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Vietnam

January 2017
A 13-day adventure by Vander Wonders Read more
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  • TravelerVietnam
    Day 2

    Lunch at Nà hàng Cõn Phung

    January 14, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Included in our tour was lunch. I am not sure how this works but everyone on the tour with us are on different tour itineraries and its seems we are the only people on the 3day/2night one. Everyone else only had rice with pork included but we also had Elephant ear fish (Cá Thi Túqng) spring rolls included for some reason. More food so I won't complain.

    The fish arrived first and to our surprise it was a whole fish and we actually had to roll our own spring roll. They first showed us how and then left us to do it for ourselves.

    Isabel didn't enjoy the food as much as I did, i guess the knowledge that the fish actually comes from the polluted waters of the Mekong river was what put her off and also she is not big on rice in normal circumstances. I might gain weight here but she might shed a few kilos. I took a picture of the Elephant ear fish in a tank they had next to the restaurant, hopefully the one we had also lived its life in that tank because the tank looks a million times cleaner than the river.

    The rice and pork was nothing to write home about, but the fish spring rolls was amazing!

    {Roedolf}

    Ek is maar eenmaal nie so eksoties nie ek sal proe maar as iets nie lekker is nie los ek dit!! Daai vis moes uitblok want ek kon nie dink hoe dit van die morsige water tot in my bord kom nie. Ek is maar anti hoender en vark hier want eks bang ek kry iets anders die goed lyk en ruik vreemd as wat ons gewoond is. Op noodles kan ek leef ma die vleis hier is borderline dodge en ek is nie lus v siekword nie. Probeer alles (of amper alles) en behou die goeie

    {Issy}    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam
    Day 2

    Heal the world

    January 14, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    The lyrics of the Michael Jackson song starts with the line: "Heal the world". I feel like no one in Vietnam has ever heard this song or they miss heard it as "Kill the world".

    It's absolutely shocking how little they care about the environment here. The Mekong river is so badly polluted that I think the damage is permanent.

    I saw one of the boat drivers take out his last cigaret from a packet and just nonchalantly tossed the empty pack in the river. Everywhere we went garbage were floating on the river. At some point in the tour we took a small boat up a smaller leg of the river and a couple of the boats around us had to stop to take out plastic bags tangled around the boats engine. You reap what you sow I guess.

    The worst thing is the river is their livelihood and they just don't care. Ironically I actually found a "save the world" sign that have seen better days.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam
    Day 2

    Day one on the Mekong Delta

    January 14, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Rich experience, so glad we are here!

    My heart bleed for the poor people here. But as our tour guide said "People here are poor but happy. People in the city has more strong brain".

    Its just lucky if you were born into a life of privilege, nothing to do with "strong brains" in my opinion.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam
    Day 2

    Mekong delta

    January 14, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We left the city at 8am , a few hours later after a bumpy bus rid we arrived in My Tho town. Roedolf spoiled me with a cool hat so I can look the part of a local. Here we got on a very primitive motorized boat to explore Mekong delta and surrounding islands.

    We first visited a honey bee farm and tasted delicious honey tea with lemon and local made dried banana.

    Then we headed to a nearby spot where we got on a smaller even more primitive boat and drove to Ben Tre province, where we visited a coconut candy workshop and saw how the locals make tasty candies by hand. The boat experience was pretty priceless, you can't think about risks or safety too much otherwise you might miss out on the adventure. You just take a leap of faith and hope that the wooden structure can do the job. Its fun and amazing watching everyone big, small athletic and old making there way on and off the boat.

    My heart feel a bit broken about the pollution everywhere, it is clear that there is no education on looking after your heritage. I understand that poverty brings this kind of dynamic but its like the locals have no respect for their environment.

    My highlight was the hand – rowed sampan (a very basic canoe) ride through the creeks, this was very touristy but one of those must do's in Vietnam that is not to be missed. It is not exactly a gondola ride in Venice but romantic in its own unromantic way. The water is smelly at places, but a unique experience.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam
    Day 2

    Hotel Xuân Mai 3

    January 14, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Vanaand se hotel het een ster, nie lekker seker waar hulle die ster gekry het nie. Haha

    Eerste ding wat ek gedink het toe ek hier in stap was, my pa sal eerder dood voor hy hier bly. Die kamer was skonerig. Die beddegoed het darem skoon gelyk en die bed was klip hard, seker die hardste bed wat ek al ooit op geslaap het (ek het 5 jaar op n photon geslaap so eks gewoond aan 'n harde bed). Die beddegoed is defnitief gemaak vir kort klein vietnamese mensies, as ek dit optrek tot bo is my bene van my knieë af ondertoe oop.

    Ons hotel is die middelste gebou op een van die fotos, daar is 'n polisie stasie aan die linkerkant, so dis seker erg veilig. Snaaks genoeg lyk hulle polisie karre asof dit reguit uit die oorlog uit kom.

