A Day in the Delta
Amidst the hazy sky and murky brown waters of the mighty Mekong, we boarded our ferry boat for a day on the Delta. Feeling dwarfed by the enormity of several barges flowing past, I had no idea what to expect in the myriad of hidden entrances down narrow pathways. After a two hour drive from Vietnam’s capital Saigon (HCM on paper) We arrive in a region where the Mekong river approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong Delta encompasses a large portion of south eastern Vietnam of 39,000 km. The area covered by water depends on the season. We are in the month of December after the rainy season. A cool 25-30 degrees celcius.
Due to lower tides we boarded a smaller boat to take us down one of these pathways. At turtle pace we put-putted down the river. Sugar Palm Trees line the banks of the river. Eco-Tourism works in these areas where local farmers have not changed their way of life
They simply continue living their life and show us a glimpse of what they eat, drink and sing. Most plots of land are flat and dotted with coconut or sugar palm trees. Free range chickens, black and white geese walk freely from one property to the next. Our day on the Delta is a taste of the raw ingredients that abound this place.
Our first stop is a coconut candy factory. More like a dozen locals working as a family unit selling a finished product manufactured and packaged right before our eyes. Other coconut candy combinations come with ginger and banana. At the same location we stopped for a drink of hot water mixed with cumquat juice and honey. Cumquat trees surround the area and bees buzz on honey combs close by. Agriculture and tourism seem to intertwine together and more surprisingly natural wildlife plays a part in tourism as well. Large 2 metre long pythons can be wrapped around our neck like scarfs.
At the next farm we sit for another drink and light snack. On the table is Jackfruit, finger bananas, papaya, dragon fruit, pineapple and sapodilla. Also known as Chiko, this fruit is the size of a small mango with similar skin to a kiwi fruit but hairless. Tastes of fruity brown sugar with some grittiness and a black seed in the middle. Two young boys sing a traditional song as we sample the fruit and drink some green tea.
Our lunch is waiting for us at the next farm. Just a hop, skip and a jump away we cross a monkey bridge over some marsh water. Once again we arrive at a farmers home where bamboo tables are laden with yellow orange table cloths and a feast of local delicacies awaits us. For lunch we eat Elephant Ear fish, spring rolls (pork, mushroom, green bean, taro) with rice paper that looks like a fish net. The spring roll is deep fried in veg oil. Every household or restaurant has their own secret recipe. We also have rice paper rolls with steamed shrimp. On a side plate we dip the rice paper roll into a mix of salt, pepper and cumquat. The soup is green cabbage, catfish and fish ball. Catfish is also served separately with steamed rice and pork. To finish off our feast we skull a double shot glass of snake wine. The Cobra snake is stuffed into a bottle alive and drowned with 100% rice wine and stored for five years. Other rice wines also contain, scorpions and lizards, Don't quote me on this but this English translation was taken from the back of a bottle. “Regularly drinking appropriate quantities of the wines can moisturize your skin, improve your appetite, and strengthen your bones, tendons and muscles. They are used to treat general fatigue, hair loss, migraine headaches, rheumatism, and neurasthenia”
Sounds like a miracle cure? Feeling a bit of a pinch and a punch in my belly we board the boat to head back home. Just when I thought I had consumed enough, a coconut’s top is sliced off, straw inserted and passed around for our final drink on the mighty Mekong. Today we only experienced a snap shot of the real life in this wonderful place and a memory of the sights, smells and tastes that have left me craving for more.
