Up at 06:00 had breakfast and we were picked up at 07:00 by Harry our guide. We thought we were on a bus tour but no just us two Harry and the driver. The traffic was very busy and the amount of motor bikes and scooters on the road was unbelievable. I asked Harry how many road deaths and he said about 50 a day in Vietnam. On the way to Cu Chi we stopped at a disability workshop where people mostly affected from agent orange through birth worked. They worked with lacquer duck egg shells and mother of pearl from large oyster shells make a variety of ornaments and wall hangings. They were lovely and the prices were steep so we declined. It was a 2 hour drive from Saigon to Cu Chi tunnels it was busy there with lots of buses and cars in the car park. Harry showed us under ground tunnels, kitchen and hospital. The tunnels were very tight for my height and size. The types of traps they used against the enemy which originated from hunting animals. We got a lot of history about the war which we did not know about. There was 250km of tunnels built, saw areas where B52 planes dropped bombs leaving big craters When that finished we went to the gift shop area and found a lovely wall hanging made by the handicapped people which we visited earlier and it was half the price and a couple of T shirts. Happy with that we headed off to the Mekong Delta 2.5 hours away most on a dual carriage way which does not allow motor bikes. A long the way we stopped at a touristy place for lunch, it was included in the tour price. There were hundreds of tourist eating in their and the menu was set. It was okay but too crowded and noisy. We told Harry afterwards we would have preferred a local place with out the tourists and more authentic.
At the Mekong Delta we got on to a river motorised boat and went to the island located in the middle of the Mekong. The Mekong is 3 km wide and 20m deep. We spotted alot of barges carrying river sand which is to be used in Saigon for buildings, this practice is illegal as it is causing erosion to the river banks but back handers to the right people this is allowed to carry on. On the island a 1000 people live there, farming and small businesses. We went to a chocolate factory as they grow their own cocoa. They produce over 2000 pounds of honey each month and they grow flowers and the bees love orchids. Coconuts are in abundance and they utilise them to the max, juice, cream, decicated, chocolate, sweets, lip balm and lip stick and the husks when dried out fuel for cooking. We rode in a buggy pulled by a horse, a boat paddled by 2 guys a river through the middle of the island. Unfortunately plastic waste and other waste is not a priority sad to see. We got a boat back to the main land and a 2 hour ride back to our hotel. It was a long day but worth it as we are leaving for Siem Reap tomorrow evening.
Maurice's Travel 