    Die gebruik hier is om jou passpoort te vat as jy incheck by enige hotel of blyplek. Niemand kan rerig vir ons sê hoekom nie. Gelukig het ons beide nog ou passpoorte by ons met ons US visa in so ons gee daai oudjies in as dit iets oorkom is dit nie einde van die wêreld nie. Nog iets wat ek nie dink my pa mee gemaklik sal wees nie.

    Ingesluit in die hotel is ontbyt, maar dis baie eenvoudig. Ons het omelette en brood bestel. Ons kry toe basies roereier pannekoek en 'n baie lekker baguette, dit was maar bietjie droog maar niks wat soya sous nie kan regmaak nie.

    Ons het egter baie lekker hier gebly, na aandete het Isabel haar boek gelees en ek het lekker le en fliek kyk. Lekker rustige aand na 'n baie vol dag.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam
    Day 2

    GONY

    January 14, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    GONY or Glory of New York was the restaurant/spa we picked for dinner. Interesting combination I must say.

    They provided us with the dinner menu and spa menu at the same time. We already had a packed day so we only had food, but we were tempted to get a massage because its just so cheap.

    We both enjoyed the seafood noodles, its the easiest to order based on the pictures in the menu, this was the only noodle dish with a picture and when it was served it actually looked exactly like in the menu.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam
    Day 3

    Wholesale on the river

    January 15, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The Cai Rang floating market is the biggest floating market in Vietnam. The market is mostly for wholesale purposes. The traders go and buy fruit and vegetables from the farmers and then transport the good on their boat via the river to the market.

    Once at the market they have to try and sell everything within a week before it goes bad. They sell minimum quality of 100kg in any transaction. Main land restaurants and shops will come and buy their fruits and vegetables here.

    As our guide explained: "big boat seller, small boat buyer". He probably repeated this phrase a dozen times along with: "chicken on boat", "dog on boat" (some boats actually have chickens and dogs on the boat, for pets or to eat I guess), "on bamboo pole what they sell" (one can identify what each boat sales by what they hang on the bamboo poles on the front of the boat) and "family of 5 live on boat" (yeah they actually have whole families on those boats). All great information but as we are use to the US, Aus and Europe where the basically bombard you with information, this tour is quite different.

    I can't even imagine this lifestyle!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam
    Day 3

    Small vendors at the floating market

    January 15, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    There are some small vendors at the market, no doubt aimed more at the tourists.

    From the lady in the first photo who sells bread for breakfast, to the coffee and fruit vendors.

    We bought a pineapple 🍍 which is basically left on the branch, then peeled and all the prickly bits removed for you to eat it like an ice cream. It was yummy!

    We even saw some poor chap trying to stop his boat from taking on to much water. Cup after cup he tossed out the water, but did not seem like he was winning.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam
    2
    Day 3

    Cai Rang floating market

    January 15, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We walked to the wharf and got on a boat for a 30 minute drive to the market, it is an impressive site. A stretch of boats selling all variety of goods lines the river. Not really a place for souvenirs, people come here to buy large quantities of goods, mostly foodstuffs, and you will get an idea of what water commerce in the Delta looks like. The large boats get products from local farmers and resell it to retailers with smaller boats, which then distribute to shops in town. We weaved through the hordes with our smaller boat, a small boat that sellsVietnamese coffee and drinks dock next to our boat, it was tempting to try till I saw the filthy river water splash onto the boats and into the cups, buying a local Saignon beer in a can is definitely a better option. The peoples whole being and existence is dependent on the river. There are more tourist boats than I expected, thats definitely a huge income for them too.You can identify what the large boats are selling by hanging a sample off the top of a long pole. It is one of those can't put it in words mornings. Between the spectating life on the river, its struggles, the pollution and happiness of people..I challenge our western ways and my own ideas of a decent living.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • TravelerVietnam
    Day 3

    Rice vermicelli

    January 15, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Isabel volunteered to make some Rice vermicelli now all I need to do is buy the equipment and we never have to buy rice vermicelli again. 😂

    Very interesting process, they take 20% tapioca flour and 80% rice powder and add some water to make a paste like mixture.

    Then they steam the mixture for 30 seconds and dry for 3 hours to create a large rice paper which they then shred into thin strips of pasta. One sheet of rice paper makes enough noodles for 3 servings of noodle soup.

    Interestingly they don't have any waste product from this process. They use the rice cap to burn, the heat creates steam which is used to cook the mixture and then they utilize the burnt rice caps as fertilizer in the rice fields. If only they did not stop here with conservation of the earth.

    Then they showed us how to make fried noodles, basically they deep-fry noodles in a pan, it comes out looking like a pizza base of noodles, they sprinkle some herbs on it and a hot sauce. We both actually loved this, in fact Isabel said and I quote: "this is the first fried food I love".

    {Roedolf}    Read more

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