Can Tho's claim to fame is the local floating markets. We set up a tour for the following day, but I knew that we would be sitting out on the river for hours and hours... which can be super hot in the sun! Soooo... I had my eye out for...
Friday, May 17, 2013
A Bear in the Mekong Delta
Hullo bears & not-a-bears! I was in Can Tho (pronounced Can Ta) in the middle of the Mekong Delta. On our first day there, I got to meet Ho Chi Minh, or Uncle Ho as they call him over here.
Can Tho's claim to fame is the local floating markets. We set up a tour for the following day, but I knew that we would be sitting out on the river for hours and hours... which can be super hot in the sun! Soooo... I had my eye out for...
A traditional Vietnamese hat!!! And look... they have them in a variety of sizes!
Whaddya think?? It's a perfect fit!
And the next morning we were off at 5 am. Ughers... little bears aren't meant to get up that early!
The floating market at Cai Rang was pretty cool... There were tonnes of boats moored in the middle of the river selling produce of various sorts. Smaller boats would pull up (from the local city markets) and load up with melons or pineapples or mangoes.
These people work super hard!
This small boat looks like it has a pretty full load for the market.
Most of the big boats had cute decorations on the front. Those are supposed to be eyes and they are there to watch out for the boat and protect it.
I blend in pretty good don't you think??
Our boat tour even included a wander down some smaller canals. We even had a chance to get out of the boat and take a look at some rice paddies and fruit orchards.
These are bananas... Did you know that a banana tree only produces one season of bananas? After a season, the old tree is chopped down and the new little trees have a chance to do their thing. The boat trip was super cool and I enjoyed it thoroughly!
Because we were on the boat at 5 am, the tour was done at 1 pm. Which gave me a chance to catch up on some blog reading at a local cafe. I had a cuppa Vietnam tea and visited Beanie's blog...
Had a ride on wild bronco...
Giddyup!!
And checked out the local bear garbage cans...
Visited a pagoda or too and saw some rather scary guards!
The next day we did a bike tour through the countryside around Can Tho... I was point-bear in the basket directing our route!
Lots of ride paddies and tonnes of kids saying "Hello!!" to me! Guess they don't see many little bears in Vietnam!
And at the end of the day, time for a Canadian bear to have a Belgian drink in a French restaurant in Vietnam!
Well... might have to take the hat off to get at the good stuff!
Can Tho's claim to fame is the local floating markets. We set up a tour for the following day, but I knew that we would be sitting out on the river for hours and hours... which can be super hot in the sun! Soooo... I had my eye out for...
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That's me on your blog!!!! Wheeee...!! Oh you're having such a fun time! And I love your new hat!
ReplyDeleteYup! Just added a link to your blog too... keep forgetting to do that! My new hat is super cool although it does tend to get a bit squished when I ride around in the backpack!
ReplyDeleteWe love the new hat Sandy! It would be perfect to wear on a long hike in the sun, and would keep your fur nice and cool.
ReplyDeleteSandy, I got your post card from Cambodia, thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou are having yourself quite the adventure. I love your hat, great souvenir, and I'm sure it helps keep your head cool.
Sandy, I shared your blog with my human family members. They adopted a little boy from Viet Nam about 4 years ago. She loved it so much she shared it on FB. Friends of hers that also adopted from Viet Nam shared it too. Just thought you'd like to know what a great tour guide you are. Her little boy loved this posting and your hat he ran off to make a hat for his teddy bear, Chuckles. :) Keep doing such a great job!!
ReplyDelete@Buttons - Thanks Buttons! Glad to hear someone got a postcard from Cambodia. So far we've only heard of humans getting postcards from Hong Kong (and none from Bangkok or Cambodia).
ReplyDeleteI am very honoured to hear that some children are enjoying the blog! We are spending the next 2 months in Vietnam (with a week for Laos) - our itinerary includes Mui Ne, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Mai Lai, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Halong Bay and Sapa (and some places in between). Let me know if any of those places (or intermediary places) have a special interest and I will see about a specific post on those areas. I am behind on postings and still have to do my adventures in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City. "Xin chao" to all those Vietnamese friends! And "Cam On" for reading!