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| The famed Mekong River Delta, Vietnam |
My arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon and HCMC) Vietnam several days ago was marked with an air of excitement, a new currency system (the Dong as well as the US dollar), cooler weather than Thailand (it actually rained a bit) and an insanely large of motorbikes and scooters.
The motorbike riders are the top of the food-chain when it comes to road users here. They fill up all the spaces between the trucks, cars and other vehicles and outnumber them greatly. They just look like a massive motorcycle gang. At first it can be intimidating crossing the road with hundreds of them coming at you in both directions but once you summon the courage to start moving they part as if you're moving through water. Its the cars, trucks and buses you should watch for.
With that number of motorbikes and the soundtrack of a busy metropolis playing 24/7 it seemed about time to get out of the city and explore. A day-trip to the Mekong Delta, in the southwest of Vietnam seemed the perfect option ($8USD or 168,000 VND).
About 20 minutes south on the bus toward the city of My Tho and the crowds of motorbikes thins out and to a trickle and the greenery takes over. Its almost serene and peaceful - until a pothole jolts you back to reality.
Upon reaching My Tho we jump on a boat to cruise around the delta visiting three islands - Unicorn Island, Phoenix Island and Dragon Island - be warned, none of these islands contain unicorns, dragons or phoenixes as their names suggest.
Most of these island hopping stops are just elaborate sales pitches - the first was for honey, the second, coconut candy and other knick knacks - but we did do some interesting things which were not on the itinerary; both of which involved snakes.
During our honey tasting session, one of the waitresses brings out her "friend" - a two-metre long python for people to hold and (obviously) take photos with. The sensation of feeling a snake that size and that heavy tensing up and starting to constrict is not the most pleasant of experiences. "Don't worry, it's my friend" the girl says. It may be YOUR friend, but its not mine! I think to myself. A little freaked out and with photos to prove it we move on. And quick.
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| A waitress brings out a Python during a day trip to the Mekong River Delta |
A large, unlabeled, dusty jar filled with a yellow liquid and dead, coiled snakes is our next encounter. "Snake wine", says our guide Pho, "is good for your insides". He rubs his belly as he speaks. Small, dusty bottles of the supposedly healthy liquid, with a small snake and scorpion inside, sit on a table for sale. It smells a bit like vodka and Chinese rice wine. Tastes a bit like vodka, too (and probably would taste alright with a mixer). My insides feel no different.
Cruising along the brown Mekong river and the palms growing along its shores, you kind of get a sense of, as my friend Ian put it, being an American GI going into the harshest environment known to man (at the time of the Vietnam war).
Only 40 years on and the river has more tourist boats and fishing boats than gun boats.
The bus ride back to HCMC seems to take less time than getting to My Tho and with a lot more potholes. Soon enough we're back into the heart of the city. We walk across the road to the hostel and we glide through the traffic like a boat on up the Mekong River.
