It is more beautiful and fascinating here than I could have imagined.
Our first glimpse before going in.
Monday: Ben Tre to Tra Vinh, 40 flat miles, overcast, low 80s, afternoon shower Tuesday: Tra Vinh to Can Tho, 57 miles, sunny, 90s, afternoon shower Wednesday: Can Tho to Chau Doc, 44 flat miles
Tuesday was not only a lot of miles, they were technical with mud and rough “roads.” There were also bridges out and impassable sections, so our guide seamlessly rerouted us at least three times.
We shared these little roads with two-way motorbike traffic. My new tour comprises the lovely Mark and Kirsten from the UK, a guide/mechanic, and the van driver.Sometimes the mud was so deep that we had to walk the bikes.tributaries and therefore bridges everywhereA rare wooden house; modern construction is concrete.taking a break for some homemade sugar palm candy with these adorable entrepreneursWe rode over hundreds of bridges of all types, usually concrete or wood, but this one was the most fun. We took at least 10 ferries during 3 days.I though the bike would shake apart on these rough riprap sections.The Mekong Delta was previously part of Cambodia, so about one million ethnic Khmers live here. Their Buddhist temple architecture is distinctive.drying freshly made incense sticksDid I mention the bridges?or, the occasional lack thereofWe ended our Vietnam cycling at Sam Mountain.
Agriculture
The delta is teeming with food production.
Coconut is big business, and they use every part of the fruit. Men in the warehouse are dehusking with floor-mounted machetes.“coconut girl”Chickens (and dogs) are omnipresent.water buffalodrying riceherding ducks out of the rice fieldsempty cargo boatIn keeping with tradition, the boats have “eyes” to scare away crocodiles (now extinct in the wild).Chau Doc floating wholesale produce market, where the item on the pole lets buyers know what is for sale.(photo by Mark)
Jane, this is gorgeous. Also you are going to be the buffet person in Arlington when you get back! The thing with this blog that’s so interesting to me is seeing places I heard about throughout my childhood (the Vietnam War was one of its backdrops) and seeing them NOW. The other day there was a beach and OMG, I remembered references, and then was thinking, “that’s beautiful.” Of course I knew Vietnam had changed and grown and traded and was a great place to visit, but this makes it so concrete!
Thank you for the feedback, and glad you’re enjoying it! So happy to share. It is fascinating for me as well to visit areas I’ve only ever heard about. These are the pretty pics, of course. I am planning a post to show some of the other realities of traveling here.
Have you all not read the food posts? 😆 I’m eating my way across Asia. To make matters worse, this second tour is extremely slow, 6-7 mph, and all meals are included. It’s multi-course fine dining, which I did not realize. I need the come home to scale down the eating and ramp up the exercise effort! I haven’t broken a sweat or raised the heart rate in a week now.
The Journey in Between 
All those miles. impressive in so many ways.
Can’t wait to hear more!
Karen
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Jane, this is gorgeous. Also you are going to be the buffet person in Arlington when you get back! The thing with this blog that’s so interesting to me is seeing places I heard about throughout my childhood (the Vietnam War was one of its backdrops) and seeing them NOW. The other day there was a beach and OMG, I remembered references, and then was thinking, “that’s beautiful.” Of course I knew Vietnam had changed and grown and traded and was a great place to visit, but this makes it so concrete!
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Thank you for the feedback, and glad you’re enjoying it! So happy to share. It is fascinating for me as well to visit areas I’ve only ever heard about. These are the pretty pics, of course. I am planning a post to show some of the other realities of traveling here.
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That will be interesting as well.
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Buffest. I do hate auto correct. One hopes you will never be on a buffet.
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After all those miles, I’m pretty sure she would welcome a buffet!
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Have you all not read the food posts? 😆 I’m eating my way across Asia. To make matters worse, this second tour is extremely slow, 6-7 mph, and all meals are included. It’s multi-course fine dining, which I did not realize. I need the come home to scale down the eating and ramp up the exercise effort! I haven’t broken a sweat or raised the heart rate in a week now.
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