Can Tho and the Delta

I am writing from paradise along the Mekong Delta.

We were picked up at our hotel in Saigon (HCMC) courtesy of newly made arrangements through the travel agency we are connected with in Vietnam. The trip south will take 5 hours and we will travel in a new Toyota with the driver and an interpretor. Phuoc, our interpretor is the son of a former high ranking South Vietnamese officer who had been sent to "re-education camp" for 3 years after the communist takeover. The fact that I had been in the military had now opened up all sorts of dialogue. He in fact provides tours for many veterans returning ...so how lucky are we? Also...he has been ,many times, to the areas in the north to the exact locations we were to go and to where I "rumbled in the jungle". He said it is completely under water, very difficult to get to now, and that there would have been no way to travel there... so this info helped confirm we made a good choice...on to Can Tho.

The drive south along the infamous highway 1 is a sprawl of shanty domiciles adorned with assortments of whatever gets the family by...piles of dried coco shells for fuel, old tires, motorbikes requiring repairs, fruit of all varieties piled high. Our conversations as we drove coupled with the visuals passing by...we just had to pinch ourselves we were making this trek.

Schools are divided into am and pm hours so around 11am the first sessions were being let out so hundreds of students dressed in white flooded the roadside on bikes and scooters. The young women with their flowing white form-fitted outfits("ao dai") brought many memories back of the first "naisons" (young girls) I saw in 1970 making ther way hurridly along the mud slopped hamlets.

The landscape is slowly changing to more rice paddies and the yellowish hues of the tops of the rice plants clue you that harvest time is near...one of 3 major harvests throughout the year.

We are digesting more historical info from Phuoc about the way of life here in Vietnam and more on the delta region... which increases our anticipation about this uniquely fertile area.

We pass though Long Binh...a bustling town where many a battle was waged in the day. Along the roadway we stop to take in the beginnings of rice harvest...tarps with rice laid out in front of homes along the roadside to dry. Incense also is made by families for the temples and pagodas.
The colors of this process overtake you and since we light incense for our Buddha at home we asked to stop and visit a family incense making operation along the road. As you can imagine we became the fascination for the particular house we happened to walk by...we were invited in.

The family was very gracious sharing with us, smiling and intrigued. 3 young boys also mesmerized...one wearing a Chelsea FC shirt...well..that began an entirely new exchange.

We resume on our way to the ferry which will cross the Mekong to bring us to the area where the Victoria Hotel is. The ferry...one of six offered ...all working at the same time...is a short 20 minute ride across the swiftly moving current of the Mekong...a timeless river filled with history galore.

We arrive at this French provincially adorned hotel that blows us away. It is paradise along the riverfront. The town of Can Tho is along the same side of the peninsula but just a motor taxi ride away.

It is not crowded and we are blessed with a peaceful locale and zen-like aura.

Tonight begins a Lunar celebration in which the children are the focus for the evenings festivities. After a brief rest pool side we pack up and get our boat to town. It is bustling with young and old, all on scooters riding their young children who are practically sitting on the handle bars as they file along the main drag...pack tightly with revelers.

We dine on the 2nd floor overlooking this central part of town...it's noisy, happy families are all together, young teens hanging and making the scene...and a large statue of Uncle Ho overseeing the Lunar festival in honor of all the children.

A night time return on the river back to the Victoria caps our day.
Tomorrow we spend all morning on the water to visit the floating markets of Can Tho.