The Mekong Delta - Part I

This weekend we went on a trip to the Mekong delta!

The Mekong is a trans-boundary river flowing through multiple countries: from Tibet through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and finally flows into the Ocean after running through Vietnam.

 

The Mekong delta is a popular tourist destination and we were very kindly invited by our contact to go together with his son and girlfriend. Because Hoa is pregnant and the day would be too trying on her she stayed in Saigon to have a rest day. So off Sarah and Linus went, from Saigon it was a drive of around 1,5h-2h to get to the delta.

The area of the Mekong we visited consisted of four islands: Phoenix Island, Tortoise Island, Dragon Island and Unicorn Island. When we arrived we had the option of buying a VIP tour, which we did! So with that we got a private tour guide, personalised itinerary and a private boat. The tour guide was a funny dude with many jokes up his sleeves, so it was well worth it. The tour included us visiting the Unicorn Island and the Tortoise Island.

First we visited Unicorn Island and visited the Eco Bee Farm they have there.

Unfortunately, on our way into the Honey farm, Linus started to feel very queasy and unwell. He suddenly went blind and his hands and feet went numb and started tingling with pins and needles paresthesia. He was helped to a table where he was given tea and honey, and had a bag of ice put on his head.

After a minute or so, he could see again, but we had to take a longer break before his limbs came back and he started to feel well enough to get up and continue the tour.

The Honey farm offered visitors to try the honey in tea, with banana and nuts and of course all natural! It was delicious.

You could also have a go at hanging out with some snakes! Here is the smaller one, the bigger one was taking a well deserved rest since his presence was in high demand. The smaller one was a bit cheeky, but we had a good time together nonetheless.

This island had a luscious green life with many fruit trees and flowers in its gardens.

Here are some young cocoa pods and bananas!

After a stroll smelling the flowers we traveled to the other side of the island by a horse cart!

Here were some very picturesque sceneries, like a row of bridges. We can imagine many facebook profile pictures have been taken here.

After our photoshoot we had a fruit break! A local family offered refreshments like sodas and ice cream for a cheap price. The speciality though was pomelo! Eating it fresh was really tasty and refreshing.

Here's a mangosteen! A very tasty fruit that tastes a bit like strawberry and rhubarb.

The day offered many different experiences and sights. We also got the opportunity to listen to traditional live music, accompanied by more fruits!

Something we looked forward to a lot was traveling on the Mekong by boat. The colorful boats stood in contrast to the brown, muddy water and river banks. It was a popular attraction which occationally made for a bumpy trip down the river. It was an interesting way of experiencing the river and local nature.

This is part I of our experience of the Mekong delta. Stay tuned for the next island, and an evening surprise!

Brilliant greetings,

Sarah and Linus