What in theory was going to be a visit to the Mekong Delta, soon turned into an incredible adventure in the jungle.
After 2 hours drive I got to the Mekong Delta, the place where the river ends and goes to the sea. The delta has fresh water and it is very good for planting certain sort of products. 55% of the rice grown in Vietnam comes from this area.
I got on a boat to visit some of the islands that form the delta and I had the opportunity to see (and taste!) how locals make coconut candies. From getting the coconut from the tree, to extracting the meat and water, cooking it, and making the shape. They are delicious!
Instead of getting back in the boat, I took a tuk tuk through the jungle to taste some local fruits and have a local lunch with some of the people living there. My stomach is not very happy now, but it was interesting trying elephant ear fish, rice wine, banana wine, fresh jackfruit and mango and drink fresh coconut water.
Then a Vietnamese woman (strong as all women are here) took me in her sampan (small rowing boat) through a jungle full of coconut, banana and cocoa trees crossing the island along one of its canals. It gave me a better understanding of why the Americans (not used to this environment) lost so many people in the war.
I took a boat back to My Tho and on the way I saw some floating houses of people that live all year round in the river. Under their floating houses they have fish farms, where they grow local fish (mostly catfish) to have a living. Very recently they have been able to get electricity from nearby inland houses, but life is hard in the delta.
