The Mekong Delta

We got touristy yesterday. Travelling the way we do, we often miss things because we have no easy way of getting places. But we decided we really should see a little of the Mekong Delta before heading north, so we took a guided tour via bus and boat to the area.  I really wonder how the people involved make money. We paid $11.00 each for a ten hour tour. During that time we had two bus drivers, a tour guide, two boat captains, two boat paddlers, a meal (included), served in a restaurant with lots of staff, and a musical performance with three instrumentalists and four singers. We also stopped at a honey farm where we were served honey tea, and at a coconut candy factory. (Yes, some of those people were selling things [honey and candy] and others got tips, but still that's a lot of people on hand for an $11.00 dollar tour. I guess it's a matter of volume. We were not the only bus load of tourists out there.

After our two hour bus ride to My Tho, we boarded our first boat.

And made a selfie. 

Our honey tea included a spoonful of bee pollen. I also got to taste royal jelly (the stuff in the tiny jar on the left). Oh and dried banana and dried ginger with honey, too.

You can see it's a volume business. This is where we boarded our small boats to tour the narrow canals. The tourists were lined up behind us.

Each boat had two rowers

These are river palm coconuts. Very different from the large ones that tower over beaches and occasionally fall dangerously near one's skull.

These small islands are connected via bridges. The only traffic seemed to be bicycles, motorbikes and horse drawn carts (which were ferrying tourists around).

These are working boats. Note the eye painted to ward off Ill-fortune.

There were houses tucked in among the canals, with boats moored nearby.

At the candy factory, the coconut candy is cooked over this stove, fuelled quite economically by the coconut husks. 

Ropes of candy are transferred to the cutting table.

Then wrapped individually by hand.

We met this charming beast at our lunch stop. Geordie thought it would be a good idea to use him for a photo op.

It all looks innocent enough except that the horn was hooked into the leg of my shorts. The beast is in the process of lifting his head and I had to wrest my shorts off his horn before he tossed me into the water which I know was his intention. I am now looking for new shorts as these have a gaping great hole. The man behind me called out to "be careful", but not before the damage was done!

Village life.

Two happy kids on a bike.

Our musical interlude included these performers.

A lovely banjo with only two strings.

And this bamboo instrument which has only one string and is plucked with a quill. The pitch is controlled by the rod in his left hand.

On our way back this flotilla caught my eye. I think these may have been the model for "Angry Birds".