Saigon was kind to us and the sun returned for our final two days in Vietnam. More travelling - this time by coach - to get to the Mekong Delta. Given the shift in weather it was definitely time to “go native” and buy a triangle hat. I looked very, umm, special.
We took a boat and our first stop was a place where they grow orchids and make their own honey. We were made a cup of tea with the honey, bee pollen and kumquat juice - the perfect pick me up and much needed Vitamin C (by this point everyone in the group was ill - except for two of us!).
Then we headed to a place where they process coconuts and turn them into coconut candy - delicious. The final stop was to a restaurant up river for a great lunch, starting with an upright elephant fish. We were a bit concerned at first, but it was very tasty. As with all Vietnamese food, the sauces can transform them into dishes you can’t get enough of!
Next was a boat trip through the palms back to our main boat. The woman who was punting for us sounded like Maria Sharapova - there were an awful lot of grunts and at one point I thought she was either going to give up or pass out. We made it back in one piece though. I tipped her extra for the heavy load...
We returned to Saigon and had a final celebration dinner as a group, toasting our tour guide for the ten days, Jackie, who had done a great job trying to corral everybody, pulling us out of the countless shops when we needed to head on to the next destination, and giving us a potted history of Vietnam on the way. A smaller group of us headed up to the rooftop bar of the Rex Hotel for after dinner cocktails. There was a great live band on the roof - a nice way to spend the last night.
On Friday morning we wanted to squeeze every bit of our last day, so headed out early to the Cu Chi Tunnels - a network of underground tunnels used by the Viet Cong. On the way we stopped at a rubber plantation, to see how they collect rubber from the trees.
David demonstrating the secret access points at the Cu Chi tunnels...rather him than me!
When we got back to Saigon there was just time for a trip to the market to get some last minute bartering in. I’d been after a Buddha since my time in Sri Lanka earlier in the year, so I kept an eye out and a lot of people in the group did too - the hunt for Ben’s Buddha was probably a little irritating by the end but I know everyone likes a challenge. In the end I came back with three, including one of my doppelgänger the laughing Buddha.
They will serve as a reminder of a fab holiday, a beautiful country, and meeting some great people, both in our group and the locals!
Now to plan the next...