Extended Absence

To kick off the last ten days of my trip, I headed south from Saigon through the Mekong delta. This is some of the most fertile land I have ever seen. The whole region is solid green, with endless rice fields, orchards and nurseries. I reckon this area feeds a good chunk of the country. Surrounding all of this are canals and varying arms of the mighty, and by now, filthy Mekong. Just think, this river has had raw sewage pumped into it in China, Lao, Cambodia, and now in Vietnam. Still, people swim in it, wash their vegetables in it and eat fish from it. I am almost certain I have done the latter.

I stayed in Ben Tre (just south of My Tho) and Can Tho City. Between the two I took a "shortcut" trip on the back of a motorcycle through the heart of the delta, and it was worth the $20 I had weaseled out of me. In total, I took 4 ferries of varying sizes on my path of Ben Tre - Vinh Long - Can Tho. Once in Can Tho, I took a river cruise to see 2 floating markets on the Mekong which also included a few hours in the interior canals outside the city. All in all, a great few days. I am now holed up for one night in Rach Gia, waiting to take a ferry tomorrow morning to Phu Quoc Island where I will spend the waning days of this trip soaked in sun and beer.