Cruising Down the River (on a Tuesday Afternoon)

Tuesday was the second of our two full days in Saigon, and we used it to get out of the city on a full day Mekong River delta tour. We were lucky. Not only did we get a great guide, Tam, from Saigon Tours, who was with us for the whole time, but also another great guide (a lady whose name I've forgotten) who was with us from the time we first stepped onto a boat until the time we finally stepped off. And there were only four of us (we and a delightful couple from Djakarta) on the tour! I'm sure the tour company lost money, but it was great for us.

Promptly at 8:00 a.m. we were picked up by tour van. After picking up the other couple we drove for an hour and a quarter or so to the boat launch site on the Mekong.

Off we went.

Our destination was a couple of islands in the delta where we would learn the secrets of native, delta life. Heading out into the river we passed a couple of boats that make multi-day tours up the river. This one looked cool.

This one looked cooler.

We passed boats with scary eyes.

Eventually we disembarked at the village.

I think of this village as the village of the three "B"s. The first "B" is actual bees. These are the "tame" ones. They appeared to be on Prozac. All things beeish were for sale, including honey, pollen, and royal jelly.

The second "B" was a boa constrictor.

Actually, they called it a python, but work with me here. As I look at the photos it occurs to me, looking at his skinny neck and tail and fat everywhere else, that he looks as though he just ate another python. Well, as long as he didn't want to eat me or my Nancy

or our new Indonesian friend.

If you can imagine, he had never had a python around his neck before! The third "B" for the village stands for "booze". These folks put the darndest things in their alcohol, thinking to add strength and healing or whatever, not content with simply getting snockered. So anyway, I'm sure you see the snakes. Lots o'snakes.

But I'll bet you missed the bird.

I passed on buying any, having already bought something distressingly similar in Laos. This little girl had the right idea about beverages.

There was more. These folks are making coconut candy (we bought some).

Here Nancy is learning about the joys of coconut soap (we bought some).

Amazingly, considering our track record in falling for all these sales pitches, we didn't buy a hammock. As I think about it, the only secret of delta village life we learned is to sell things relentlessly.

We were given some fruit and treated to Vietnamese music.

Several people sang for us including Tam, our tour leader.

He told us he was trained as a singer. He had a wonderful voice. After the musicians left he sang us another song about a woman who, along with her husband, is a soldier. He is killed

and she is very sad.

But, finally, she comes to her senses and realizes what she must do.

She returns to fight for her country and to avenge her husband's death.

Something like that. What was wonderful was that as he sang, Tam acted the role so convincingly that it brought first tears to my eyes then chills to my spine. After that, at Nancy's request, he sang the Vietnamese national anthem. It was inspiring.

Moving right along, we boarded some small boats to go to a larger boat to go to island number two.

There were lots of little boats with lots of bumping. We were told to keep our hands inside for good reason. I thought it was for crocodiles, but it was just to keep them from getting squished.

There was even the occasional impromptu race (we're losing),

and Nancy got to wear a trés chic Vietnamese hat.

Eventually we got to the bigger boats,

went over to island number two and up an inlet

to village number two.

We walked down a path and past the cemetery

to where we would have lunch. And what lunch it was! There were Vietnamese pancakes, and elephant ear fish, and spring rolls, and prawns. Earlier on our trip I hadn't been enchanted by Lao or Cambodian food, but I absolutely love Vietnamese food.

After lunch it was back to the boats for the trip back across the river to our starting point. While we were underway the woman who had been our guide chopped the tops off coconuts so we could drink the water inside.

After we drank the water, she chopped each coconut in half and then chopped a slice off the side to create a spoon.

Presto!

This woman, our river guide, was very quick and very funny.

We learned from where she got her wit when we got off the boat and she introduced us to her mom, also a guide. Here her mom is giving a very quick lesson in the relative sizes of breasts and melons.

We had a wonderful time. So much fun, and all so unexpected.

Tam reviewed where we had gone, then we got back in our van for the long drive back to HCMC, past the dirty water and piled up barges, to our hotel.

The next day we would be heading out to Danang and Hoi An. Before we went out for our last dinner, and as the sun was setting, I went to the rooftop bar and made one last panorama of the city. As it turns out, I think it might just be the case that we will, in spite of all the noise and heat and everything, miss Saigon.