Arrived in Vietnam after a 7 hr bus journey across Cambodia from Phonm Penh to Saigon/Ho Chi Min City. The contrast immediately apparent as roads, buildings, shops became comparatively westernised – not that you would think it if just arrived straight from the West – but the wealth of Vietnam and progress is in stark contrast to struggling Cambodia.
A major culture shock when we went straight out from our super hotel (well, probably 3-4 star in UK) compared to Bangkok and Cambodia, traffic all over the place and all cars/motorcycles/new taxis – no tuk tuks here. International shopping malls and many of western food chains (try to avoid but have to confess to a Mexican last night as a relief from noodles and rice) and we walked around for 2 hrs to see most of major sights of old French colonial buildings and a few parks.
All is excitement as tomorrow is Chinese New Year and the Vietnam Tet holiday starts and lasts for 9 days when everyone goes home to families bearing flowers, plants and goodwill for the New Year. So the streets are full of the flowers for sale and everyone carrying them home + red flags everywhere and flowering trees outside shops and hotels – all very colourful. It does mean a lot of shops and museums will be closed but this is made up for by special celebrations – to be blogged about in a few days time.
Our first full day in Saigon was a trip out to the Mekong Delta – a massive wetland/river area nearby at the end of the river starting up in Tibet and crossing Thailand, Cambodia etc – if you have read this blog in detail you will recall (or not! – pay attention!) our daylong river trip via the floating villages which was further up from here.
A busy and interesting trip – a typical Explore trip even though it was a locally arranged trip but full of all sorts of local transport, music, fruit, meal, cottage industries – the photos narrate the experiences.
Making Rice paper wraps for spring rolls - these are drying in the sun
Fish farming from small floating houses -note the yellow flowers - these are outside every shop. hotel and home to welcome in the New Year
We travelled on main boat, smaller motor boat, paddle canoe and this horse and cart - as well as coach from Saigon centre
Grahams favourite - homemane coconut candy - pure coconut juice, stir in condensed milk, stir until think, mould into long sticks as here, cut into chunks, wrap in rice paper and then wax paper and pack in packet. Pretty labour intensive and delicious - some with ginger or peanuts added. Not sure they will last for home tasting sessions.
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