Day 11 - Vietnam Discovery from Hanoi to the Meekong Delta - 'Inside Vietnam' adventure with EXPLORE

Day 11 – Meekong Delta to Saigon

I woke up, I must have nodded off for a second, quick look at the phone…6am... 6am!!!!  I've only gone and had the best night's sleep of seven straight hours in my thin mesh cage that was protecting me from the wild animals and bugs of Vietnam.  I’d thought that it would be the end of me (nothing like being over dramatic for literary purposes!).

The ants knocked politely on the door to resume their daily manic missions, through the doorway up the wall and back out of the window again.  Ice-cold shower outdoors and it was time to get ready for the day.  I walked the short stroll from my room to the veranda and saw some of the group out on the dock in the reclined deck chairs, enjoying their strong coffees and teas in the crisp morning air.  The air newly freshened by the recent storm that had passed in the night.

A very hearty breakfast is enjoyed by all back on the veranda, overlooking the delta, the wonderful offerings are consumed with the customary strong black coffee or super fresh juices prepared by our wonderful hosts.  The staff here have been so kind and welcoming during our stay here on the island.

The honesty-based drinks tabs are all totted up and settled, handfuls of bank notes change hands and then we assembled by the dock ready to depart back to the mainland for our return to Saigon city.  The dogs of course joined the walk to the jetty to see us off.  Also, they couldn’t let you leave without one more belly rub.

Our final plank walk to board and we were back on the river boat, we pushed back, the engine chugging away and the boat turned slowly to face upriver.  We waved back at the homestay family and staff, who had come to send us off on our way, as we motored back along the river.

We had some stops on our return upriver to the mainland.  The first stop was to an island factory that burns coconut shells to produce medicine products, not something we would have known about for sure.  The small factory with smoke billowing from two chimneys (a third chimney seemingly having met a wildly explosive fate in recent history) the whole factory had an aura and look of something out of a Victorian era steam punk novel.  A place where the world is wholly powered by steam, with the serf class working the factory producing steam, in servitude to their master way up there in the high tower.  (Too dramatic?, oh well!)

Arriving at our second stop further upriver we completed our final precarious, balance beam of a disembarkation.  Eleven day in and travellers lost this adventure to naval mishaps- zero!

The second visit is to a temple/church of a religion here that worships the all-seeing eye, mostly in southern Vietnam I think.  A super interesting building, brightly painted and adorned with figurines, dragons and lights, pictures and artful paintings.  Not a religion many of us have heard about but something for future reading as a matter of intrigue.

On our walk back we stopped briefly and Joseph got some fresh drinks made from a vendor, pulping sugar cane in a hand powered machine to make a super sweet drink.  A lady from another shop further down the road, came over to our group to give us a huge bunch of fresh, ripe bananas, free.  Truly kind.

A final walk and we are at a main road, our heavenly air-conditioned palace of coolness on wheels arrived moments later and it was absolutely bliss to board and get out of the crazy hot, humid day.  Back in Saigon we arrived at our final hotel of this wonderful adventure, with I have to say, the absolute best bunch of people I've had the pleasure of meeting on any Explore trip I've ever done.

The hotel was a combination of different buildings all connected via the lobby/ground floor.   There’s five elevators that go to different rooms on the same levels, confusing at first for sure.  We left our bags and were out to lunch straight away as rooms wouldn't be ready for a little while.  The meals at our restaurant today are customarily big, you won't go hungry here and the attitude here in Vietnam, we're told, is they're not upset at all by lots of food left uneaten, which is a good thing as sometimes some of us have struggled.

Later on, the 6pm evening Committee convened tonight at 6pm, who’d have thought hey, at the roof top pool bar for the customary pre-dinner drinks.  While we were seated, at least one person was spotted on  a neighbouring rooftop pool dramatically posing, hair-wafting, obligatory pouting and peace signs, sitting on the edge of the pool and instagrams/tic-tok-ing selfies for their million followers.  Oh to be so popular.

On our drive back through Saigon, we had spotted a big, craft beer style restaurant nearby and the six of us heading out tonight walked a brisk ten minutes through the city toward it.  They were full up upon our arrival, so we got some refreshing beers and waited to be seated in the restaurant at some outside tables.

Once inside this very lively street junction restaurant, we were seated and the menus were eagerly read, BBQ Bacon Burger and fries, I’m sold!!! It’s just to take a one meal break from the lovely rice and noodle dishes we've enjoyed daily.  It's loud and full of people in having a great time, tables full of all combinations of parties.  The music pumping, well up the top end of the decibel scale, especially for old ears like mine, youth of today, tut tut! 

Outside the restaurant we heard a high pitched 'Oiiiii!, Oiiiii', somewhat loud, our heads turned and there was a child busking, performing fire breathing (seems popular for busking here).  A bit of a sad feeling to see one so young, our guess is around ten to eleven years old, out there doing this.  We had a great evening here overall, a really enjoyable evening together chatting away, people watching and enjoying the vibrant, energetic atmosphere of Saigon nightlife.