Mekong Delta - Hey brother, can you spare a pineapple?

Clean up on aisle 7!

Somewhere on a list generated by a publication akin to The New York Times or Time Magazine (or maybe just some Facebook post) the Mekong Delta is listed as a top 10 trip to take in your lifetime.  Well, I do not disagree.

With Nan and Poppy still in town we headed down to the delta with a private guide for a 2 day jaunt.  We knew one of the highlights was going to be the giant floating market in Can Tho.  I just don't think any of us realized it's magnitude, scope, or authenticity.  I also don't think any of us realized how cool the other events on our docket were going to be.  I am going to let the photo's do most of the talking here...I ended up with almost twice as many shots in 2 days then I had in a week in Borneo.  Just amazing things happening all around us.  At the market we Graeme ate a ton of fruit.  Our guide was blown away.  He doesn't even usually care for pineapple and he ate an entire 1/2 of one in about 45 seconds.  To his defense, these were the best pineapples any of us had ever had.  No acidity, creamy texture - even in the core, juicy and a few days off of the bush.  Ditto with the mangoes, watermelons and whatever else we could get our hands on.  These boats can hold up to 10 tons, or 10,000 pineapples.  They come from as far away as up to 60-80km loaded to the gills, returning when empty.  There is an entire lifestyle, livelihood and culture created around this trade and this market in particular.

Don't think I can do it, do ya?

Guess what is in season?

Seedless??

So much better then Starbucks...

Pineapple express

The people really do make the Delta..

Can we get just one?

Tiger on Leopard prints are so in right now.

Flying the pineapple flag

Told ya I had this..

Hmm...what's fresh?

Family time on the river...

Aside from the floating market, we took a really cool sampan ride through canals clogged with floating plants.  We were the only people around and it was so peaceful and green.  Just surrounded by green.

Nan and Poppy all smiles in their Non La's

Graeme on Crocodile watch...

Potato delivery

How many shades of green are there?

Our boat ride ended with a walk along a path that meandered through people's backyards.  We got to see into their homes, smile and wave to them as well as see, hear and smell the incredible environment they call home.  In our short walk we must have come across a few dozen different fruits and vegetables growing in the wild...and it just got better.  We ended up at a home that has transformed itself into a restaurant for folks just like us.  Each group gets it's own gazebo and the eating begins!  Fried Elephant Ear fish, Giant River Prawns, spring rolls, the works!  Truly a gourmet meal served on a tiny island in the Mekong, in someone's backyard.  Wow!

Just your average stroll...

Elephant Ear fish

We will wind it up with a quick boat ride to another island for a leisurely bike ride.  We brought Graeme's bike seat with us just for the occasion.  The island doesn't have roads.  Just pathway's (about the size of a golf cart path).  The locals are fishermen, fish farmers, farmers and any other ancillary job surrounding those trades.  As bicycle are our (Erin, Graeme and I) main source of transportation, I never did ask Maria and Ross if they were comfortable on a bike.  I mean, when was the last time you rode one?  They handled them like champs, with Maria only going off-road one time but still staying upright.  This village must be 90% populated with children.  We had to have said "Hello!"  "Xin Chao!" and high-fived to over 1,000 of them.  It seemed never ending....when I asked our guide about it he joked "No movie theater here"....

Biker gang

Here we come!

 

Our send off party

Truly, another adventure of a lifetime!  And this one starts only 2 hours away from our place, so when you come to visit we will not hesitate to dial up our guide and take you along to witness and cherish the Mekong Delta!

We had such a great time with Nan and Poppy during their visit.  We did and saw so many things.  Way too many to blog about.  These are just some of the things we were able to do and see with them. 

(click here to see pictures of a motorbike tour of Saigon that includes birds, Ross and I eating 1/2 hatched quail eggs, drinking beer made that morning that cost 75cents per liter, and much more)

Graeme enjoyed having them so much.  From all these great trips to playing "fort" and "castle" in his room with Poppy, to playing "alligator" at the pool with Nan and so much more.  Truly a fantastic 3 weeks.  Safe travels back to the states and we will see you in a few months time...

If you 'd like to see ALL the pics from the Delta trip CLICK HERE.

Thanks again so much for reading our blog.  We really appreciate it and enjoy hearing that others are following us along on our journey!

Hòa Bình,
The Hawken's in HCMC
#thetaoofgraeme