Yin
We wanted to explore the Mekong Delta, located in Southwestern Vietnam, so we headed for the city of Can Tho for a week. With a population of 1.5 million, it was a nice break from the craziness of Ho Chi Minh City, however, getting there was an adventure in itself. First, we had to figure out where to book our bus tickets. There seems to be a plethora of agents everywhere selling tickets for anything you want, so we spent some time comparing prices (bus tickets are very reasonable). In the end, we had our hotel book the tickets for us and they were delivered to us the next day.
We awoke early, checked out of our hotel, and caught a taxi to the first bus station. We were told by our hotel to be there an hour early in order to catch the shuttle to the main station where we would board the Futa Bus. We assumed every taxi driver would know where the station was, but we happened to get a taxi driver that did not! We looked for an address on our ticket, and he proceeded to drive through rush hour traffic to get us there in time. Driving down the narrow residential street, we quickly realized this was not the right place, so we stopped and phoned the main office of the bus line. We turned around and went back the way we came and finally got to the first station - step one!
Next, we boarded a shuttle crammed with people and headed to the main station, arriving with only minutes to spare. Finally, we were on our way for the 3 1/2 hour ride - step two. Buses here are rarely designed for people of our height, so needless to say, it was a little cramped. The main roads are in good shape and people tend to drive rather slowly due to the congestion. Motorcycles vie for room anywhere they can find it, including getting within inches of buses, trucks, and cars (I've discovered that it really is better not to watch the traffic and just trust that the driver will get us where we need to go safely).
We arrived at the main bus depot in Can Tho and quickly found a taxi to get us to our hotel, the Anh Dao Mekong, located at the centre of the city and within a block of the waterside - step three. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area and walking on the lovely promenade, lined with lush trees, pots of flowers, and a giant statue of Ho Chi Minh. It seemed rather quiet during the day, but at night, the area is full of families enjoying the park and partaking in the food offered by copious amounts of street vendors.
We wanted to explore the Mekong Delta, located in Southwestern Vietnam, so we headed for the city of Can Tho for a week. With a population of 1.5 million, it was a nice break from the craziness of Ho Chi Minh City, however, getting there was an adventure in itself. First, we had to figure out where to book our bus tickets. There seems to be a plethora of agents everywhere selling tickets for anything you want, so we spent some time comparing prices (bus tickets are very reasonable). In the end, we had our hotel book the tickets for us and they were delivered to us the next day.
We awoke early, checked out of our hotel, and caught a taxi to the first bus station. We were told by our hotel to be there an hour early in order to catch the shuttle to the main station where we would board the Futa Bus. We assumed every taxi driver would know where the station was, but we happened to get a taxi driver that did not! We looked for an address on our ticket, and he proceeded to drive through rush hour traffic to get us there in time. Driving down the narrow residential street, we quickly realized this was not the right place, so we stopped and phoned the main office of the bus line. We turned around and went back the way we came and finally got to the first station - step one!
Next, we boarded a shuttle crammed with people and headed to the main station, arriving with only minutes to spare. Finally, we were on our way for the 3 1/2 hour ride - step two. Buses here are rarely designed for people of our height, so needless to say, it was a little cramped. The main roads are in good shape and people tend to drive rather slowly due to the congestion. Motorcycles vie for room anywhere they can find it, including getting within inches of buses, trucks, and cars (I've discovered that it really is better not to watch the traffic and just trust that the driver will get us where we need to go safely).
We arrived at the main bus depot in Can Tho and quickly found a taxi to get us to our hotel, the Anh Dao Mekong, located at the centre of the city and within a block of the waterside - step three. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area and walking on the lovely promenade, lined with lush trees, pots of flowers, and a giant statue of Ho Chi Minh. It seemed rather quiet during the day, but at night, the area is full of families enjoying the park and partaking in the food offered by copious amounts of street vendors.
