Mekong Delta

Finally getting back to my update... I will quickly update you on the Mekong Delta and if I feel like adding more details at some point I will but for now there are many more exciting experiences to share with you.

(7/18) Latini and I headed to My Tho where we hired a boat and a guide to take us through the canals. They were not like Venice, Italy. I guess I would compare them more to the Bayou outside New Orleans but with less moss. We ate freshly made coconut candy, which I have tried to save and bring back to the states for everyone to try but my mouth just couldn't hold out. We picked all types of fruit, including Longhans (one of my favorite fruit in Asia) and I learned to identify a Mango Tree- finally. Latini ate an elephant fish... supposedly it looks like an elephant but my eye could not discern the resemblance. Afterwards we took a motorbike that wouldn't work but Latini encouraged me none the less to practice and get comfortable on it. I did this until the sky opened up and rain came pouring down upon us.  We met a very cute couple while taking shelter from the storm.  Interestingly we passed a Cargill (one of the largest, if not the largest, meat producers in the world) meat factory that probably ships meat into Saigon up the river.

(7/19) The next day we got up as early as we could and headed to Cai Be's supposedly amazing floating market. It started out bad with me getting on a bus and tearing a big hole in my pants on something that was sticking out of the seat.  It would have been ok if it was a hole in the leg of the pants but of course it wasn't or I wouldn't be sharing it with you. The rip was at the upper thigh/ butt.  All that happened to me once we got to Cai Be was that I got incredibly frustrated with everyone and their mothers, fathers children and grandparents who tried to rip us off. Argh. 

We decided to get out of this town as soon as we were done so we headed out to the main highway.  There we sat at a roadside stand drinking sugar cane juice, as the nicest old man who made our day, held out signs to our destination. After about a half hour we got a bus to Can Tho.

(7/20) We woke up 5 minutes after our alarm had gone off and ran downstairs to meet our guide.  Our guide was not there. Instead was another man who walked us to the dock. Once we got there we had a battle with one guy because we had paid for a guide who lied to us and was only an agent. After the battle I was sad and annoyed with the people of Vietnam. I don't understand how the people could not just be honest. I am not the first to deal with this and I continue to learn that I am one of many this has happened too. It is ruining Vietnam's reputation and I hope it doesn't spread to other countries. We briefly saw the sunrise and Can Tho's floating market before Latini and I separated ways and he left for Saigon and I for Chau Doc, the border of Cambodia.