[Worldtrippers home] [World Cruise home]
Vietnam is famous for its floating markets. In the Mekong Delta, numerous families live full-time aboard their boats. They also use their boats for business, selling their goods to others on both land and water. A few years ago, chef Gordon Ramsay make the floating markets famous for declaring their noodles “the best I’ve ever had.”
Sadly, the floating markets are slowly disappearing as Vietnam builds up its land infrastructure. One of the few remaining is at Cai Rang, which was our destination this morning.
Our call was 7:00 am, and Russell set his alarm for 5:45 am. Unfortunately, Gail’s smart phone was set to automatically convert to Daylight Savings Time back in the US. In the middle of the night, her clock went forward an hour. This morning, she jumped up in a panic, thinking we had overslept. We actually got up an hour earlier than we needed to.
Sunrise over the Mekong Delta was exotic and beautiful, as boats gradually started appearing. We took a 30-minute boat ride from the Bamboo Eco Lodge to Cai Rang. Unfortunately, our tiny boat was not equipped to carry seven Americans plus a guide and oarsperson. By the time we arrived, the riders in the back had their feet in several inches of water. Fortunately, we were able to switch to another, larger boat.
In the meantime, we got to experience the floating market on both land and water. On land, we docked and saw markets where they make rice paper and noodles. On water, we boarded a pineapple boat and sampled their wares. We visited other boats to get coffee and noodles.
(In Vietnam, locals eat huge breakfasts of meat, dim sum and bowls of noodles. This is because farmers traditionally needed to rise early and work hard all day.)
We were up and out so early, it was only mid-morning when we returned to Bamboo Eco Village. This gave Russell an opportunity to take a bicycle ride around the area. He stopped at a local vendor who was selling red dragon fruit.
Back at Bamboo Eco Village, everyone participated in a cooking class. We learned to make Vietnamese spring rolls and pancakes, which we had for lunch. We were sad to check out and depart this beautiful setting.
The three-hour van ride back to Ho Chi Minh City marked the end of our multi-day excursion. We have opted to stay one more night back at the Silverland Yen. This gave us an opportunity to check on our custom-tailored clothes. (We needed a few more alterations, so we won’t pick things up until tomorrow morning.) Gail was exhausted and had an early evening. Russell treated himself to a Vietnamese massage – 90 minutes for $23 US!