Can Tho is famous for its floating markets, and no trip here would be complete without experiencing this. There are lots of options to choose from - everything from a large tourist boat to a rustic boat for two (which is what we did). Our guide met us at our hotel at 5:30 a.m. and we boarded our boat in the dark. The first stop was the biggest floating market, and by the time we arrived it was bustling with vendors selling their wares. Boats of all sizes are crowded together, and the exchange of goods is fascinating to watch.
Our boat tour also included visiting a second floating market (equally as busy but quite a bit smaller), stopping at a traditional rice wrapper factory, meandering along the bucolic river, and enjoying a delicious lunch at a Vietnamese house that served as a home stay for tourists. Along the way, we saw many stilt houses, all of which are of rough construction using various building materials. For these people, the river is extremely important to their daily lives, and is used for fishing, transportation, washing clothes and dishes, bathing, swimming, and the water is even consumed once it has been boiled.
Sadly, the river is also littered with garbage (especially plastic items of all sorts, which kept getting stuck in the small motor of our boat). Water is so crucial to existence here and I had a hard time understanding the acceptance or toleration of this abuse. In the most egregious violations (including several large corporations dumping untreated waste water), Can Tho authorities have stepped in. However, I think it would take a lot of work to change this sad state of affairs.
Nonetheless, families living along the water seem happy. We had the opportunity to walk through some of these areas and observed so many children playing and laughing. They always greeted us with smiles and waves, and seemed to delight in saying "hello". It is quite endearing and we have found in most cases that the Vietnamese people are extremely open and friendly.
Sadly, the river is also littered with garbage (especially plastic items of all sorts, which kept getting stuck in the small motor of our boat). Water is so crucial to existence here and I had a hard time understanding the acceptance or toleration of this abuse. In the most egregious violations (including several large corporations dumping untreated waste water), Can Tho authorities have stepped in. However, I think it would take a lot of work to change this sad state of affairs.
Nonetheless, families living along the water seem happy. We had the opportunity to walk through some of these areas and observed so many children playing and laughing. They always greeted us with smiles and waves, and seemed to delight in saying "hello". It is quite endearing and we have found in most cases that the Vietnamese people are extremely open and friendly.
Our stay in Can Tho also included a very interesting walking tour with a young man who took us to this fantastic market (one of the nicest I have ever seen). He explained that most Vietnamese do their shopping in these markets rather than modern grocery stores, and with the abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits, I can certainly understand why.
We liked the tour so much, that we decided to join him the next evening for a "street food" tour. We met at the hotel he uses as an office, and along with four other people, proceeded to walk around and try some very delicious traditional food. It was a great experience and we discovered some new dishes that we would have probably not found on our own. There are definitely some exotic options including snake and mouse (the latter was basted and grilled over an open flame and was surprisingly tasty), and it is best to keep an open mind to really experience Vietnamese food.
We liked the tour so much, that we decided to join him the next evening for a "street food" tour. We met at the hotel he uses as an office, and along with four other people, proceeded to walk around and try some very delicious traditional food. It was a great experience and we discovered some new dishes that we would have probably not found on our own. There are definitely some exotic options including snake and mouse (the latter was basted and grilled over an open flame and was surprisingly tasty), and it is best to keep an open mind to really experience Vietnamese food.
Before leaving Can Tho, we also booked a cooking tour, and our guide took us to a lovely house with a beautiful garden full of fruit trees, flowers, and a few pets including a crocodile! The lady of the house had set up a small fire pot and proceeded to show us how to make stuffed pumpkin flowers (delicious), a special pancake filled with vegetables and meat and dipped in a tasty sauce, and a grilled snake fish. It was a lot of fun trying our hand at cooking and then enjoying the food sitting outside in the garden.
Now we are back in HCMC for a few days before we start heading North along the coast. The peacefulness of Can Tho already seems like a distant memory amid the noise and chaos of the city, but it was definitely a great experience and one I'm glad we chose to have.