Thanks to Gloria's suggestion, Diana and I took a day trip to the Mekong Delta. We were both pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the tour. Our driver picked us up at Gloria and Keith's and we drove about 2 hours to Cai Be to catch a boat. The Mekong Delta is very fertile for growing tropical fruits and flowers. There are many farmers selling produce on boats or the 'floating markets'. The Delta has a vast network of canals and channels which we were able to get a taste of on our boat tour. We stopped at multiple places to visit local cottage industries to see how cocunut candy, puffed rice and rice paper are made. Another stop included a mini concert of traditional music and a sampling of delicious tropical fruits. We had lunch at a local garden restaurant and had elephant fish. The last stop included a visit to a brick and pottery kiln. The tour was so interesting and the island was so lush and beautiful. It's funny as I was so determined to follow my travel guides suggestion to avoid all raw vegetables and fruits that are not peeled. I was pretty diligent the first day especially after my week of illness but it was so easy to throw all the rules out the window with this tour. The fruits and food were just too enticing and so far I'm feeling pretty good. You only live once right? In general the food in Vietnam is delicious and so cheap. I am having a delightful time!
Selling fruit, Our tour guides
Making puffed rice, Making rice paper, Sampling local candies
Traditional music, Rambutan fruit - delicious!!
Our lunch of elephant fish
Sipping coconut juice on the boat
