The Mekong Delta - Chau Doc

Friday 12th March

5:30 start so we could see the local village. Walked to the market which meant crossing the river in a little boat rowed by a local lady. The boat is so narrow you must walk along it one foot in front of the other to avoid rocking the boat. Then back to see the local school, where the cute young pupils arrived and did their excercises before their teacher got there.

Mr hung then took us to the floating market in his boat, where we rejoined the rest of the group on a larger river ship. It was a huge market with different boats piled high with agricultural produce.

Up a tributary to view rice noodle production. We saw the large flat rice paper being steamed and laid out on bamboo racks to sun dry. Apparently they then cut it into noodles in the afternoon, making 2 tons a day, all by hand.

Downstream to a fruit farm where mangoes and pineapples were grown, also with a replica bamboo 'monkey bridge' which used to be used to cross local waterways.
Back to hotel and lunch at waterfront, then coach to crocodile farm, about two hours away.

Then on by coach to Sam mountain. A pagoda on this granite outcrop with fine onionskin weathering had fabulous views across the flatlying countryside into Cambodia.

Coach to Chau Doc, and a seafood dinner on a floating restaurant on the Bassac river, the southernmost distributary of the Mekong.