The Mekong Delta and Motor Bikes in Saigon


The Mekong Delta, known as Cuu Long by the Vietnamese, is located in southern Vietnam. It is a vast maze of rivers, swamps and islands.  Mekong means “Mommy” and it seems an appropriate name because it is the source of water and a way of life for so many people.

This area is known as the rice bowl’ of Vietnam and three crops of rice can be planted and harvested aevery year. The delta is carpeted with beautiful green water hyacinths and is full of boats, houses and markets floating along the many arteries. 



We stopped at a market along the shore to watch several demonstrations. The first was how to pop rice. They heated black sand and then put the rice in and stirred until it popped. They then sifted out the black sand and made caramel tasting rice that oozed like rice crispy bars. They then placed the candy in plastic bags and sealed it by melting a corner of the plastic with a candle.  (This is exactly how things were sealed in China in 1984!). 

We also had a chance to watch them make coconut candy.  The woman had stirred the coconut for 2 hours before it was done and ready to cut into squares. 


The next stop was to taste snake wine. It was made with rice wine and snakes (that had been beheaded and drained of their blood) and marinated for three months.  It tasted like scotch!  




The Vietnamese do not like to waste anything when it comes to food.  The husks of the rice kernels are burned as a heating source to cook with. The ashes are then used as garden fertilizer.  

Our last demonstration was to pick up a python.  Myra was the first to have the python around her neck!  


 We had a great lunch with a whole elephant ear fish - delicious!


 On our ride back to Saigon we had bus problems.  All of a sudden a warning beep started to come from the bus.  We pulled over and found that we had a broken fan belt.  Fortunately for us the driver was also a mechanic who had tools and a spare belt.  He replaced it and had us back on the road in about 30 minutes.  

 Our last night in Saigon, we took a fantastic Vespa Food Tour of Saigon. Yup. Fourteen of us braved the traffic in Saigon (on the BACK) of 14 Vespas.  It was a wild and fun experience and something impossible to believe until you experience it.  Our drivers took us to food places that only the locals know about. I swear it was the best food we have had since we arrived, and we have had some great food! 

We could watch the traffic in Saigon for hours. Lanes on the road are mere suggestions. Drivers look left and right but mostly straight forward - never behind them. They say their job is to avoid running into someone ahead of them and it is the job of the people behind them not to run into them. A yellow light means “go faster”. The direction of traffic means nothing. Vespa drivers will turn left into 4 plus lanes of traffic, ease into the second lane and so forth until they are with traffic going the right direction. They even use the sidewalks during rush hour. Yet, it works!  They see a space and immediately fill it.

The flower market was lovely and crowded at 10:00 pm on a Sunday night. What an amazing city! 



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