Me Kong Part Two

After the bee farm and tea we boarded our private boat. We were served fresh coconut juice- straight from the coconut. 

It was quite tasty- we ate and drank our way through the Me Kong Delta. 

We stopped next at a coconut candy factory. I was hesitant to eat the candy, becaus it was Cooked outside, with dirt and bugs. They had quite the set up- total early 20th century tools. Manual press to squeeze out the juice. A wood stove and a spinning vat, spun using a foot pump wheel. 

After visiting the candy hut we got on a horse drawn cart. It is like a Tuk Tuk but by horse. 

It was quite a bumpy ride through the village. But it was a neat experience. We arrive at the restaurant were we were going to have lunch. Before we ate, the owner informed our guide that there was a tour who paid to catch their own lunch. We ha been following this tour around through the jungle. So we decided plot watch them catch their lunch. The people who work there were in a water filled ditch, that they threw fresh fish in, then they drained the ditch so that all that was left was very soggy mud. This would make the fish easier to spot and catch. Eventually the fish would not be able to swim any more because they would not have water to breath only mud. 

Here is a guy who caught his lunch. He use the basket that is on his arm to trap the fish and then grabbed it with his hands to place it in the bucket so that it could be fried up for him to eat. It was fun and exciting to watch this whole process, but I am not into catching my own lunch. I'll gladly pay for someone else to do the dirty work. 

We sat down at a little private bungalow on the water and we were promptly served this fish. It is called elephants ear fish. It is a local delicacy and "very expensive."  I am not sure how expensive it is when it is caught in the back yard of the restaurant. 

The server made a spring roll with rice paper, noodles, lettuce, cucumber and some fish. The gross part about the fish is you eat the scales. Bill and I gladly true the spring roll and then left the fish untouched. Something served with the head still attached is not appealing. 

We were served a feast, most of which we didn't eat: fried rice, soup, prawns (head, legs and all), fried veggie rolls, chicken, and drinks. We ate enough to last the rest of the day, but not any of that fish. 

We got on two different boats to get us out of the jungle and back across the Me Kong River. We stopped at Cocodile Island and looked at the crocodile farm. They had about 20 crocs in a very tiny area. People could pay to feed them pigs meat on long fishing poles. I like looking at strange anaimals. I don't like seeing them teased. 

After stopping and observing the crocodiles a little bit, we walked the width of the island an met out boat on the other side. It was back to the car we go. It had been a long day an we still had a long car ride home. 

On the boat back we ate tiny locally grown bananas. They were so sweet. 

Before we left the city, we stopped at a Buddhist temple. It was originally built in 1910, but was updated last year. 

Here is the original gate entrance to the Buddhist Temple. 

This is the happy Buddha. He is new. He is also huge! 

This is the reclining Buddha. We have not seen large statues of this Buddha before. It was really long. 

After a 90mon ride back to the city we were dropped off at our hotel. It was a nice tour to the Me Kong Delta. What a way to see the rural culture. 

We went upstairs to shower and turn around to head out for a show at the Opera and dinner. We were seeing the Hon Viet show- shown only twice a year. They called it the soul of Vietnam. 

The opera house was very beautiful. It is always interesting to walk into a pretty building like this, visit the bathroom only to find that it is no nicer or better equipped than the ones I was using in the jungle. The latch to keep the door shut was a ball point pen. 

Here we are, getting ready to see the show. The audience was full of tourists. Very few people dressed up to go to the Opera House. Most came straight from their tours, hot and sweaty and in shorts and tank tops. Bill and I were dressed up as much as we could- I had on a dress and he wore a linen shirt with shorts. Not too classy, but not ragamuffin either. 

I took a picture of the opening act. It was a very interesting show. I would reccomend this- there was lots of traditional dance, music and singing. It was quite enjoyable. After the show we walked to dinner. My friend Sasha K. Recommended a place called Quan an Ngon. We walked in and enjoyed some yummy pho! Pho is a noodle soup with meat- chicken or beef, onion, chives and a broth. You can add bean sprouts, a lemon/cilantro smallish leaf, lime juice and hot peppers. The peppers sneak up on you as they steep in the broth. They will make the soup HOT. Pho is good. It is also a safe thing to order. You know exactly what your getting. 

Afterwards we walke through Ho Chi Mien Square. It had more upscale shopping(think high end) and some very beautiful buildings. 

Not sure what this building was, it was heavily guarded and there were signs that you were not allowed to take photos up close. 

Last picture of the day- the most modern part of the city we have seen yet. The skyline is small but beautifully lit.