Day 15 in Vietnam was mainly a travel day (Mekong Delta to Ho Chi Minh City) but with a few highlights along the way. After a warm sleep in the fan-cooled rooms of our home stay in the Mekong Delta we had breakfast which consisted of an egg made in to a pancake and some exotic fruit. We then took a tour of the gardens of the village we were staying at and had a look at some of the fruit and veggies we had eaten the night before.
Next we jumped on the boat and cruised down the beautiful Mekong Delta. We stopped at a small building where the locals were making fish sauce, the popular and famous Vietnamese sauce. The place stank terribly of fish but after a few painful deep breaths, we managed to stay there long enough to listen to Hai (Hai is our tour guide) explain the production process. We made another stop on our boat trip and this was to a Vietnamese candy making shop. They made coconut candy (which was delicious and a favorite of the group. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of us go on to try and make it at home) and pop rice, which is basically popcorn made with rice.
After the delicious treats we made way on the bus to our lunch stop, an Oasis style truck stop that served very good food and that was popular for a reason. We were served a lot of the common Vietnamese cuisine line up with the addition of strange foods such as a prawn, chicken and vegetable pancakes.
After lunch we made a further two hour ride back to our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. We then relaxed in the hotel for the remainder of the afternoon as it was pouring horrendously with rain.
At 6pm we left the hotel and made haste to a group of shops selling cheap DVDs.
We bought a plethora of popular tv shows and movies. Hai gave us a tour of the night market where we ate dinner and searched for some uncommon goods. Shopping complete we staggered slowly back to our lavish hotel for a shower and a good well deserved sleep.
Blogged by Tom Inglis & Damian Moisidis