Mekong Delta

Today another long excursion - into the lives of those that live around the Mekong Delta.

First however we got another glimpse into the juxtaposition of Vietnamese life, in Saigon in particular - with the corrugated iron shacks of the poor on the river banks almost alongside the still beautiful French style villas of the nouveau rich.

In the rice paddies there was good confirmation that the traditional conical hats are still in popular use, and not just a tourist trap :D

The delta itself was fascinating, from the river house fish farms (only $7000 for house and income ;p), the abject size of the river,  through to the villagers plying their trades. In particular we stopped for a visit at a coconut candy manufacturer before heading on horse and buggy to a honey tea house for refreshments and songs. Needed a bit more warning on the buggy acceleration though with us close to toppling off the back at first! Certainly not the same as a water buffalo. Oh and the kids were thrilled at being conned into wearing a python ;D

Brought back to our boat by Sampan it was amazing to watch the effectiveness of the strange backwards strokes, but a nice trip either way.

A huge feast closed out our time in the Delta - including the highly recommended Elephant fish (that the kids got to feed first...)!