell phones! It is pretty funny to watch them squat next to the road talking on the phone. We stopped by a honey farm, the bees are different then the honey bees we have in the states, they are smaller and not aggressive. The hive keepers wear no protection when changing the hive boxes. Laura and I then took a small canal boat ride back to the larger river – it was a woman’s duty to row the small boat, they do it standing up in the back. 
1 comment:
Was the coconut candy so delicious? I can't believe they call that a factory. It pretty much looks like someone's front yard.
Post a Comment