WATERWORLD

DAY 60: Mekong Delta

I knew it would be a pretty sleepless night, but when the cockerel started crowing at 3.40am it was a bit of a joke. Finally got some proper sleep about 10 minutes before we had to wake up.

We had a quick breakfast on the lawn at 6am, said goodbye to our hosts, who had the most adorable toddler daughter, then made our way to the first of our boats for the day. We had to catch a small boat out in to the middle of the Mekong then wait on the water for a fast boat to pick us up. When it arrived it was a covered speed boat that sat low in the water, with everyone sat close together inside. The low roof had all the bags on top and it only had a small rail to keep them from falling off. I was convinced someone was going to lose one.

We arrived at Can Tho City after a really smooth 20 minute journey, where we then boarded a private boat that would take us to the floating market. As we approached the hundreds of fruit and veg market boats in the middle of the water, we joked about whether they'd have a coffee boat. No sooner had we said the word coffee, a man in a boat pulled up alongside ours with loads of hot coffee for sale. We couldn't believe it. It was like a floating Starbucks, but with fewer choices to make. The only option was a small Vietnamese hot coffee with ice in. Nice.

We then visited a pineapple boat and had some freshly cut in front of us. You can tell which boat sells what fruit or veg as they hang samples of stock from their masts; advertising at its most basic. The market starts in the dark at 4am as it's primarily a wholesale market, so stall owners can visit early enough to get their stock for the day.

After exiting the market we continued up the river and stopped at an inlet to see rice noodles and rice paper being made. The batter for the paper is poured on to huge muslins (not to be confused with Muslims apparently) over a big saucepan like a pancake, then put on a big bamboo ladder-type structure to dry in the sun.

The Vietnamese are so resourceful too. They use the rice grain shell as fire fuel then use the leftover charcoal as fertiliser. Out towards the back of this tiny operation there were some pigs and a tiny piglet squeaking away. One of the pigs decided to wee on another's head, which he seemed to like. Gross!

Waiting for our boat we spotted a 6ft python in a cage. I didn't want to pay money to hold it, as I don't like that kind of thing, but it didn't cost anything so both Jen and I had a go, Jen taking the lead. I felt quite uneasy as it started to ripple all of its stomach muscles around my neck. And not knowing where his head was didn't help. They guy took the snake off me and then went down to the river to give him a bath. Most people take their dogs for a walk. This guy takes his snake for a swim.

Back at Can Tho City we were taken on a tour of the regular land market, but we had our massive backpacks on so we all felt a bit in the way all the time. And the fish juice on the floor was lapping up on to my flip flop, which wasn't nice. But nothing prepared us for the sights we were about to see; duck's heads, skinned rats (an expensive delicacy apparently) and Adam and Alex saw live skinned frogs! I'm glad I didn't see this at the time as I may have been sick, but I saw their photos. They said the guy running the stall looked like a frog, with two wang eyes and a lumpy face. We then had a quick refreshment at a lovely oasis-like café before heading back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Before showering and getting ready to go out for the evening, Adam, Sam, Jen and I decided to get some shopping in at the second attempt of visiting the massive Ben Thanh indoor market. There is so much on offer, including the standard counterfeit sunglasses, watches, t-shirts, etc, which surprisingly all looked to be at quite a good standard. But then I guess they are all made here anyway.

We then all went out for a really good evening, which involved lots of ice cold beers and chatting about our short time together as tonight we had to say goodbye to everyone - tomorrow, we head for Thailand.

FINAL WORD ON VIETNAM

Vietnam surprised me from the moment we arrived. It's a hyperactive hub of economic and commercial activity, and I don't just mean the tourist industry. Everyone everywhere seems to have an important role to play in their community, at least the women do anyway, whether it's in the remote villages and floating markets of the Mekong Delta or whether it's in the bustling cities of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. And they all get changed in to their pyjamas at about 5pm, then continue working until late at night so they can get straight into bed.
People say that Vietnam is what Thailand was 15 years ago, and I can see what they mean. They perhaps haven't developed as fast as some of their Asian neighbours, but that might be deliberate. At present time they seem to have a good balance between modern and traditional techniques and material desires. For instance, in Halong Bay there are very isolated floating fishing villages that live very self-sufficient, traditional lives, but also have satellite TV and mobile phones (yes, you can get a signal in Halong Bay). When we were in the Mekong Delta our boat captain had a very primitive, simply operated boat and it gave you a real sense of going back in time somewhat. Then his mobile rang. On the one hand you were thinking that it didn't seem right, then on the other why shouldn't these people have what we have. There's no doubt that the world is losing its individuality slowly, primarily due to capitalism, and one day I'm sure everyone will share the same interconnected, diverse cultures all around the world. Cities and even countries will become very similar. And when that happens, there will be little left of these unique places where people live so differently to us. It makes you grateful that there is still something left to experience.

Vietnam has a special charm, and I think that's down to their people. On the whole, some of the friendliest, happiest, most helpful people around. And their cuisine is very good indeed too.