Mekong River Delta

After spending much of yesterday in the city center, today was dedicated to learning more about the culture of southern Vietnam and seeing the nature of the Mekong River Delta using as many different forms of transportation as possible. 

We started by taking a bus with our small tour group one and a half hours south from Ho Chi Minh City while our guide, Phat, told us about the history and culture of the region. 

Our first stop was the Vinh Trang Pagoda, where we saw three Buddhas (happy Buddha, sleeping Buddha, and the Buddha to honor our ancestors). We were also privileged to witness the monks as they conducted their midday prayers. 

Next, we took a small boat across the river to an island where we first had some honey tea and watched a performance from local musicians. Then, we walked over to the honey farm and met some of its occupants. 

After that, we visited a coconut plantation and saw how they turned the fallen coconuts into very tasty candy. Following the candy sampling, we wandered to the edges of the complex where, for some ungodly reason, they decided to keep two pythons named Tony as pets...

After that, we took an even smaller boat to our lunch destination, deeper in the heart of the island, accessible by narrow canals. 

After a big, and very tasty Vietnamese lunch, we strolled around the crocodile farm and realized they also kept porcupines. The crocs moved just enough to convince us they were still alive but the porcupines were eagerly scurrying around the cage, trying to enlist our help in their escape. 

Upon successful porcupine rescue (just kidding), we boarded an even smaller boat called a sampan and rowed through even narrower canals. Simon showed off his hard earned summer camp canoeing skills while the rest of the boat lounged deservedly. 

Finally, we hopped on the back of a pickup truck - a tuk tuk - to make our way back to the coconut plantation, all the while dodging rogue branches and aggressive leaves. It was a blast zooming past the locals and sharing the streets with them. 

After a long and busy day on the delta, it was time to get back on the largest of our boats and float across the Mekong, enjoying some fresh coconut water and learning about the local fish farming practices. 

While on the bus back to our hotel, we managed to catch a few moments of shut eye,  and, even after 11 hours of sleep last night. But we both woke up in time to see the Russian roulette traffic game that is Ho Chi Minh City driving. 

Now, we've had another delicious dinner (apparently it's hard to find a bad meal here!) and are looking forward to visiting museums tomorrow before our flight!