We started our morning going to the Mekong Delta for a tour.
It was about a two hour drive south of Ho Chi Minh. As you get out of the city
into the provinces, the scenery begins to look similar to other South East
Asian countries we have seen: a hodgepodge of little houses made of various
materials , dirt roads, small shops lining the streets, and people of all ages
going about their daily activities.
On our way we stopped at a Pagoda of a Happy Buddha. We
learned that a temple is where you go
worship/pray to your ancestors and a pagoda
is where you pray to Buddha. This complex was brightly colored and had plenty
of gardens to enjoy. Lady Hiva and several others in the group bought
traditional rice patty hats…great for the hot day ahead.
 |
| Note to self: no shorts and no cleavage... |
Once at the Mekong Delta we boarded a small boat that took
us to Turtle island—one of the four large islands inhabited in the Delta.
Turtle Island is open to tourists to come and see how Coconut Candy is produced
as well has other Vietnamese products like Coconut crackers. (it is fun to see
those in the stores now and know how it all works. The part that amazed me the
most is how FAST the women fold the candy. It only took a matter of seconds to
wrap each piece. I stood there for a few minutes mesmerized by the process.
 |
| Collecting Coconut juice to make candy |
 |
| She was SO Fast |
 |
| The Finished Product |
 |
| Coconut crackers. Now we know where the design comes from |
 |
| Drying the crackers in the sun |
After the candy shop we walked through the jungle to the
dirt road that runs through the village. They put us in carts pulled by thin
and frail looking horses and we were taken through the village on a quick “tour”
then stopped to walk through another part of the jungle to a traditional tea
house. At the tea house we were able to eat fresh fruit and they had a boa that
you could hold. I offered to take all the photos because holding snakes is NOT
high on my priority list!
From there we joined small canal boats propelled by local
women. As we paddled down the finger canals of the Mekong I could not help but
think how scary it must have been to have a war here. Both side of the canal
are flanked by tall bamboo and thick palms. We were out in the open with no
cover—no wonder the guerrilla warfare was so successful. A very chilling
thought. Thankfully we were traveling down the area in mid day so there was
plenty to see.
The boat dropped us off at the mouth of the Delta to meet
our boat that dropped us off. Our boat was not there yet, but the women were in
a hurry to get us off their canal boats so they could go back and pick up more guests
(more money) we were herded onto a 5x5 wooden raft floating alone in the water.
As more and more people were squished onto it, the raft started to sink into
the brown murky water…YIKES!! HURRY UP
BOAT!! MAYDAY MAYDAY…the raft is going down! Luckily when the boat finally
arrived, the driver had prepared fresh coconuts for us all to drink—he had
redeemed himself!
 |
| All of us crowded on the raft waiting for our boat to come |
 |
| Lunch anyone?? I am glad I was eating vegetarian the whole trip |
 |
| This is what I ate--carrots and tofu |
Lady Hiva and a few of the group went to the Cu Chi Tunnels
(pronounced Choo Chee). These are located just north of Ho Chi Minh and were
another place Americans fought with the Vietnamese during the Vietnam war (Or
American war as they call it in Ho Chi Minh). For years the local guerrillas
used the thick jungle and familiarity with the land to their advantage. Over
250 kilometers of tunnels were built and local people lived in them for the
years of the war. We watched a video that had been produced in 1970s and it was
interesting to see the “other side of the story.” History is truly in the hands
of the author’s perspective. In typical good guy versus bad guy fashion the
video we watched how Americans were presented as evil and how people that
killed them were heroes. As we toured the tunnels and saw examples of how the guerrilla
warfare used simple but brutal tactics in warfare again the realities of what
people—on both sides—went through in that war and why it was such a horrifying
experience. All the tactics used were designed for surprise of the victim, one
minute you are walking, another you are dead. It would make even the most calm
people a nervous wreck with suspicion and apprehension. I do not think that I
will hear about the Vietnam war without having some of the heavy feelings come
back from these two visits. It is one thing to hear stories, it is quite
another to go and visit the places these stories took place.
 |
| Maps of the tunnels and the video |
 |
| Crater left from a bomb |
 |
| Entrance to the tunnels. made small so foreigners could not fit |
 |
| He fit! |
 |
| He didn't |
 |
| I fit! |
 |
| So did she...so at least some of us could have! |
 |
| Trap in the woods |
 |
| What you meet when you fall in--they said they would also coat it with cobra venom |
 |
| Tunnel air hole disguised as a termite hill |
 |
| More traps to fall into |
 |
| Opening un-exploded American bombs to make guerrilla weapons |
 |
| Entering the tunnels |
 |
| Claustrophobia! I had to get out as soon as I had the chance |
Once back to Ho Chi Minh we arranged for “Cyclos” to pick us
up at the hotel to take us to the water puppet show. Every country in Asia
seems to have a version of the cyclo—Bangkok they were tuktuks with a covered
bench attached to the back of the driver, Philippines has tricycles with a
small cab welded to the side of the bicycle, Cambodia the bicycle had a small
wagon attached at the back, and here in Vietnam the seat is in the front with
the peddler in the back. We had to have one for each person in the group
because, as the tour guide politely told us, “little Vietnamese can fit too,
but for foreigners you maybe need only one person to fit.” Did he just call us
FAT?? Haha
 |
| The water puppet show. The puppeteers are behind the green screen |
 |
| The puppeteers at the finale |
 |
| I wanted a photo but the thing was hollow and I almost tipped it over! YIKES |
The water puppet show was so unique. There were 15 short
stories told in Vietnamese, but the puppeteers played the parts so well you
could see the different personalities of the puppets come to life. It was such
a cute show. One we were glad we experienced.
Of course the nights in Ho Chi Minh were taken up with
shopping. There were several more night markets to experience. Ranging from indoor
and outdoor…from the street to a sterile looking white walled mall…from fruit
to clothes, you could find it ALL! Including Vietnamese lacquerware that they sold everywhere. We had gone to a
factory to see how it is made and again we were amazed at how artistic they
are.
 |
| The Rex Hotel where the Americans used to go to the bar and drink during the war time |
 |
| The tacky Asian souvenir shop that we finally found plates from Vietnam |
 |
| Inlaying oyster shells to make the design on lacquer plates |
 |
| Look at the details... |
PHEW!! What a great trip! So much fun, many laughs,
delicious food, way too many photos…and great company.
