After several local buses, a taxi ride, and about 30 minutes of confused wandering, we found the correct bus to take us to My Tho, a city at the top of the Mekong Delta. As we arrived at the station, the bus had just pulled out on its way to My Tho. Luckily, the bus pulled over and let us on. This did not turn out to be the act of charity that we originally guessed but instead a chance for the bus driver--outside of the constraints of his supervisors--to attempt to extort us. When we were seated, the bus driver's assistant (read: minion) came back and told us the two-hour ride would cost us each $10. After refusing to pay, as we knew the price to actually be $1, the bus driver pulled over on the side of the road, came to the back of the bus, and verbally assaulted us for a good 5 minutes. We repeatedly told him that we would just like to get off of the bus, but the driver and his minion blocked the aisle, keeping us trapped on the bus. As the stress ramped up and physical confrontation inevitably drew nearer, the bus driver began literally barking at us, and stormed off of the bus. Needless to say, every single person on the bus was simply staring at us. However, at this point a second bus minion had boarded, and our path off still remained blocked. Eventually, about 10 minutes later, we were simply told that paying $1 would be acceptable, and the bus took off again, as if nothing had happened. Though we had 'won,' the intense anger mixed with both the heat and the smells made for a very long bus ride.
Even though our bus was full when it left the station, we picked up countless locals along the way who took a seat in the aisle.
When we arrived in My Tho, we discovered that there was not much to do there, and that we would have access to a lot more activities on the delta if we continued west for another few hours to Can Tho. Since the day had already been consumed by bus rides, we decided just to lump all of the travel together and head up to Can Tho that same night. As soon as we got in we booked a sunrise tour of the floating markets for the following day, found some food, and went to bed. What a loooong day.
At least there was an amazing view!
The next day we rose at 5 AM and headed down to the docks on the Mekong. As we motored upstream the sun rose to our left, casting beautiful colors across the sky and river. After about an hour we arrived at the first market, which was alive and bustling despite the ungodly time of day. The vendors of the floating markets act collectively as the wholesaler of fruits and vegetables to the city of Can Tho (pop. 1.4 million). Farmers sell in bulk to these market vendors, who sell in lesser bulk to the local boat owners, who go ashore and sell to the various vendors in markets all over town. This is why the market takes place at such an early hour: by the time the locals buy their vegetables in the morning, they have been bought and sold three separate times already that day! To advertise their goods, the floating market vendors attach their fruits and vegetables to poles, which they raise above their boats like giant antennas. It's old fashioned, but gets the point across!
Sunrise on the Mekong.
Two boats trading goods. (Side note: That thing sticking off the boat on the right is the motor's propeller. Safe? No.)
The boat on the left had a ton to sell! Based on their "food flag" they were selling watermelon, carrots, onions, and potatoes.
After the first market, we continued upstream to the second floating market. On the way there, we stopped off at a local noodle-making farm. We were given a full tour of the noodle-making process, which might sound a bit dull, but since 75% or our meals consist of these noodles, it hit close to home. After leaving the farm, we then arrived at the second market, which was much like the first, but slower because it was later in the morning. Three hours into our trip, it was 8:30 and the markets were already dying down.
They cook (steam) the noodle-paste on these circular
stoves. They then lay them out to dry in the sun (on bamboo mats seen in the background), and after that cut them into strips. Yum!
At the second market. Our guide got us some "pineapple lollypops" from one of the vendors.
Cruising along the Mekong.
When we stopped for lunch, our guide grabbed a water snake for us to check out. Apparently they're not venomous... We hope.
When we arrived back at the city around 1:30 PM, we spent some time just walking around, and finally made it back to our hostel to catch the 4:00 PM bus up to Chau Doc, the final city in the Mekong Delta before crossing into Cambodia.
After an early morning and a long day, Preston passes out (i.e. cocoons himself) in the hostel hammock.
We found Chau Doc a bit too dirty and sketchy for our liking (full of Lady-Boys). We decided to book a boat trip to Cambodia for the following morning. One plus side of this boat trip was that it began with a stop at the local fish farms, where we saw how most of the fish we have been eating are caught.
The "slow boat" we took to Cambodia.
Fish farm! This is on the porch of a floating house. The whole underside of the house is caged to hold the hundreds of fish.
Jessica heading to a Cham village we also visited.
Though marketed as a passage from Vietnam to Cambodia, the boat trip acted more like a tour of the Vietnamese and Cambodian countrysides. Over the course of 8 hours the boat meandered up the Mekong River, giving us ample time to watch the country people farm and fish, as their children ran along side the boat screaming 'Hello!' The kids were so excited to see us that many of them performed tricks to impress us. (see below)
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