Can Tho, our stop in the Mekong delta

Yesterday we took a bus in the afternoon to go to Can Tho, a pretty large city (2mil people) on the Mekong delta.

It is our first time using the bus in Vietnam. At first we stepped into a tiny bus, I could hardly imagine doing a 3,5 hours ride in such a cramped seat, with my hiking bag on my lap. We changed but outside of town, fortunately, for a much larger bus, with air con, a small bottle of water, a refreshing towel and beautiful Vietnamese music playing on top of a Jet Li movie.

We had a few problems with the bus, he had to stop several times, until he found a garage and got some oil, I guess. We had a break in this company local bus stop, where we bought Vietnamese sandwiches. The toilets there are surprisingly clean, as opposed to the hell on earth in China or Nepal, where the stench of some public toilets still holds the top spot in my memories of smells I try to forget. And I write that in the country that eats durians!

Actually, although I've only been here a few days, I have to say it's pretty clean. In most if not every house, people have to take off their shoes before entering. Even in the sleeping bus you are expected to leave your shoes in the front of the bus.

We arrived in Can Tho under a heavy rain, people on bikes (so... 95% of the people on the road) were soaked! We took a taxi to the hotel, hidden in a small almost pedestrian street. We found our hotel and the lovely couple that hosted us, Fred and his wife, both French speaking. I was glad to see the rain stop when evening arrived. Fred is very very chatty, but friendly. He still told us everything about that egg he ate the day before, egg that smelled bad and that he's got stomach pain ever since.

He sent us to eat in a restaurant, we had caramelized fish and fried rice with pork. Very good!

We walked around the town, not much to see especially when we are expected to wake up at 4.30 in the morning, so we went back to the hotel not too late. The room is super clean and comfortable, and with air conditioning, it was really nice.

In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel then left for the delta on bikes. I was sitting on Fred's bike, and Céline rode his daughter's bike. It was Céline's first time riding a bike and it is in Vietnam, so a bit scary for her! I don't know if I'd have fared better, I have to say I felt safer being driven around by Fred than if I had to ride my own, in the swarm of bikes that drives around here.

After 20km, we arrived early in a very non touristic place where we stepped into our small boat for the day. The boat guy took us in the middle of a boat market, we could touch the fruits and vegetables being sold there, it was really nice. No tourist to see anywhere. The boat guy whose name we don't know bought a pineapple, I bought a tea, it was fun.

You know, I love China, but their tea tastes like hot water. Tea here is sweet and tasty I like it.

Fred and the boat guy took us then for 3 hours in the middle of the delta, using the canals inside the mangrove, where you can't go using cars. Even the bikes are brought using a "ferry" (just a raft where you can fit some bikes). It was beautiful. He showed us the way people there live, they wash themselves in the Mekong, they use that water to cook or to clean, incredible. And they don't even die young.
Fred showed us lots of local fruits fresh on the trees. We saw jacquet and durians,  we ate goyave, "pomme au lait", fresh from the trees. We saw how people grow crops, with such weather it can only grow like crazy. We were just floating there in the middle of the canals, stopping every now and then to see some plants, to see some villages, to drink a sugar cane juice under the sun. And even in the middle of this mangrove, where people catch frogs, snakes or fish to feed, these guys were resting on their perfectly clean and tiled terrace, with their shoes on the floor in front of the house.

Fred showed us a cotton tree that belonged to these guys that caught the snake, he told me to climb up the tree to bring back some cotton as a souvenir. First we tried with him sitting on my shoulders, I didn't know I could carry someone like that. Because it wasn't high enough I climbed up the tree, chose a not so high branch and tried to get it to bend down for Fred to catch it. I took a hold of the branch and tried to bend it, but of course it broke and I fell in the tall grass and water. I fell like on a cushion of grass, no harm done nor expected, I just completely wet my foot. I was wearing sandals so it's not so bad.

Still we got the cotton like that so it was worth it.

Overall this remote islands were really great, I was afraid we were doing such a detour just for the floating market but we saw wonderful things. You'll have to see pictures, they are really cool.

It was completely worth it and I'd recommend going on a tour with Fred, especially if you speak French. The boat guy offered us the pineapple he bought, cut and prepared for us. So cool. He let me drive the boat, I felt ready to defend my homeland against the Yankees. And Fred's wife and daughter brought us back to the bus station rather than letting us take a taxi, they were all so friendly.

Now we're on the bus back to HCMC, where we'll take a sleeping bus to go to Mui Ne, where we'll go on a tour with the easy riders. Looking good!

Oh and I turned red on the arms. The sun doesn't joke here.