Vietnam Mekong Delta - Vinh Long

High School Ao Dai(traditional vietnamese dress)
Fruit vendor cutting Vu Sau, literally means breast milk. Go figure

If you end up in Vinh Long, do grab hold of the opportunity to do a homestay here. Just across the main town is a fertile island, not just for the numerous fruits trees that they bear but also the opportunity to stay in one of those rustic and basic homes. For those on a luxury budget, head straight to Cuu Long tourist office and arrange for a private stay with other programmes for about US$40+. For the rest, don't bother to bargain too much with the private tour operators, the price they offer are in the same league as Cuu Long and any bargaining wont get you below the other operator Mekong Travel. Itineary and price for Mekong Travel

It is also here at Mekong Travel that i finally met the first and only person who did not say i am from Korea or Japan or China or anywhere else! Finally someone who could tell i am from Singapore!

Fruits plantation

Gas station for boats
My homestay room with a toilet that looks like it was pulled out of a hotel. It really looked out of place in this surroundings of trees and soil
Exploring the island reveals a whole series of fruits including pomelo
Papaya
Star apple
Longan
Bananas and i am sure many more that i did not get my lens on

Dinner was prepared by the lady owner of the house who did not speak any english. There was only 2 of there, me and Sebastian the cook from germany. He had booked the tour from Saigon and on his itineary, there is a cooking class... we ended up cutting the carrots. There is no charcoal, no gas to cook. They depend on cut wood and branches for fire. The dinner was fabulous in any case. Dinner being cooked
Traditional methods
TADA!
Breakfast next monday was not too shabby either

Included in the day program is a visit to the cottage industry where we will see how local products such as pop rice(something like pop corn but rice), rice paper, and coconut candy is made. The whole experience feels strangely familiar. 1 and a half year ago, i had come to vietnam(HCMC) with my family for a week holiday. At that time, we were brought around in tour buses and i did not had any idea where i went. What i do remember is being to a cottage industry like this.

Rice paper
Pop rice
Rice paper

Because we are part of the tour(even though there are just 2 of us), we needed to wait for the rest of the day trippers to come so we could leave together. With spare time, sebastian and i decided to explore the island a little. What we walked into is a local wedding! (Is anyone counting the weddings i been to?)Fortunately for me, he blocked several glass of the potent rice wine for me
Sebastian with the newly weds
Lunch was again very familiar with the elephant fish which i clearly remembered i had it on my last trip to vietnam. It still retained its delicious taste i had back then
With the fish flapping its tail in the tummy, you could either cycle around the island
or laze in the hammock
Lastly for the tour is a short sampan boat ride
Our lady at work
I am proud to say i rowed for half the trip!
And sebastian while trying to figure out how to row did 10%

Vietnam CanTho City

Vietnam Mekong Delta - Can tho City

Finally i am at the end of the mekong river, the area right before it spills into the sea. After following its flow for more than 2 months, i am glad that soon i will realeased from its grasp.

A unique feature in this provincial city is the availability of 2 indigenous floating market in the vicinity. I had this pre conceived image of how colourful and beautful these bustling market would be. It however turned out to be far from what i expected. Nonetheless, it is still worth a visit if you are here. The official tourist agency would offer it for about US$13/pax. Go down to the river side and you will have a much better offer. Offers from US$12-20/boat(sits max 5) to 2 floating market(5-6hours) are available with a snap of the finger. Dont forget to bargain!
The start of a long 5 hour boat ride
Start of trading!
They will hang their goods on bamboo poles for "advertisement"
If you feel thirsty anytime, no worries!
You can not only use money to buy, you can trade anything that you own. Now, how many watermelons can this camera fetch?
Because of the widespread of motorcycles, locals no longer have the need to depend on the floating market for their goods, resulting in the decline of trading boats
I met them on the diving trip in Phu Quoc island(see last post) and i see them again here! Joe and Damien from Whales
While walking along the streets i was approached by Phoung who wanted to practice english. Majoring in tourism, she is our tour guide for the day!
Ladies at the market
Confusing signs

Along the river, near the gigantic Ho Chi Minh Statue, there is an atmospheric chinese temple worth peaking in. Wear a hat or watch your head as you venture into this premises. There are numerous coil incense buring overhead. Each lasting for 2 weeks, they carry the wishes and prayers of the people who strike them. Go at the right time and you will have the place all set up for a great photo. Looks like giant mosquito coils
Smells like singapore :D

Riding on Phuong's bicycle, we pedal our way to CanTho University where she studies in. This is the most prestigious university in the mekong delta and the dream school of many in the area. CanTho University

It is definitely not the newest nor the most modern university, nonetheless it still has the neccessary vibe and energy that is prevalent in all schools.

The dorms are 4,8 or 10 people each room and cost just 80,000vnd equivalent to just S$7.20 per month! If only the lodgings in singapore university are this cheap... For the same price, you could be in the this new building
or in this dump, real unfair if you ask me.

If you ever feel bored or need a guide in Cantho, why not head to the riverside in the evening. You would spot several students looking for opportunities to practice english with foreigners.
Typical scene of Xe Om(moto taxi) crowding for business

Shorty Kratie

First impression counts and Kratie really is not the best place to form any sort of image about Cambodia. It is by far the most dirty and filthy town i have ever been to. Flies and garbage flood the streets, dirty sewage water fills poth hole. Even as an adventurous eater, i have my doubts with eating street food here. My first dinner in Cambodia is to be had at a small hole in the wall "restaurant" with the rare english Phrase "Khmer food".

Even then, the place was filled with trash on the floor and 50% of the foreigner customers who dine there complain about the food portion and price. It is also here that i made my first very animated cambodian friend named Inchiangteh(thats how i heard it, not actual spelling). She works in the eatery and sat down to chat with me cause she thinks i look like a cambodian. She talks in the familiar Malaysia style english with the ubiquitous "You know.. Yeah loh" something i had missed hearing for a long time. Through the conversation, i understand that she had spent a few years working in malaysia as a domestic assistant(maid) and now return back home to work for her aunt. Through her, i learnt a whole deal about the life in cambodia.
My first cambodian friend!
First impression of Cambodia, everybody wears pajamas for the whole day....
First impression of cambodia. Filthy garbage fills the streets(actually only it happens only in Kratie)


There isnt too much to do in Kratie. 2nd day in cambodia, i was motioned by a moto driver, coincidently i needed a ride to see the sole attraction in kratie, the Irrawaddy dolphins. Turns out he dont see a single word of english. Thankfully with my list of words i gathered the day before and a whole series of body language(try saying dolphins without words), he managed to get me to the right place. For 3 of more people, it will be US$7 for an hour on the boat.Irrawaddy dolphins
Some boatmen are lazy and instead of using the oars, they continue to use the moto. Do your bit for the dolphins and ask them to switch it off.
Dont expect any kind of circus jump from the dolphins, all you would see is the back fin appearing for 1 second before disappearing into the water again. Almost impossible to take any picture of it
As a consolation, the sunset was nice.
I had wanted to stay longer if my driver would allow me. His bike was in such a bad condition with non working speedo meter, fuel gauge, mirror, foot peg and even headlights, so we had to head back before it gets dark

That is it for Shorty Kratie, stay tuned for the famous Siem Reap Cambodia next!