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At a shop along the Mekong River we get to sample various products produced by our busy friends including honey tea. Here we also learn about the health benefits of pollen and other extracts made from the never ending work of bees.
However, the best experience of this visit is a pressing one as my finger is carefully guided into an active hive of bees.
A taste of honey (boogie, oogie). Nice, fresh, right from the lips of bees. Ummmmmmmm!
As I look out across the rapidly following brown waters of the Mekong River, I see we will face many formidable enemies on our adventure this afternoon.
The river is filled with crocodiles although these ones have distorted faces with no mouths and are powered by petrol.
A custom here for those who own boats and travel these waters is to paint a mouthless crocodile on the bow of their vessels. This is meant to ward off harm from the real Mekong River crocodiles as a “mouthless croc” is all bark and no bite.
We leave port on one of these mouthless crocodiles then it is a group version of “Row, row, row your boat ….. “ as we are soon experiencing life again on the Mekong River and Mekong Delta.
Flag poles at the front of the boats advertise the merchandise for sale.
Sometimes there are whole families that live on these boats earning an existence traveling up and down the Mekong.
Interestingly many of the boats have altars on them which are marked with red paint. These altars are used for worship and women are prohibited from entering this area of the boat.
Arriving a little later than we expected, a tour guide shows up where we are waiting to be picked up for our day trip to the Mekong Delta. Apparently the street we are waiting on is too congested for the bus to navigate so we must walk a short distance where it is waiting for us.
A few more stops at other hotels and we are eventually on our way through the slums of Ho Chi Minh City headed to the National Highway.
We are told about traditional Vietnamese burials which requires a double burial that is done above ground. The second burial occurs after the body has decayed to just bones. These bones are recovered by a male member of the family and ceremonially cleansed before being reburied on family land.
Wanting to blend in, I drive a hard bargain to get us a pair of Miss Saigon and Mr. Mekong Delta Mafia hats. Apparently, Miss Saigon drives a lot tougher bargain than the Godfather because she is quick to let me know that she thinks I overpaid for the deal. I should have made them an offer they could not refuse like $0.75 for two hats instead of $1.00.
I sure hope the locals don't think the Godfather has gone soft.
As we wait in the early morning to be picked up for our tour of the Mekong Delta, we get an entertaining look at a Vietnamese style of chicken in a basket.
Sitting on the entrance steps of a local hotel, we watch as an employee begins the day by setting some chicken feed on the ground and placing an open ended basket over it. A hen is then brought from somewhere inside the hotel and placed inside the basket.
Not quite sure what to do, he goes stir crazy circling the basket.
I am not sure if he is just trying to impress the chick inside or if he is trying to execute a “Joshua at Jericho” maneuver.
Either way, it's somewhat hysterical.
The activity in the market area is winding down for the evening as I imagine the light falling rain has discouraged many from venturing out for the evening. However, there are still a few merchants and food vendors that are prepared for whatever mother nature has to offer.
At one vendor we stop to have another sampling of a dish we took a liking to in Hanoi, fried corn.
As we continue walking the area the rain intensity increases and it brings out the umbrella hawkers. Not being the umbrella type we have no interest in buying one but we are thoroughly entertained by watching a sale being made.
You see, the seller is no ordinary salesperson. Her style and charisma would have an Eskimo buying a refrigerator.
“If you take two, I give you a good price.” Who can resist such a deal from a nine year old?
Under the cover of a make shift street restaurant recommended by a nine year old, we watch as the skies open up and the rain comes down in buckets. Fortunately, this does not last too long and we are able to enjoy an affordable dinner including “Bone Cha” and a few Bier 333.
We are still in need of accommodations for the next few nights in Saigon and end up booking a room online at Tan Hai Long Hotel And Spa located at District 1 near Ben Thanh Market. Tan Hai location makes it ideal for us to get there from the airport, we think.
In search of transportation to our hotel, we leave the airport building close to 6pm. An almost not surprising light rain is falling as we bargain with a few taxi cab drivers for a reasonable fare into town.
I do not know if it is because of the rain or because they could tell we are foreigners despite my best “Sin Cho” but the prices are double what we expected. It is time to at least explore other options.
Not far from the taxi stand we spot a local parked bus and head that way. We are waved off as we approach the bus driver and we soon realize that “Ralph Camden” is done with passengers for the day. The last direct bus from the airport to Ben Thanh Market stops at 6pm.
Fortunately, this bus driver is more accommodating and gives us a good plan to get to Ben Thanh.
Using his best English, he tells us he will take us outside of the airport for about US$0.50 to another bus stop where we can transfer to a direct Ben Thanh Market bus. So far, what a deal compared to a US$25 inflated taxi cab fare.
The rain has picked up pace as we leave the bus at a stop somewhere along a busy highway that makes us feel like we are still in Hanoi minus one or two beep, beeps. It is not long before our connecting bus arrives and we are enjoying the scenery of Saigon at night like locals.
We do stand out on the bus and get a few curious stares as more local passengers board the bus. However, we also manage to get a smile or two probably for our courage or insanity to ride the bus which hopefully is not known here as “The Flying Coffin” like in Hanoi.
We are at the Ben Thanh Bus Station. Not quite sure where our hotel is from here as Ben Thanh Market is a huge square complex, we set out in search of Tan Hai Long.
As luck would have it, leaving the bus station staring down at us like a huge sore thumb is a lighted sign. However, there is only one of many small problems between us and it. Beep, beep, beep, we must now navigate across a busy intersection to get to our destination.
It is a good thing we had a lot of practice in Hanoi if not we may not have made it across the street to Tan Hai Long Hotel in one piece. All in all a great experience from the airport to our hotel for US$0.75 per person, a grand total of US$1.50.
Leaving our backpacks behind, it is time to check out the Ben Thanh Night Market.
A forty minute drive from our hotel, The Rising Dragon and we arrive back at the Hanoi Airport. In about two hours we will be heading south to Saigon, Ho Chi Minh International Airport.
As we wait to board our Jetstar flight we enjoy most of our lunch from the local airport restaurant. It is difficult to go wrong with a selection of noodle soup or fried rice but your beverage choice may be another thing.
Well if it is a Winter Melon Tea, you might want to think twice unless you like drinking acetone.
Luckily, you can always find a Coke about anywhere in the world. Today, I am happy for the first time to use one as a chaser.
Surviving my battle with Wonderfarm, we are soon en route to a destination in Vietnam I am really looking forward to. As we begin our initial approach into Ho Chi Minh City, thousands of feet below us is a green landscape with brown rivers in almost all directions.
Closer to landing the ground becomes densely covered with tightly squeezed building that tells much about the population below us.
.
We are ready to explore more of country that so far has been a touching and moving experience.
I am told, “The heat is on in Saigon.”
