Been There. Done That.: Second (and last!) Day at Ho Chi Minh -- Mekong Delta : Cai Be

Day 2.

It was an earlier pick-up time today, 7:30. It was raining all night til morning, so it got us bit worried if whether the tour will push through, or if it does, the rain might spoil it. Luckily, the 3-hour trip to Mekong Delta helped, as the rain calmed down while on the way.

Midway through the trip, there will be a 15-minute stopover, there are hammocks if you’d like to lie down a bit, there are snacks/drinks that could be bought, and of course there’s a restroom for nature calls. :)

After the 3-hour road trip, we finally reached Cai Be.

The tour will start here. We hopped on a boat to tour Mekong River, and first on the itinerary is to view floating markets.

Unfortunately, due to the rains throughout the night and early morning, we are not able to see much of them. Most of the boats we saw, unless the tour guide tells us what they sell, we can hardly identify them as they’re still covered.

We then headed to a local factory where rice paper, pop rice, and coconut candies are made. Rice wine and snake wine are also available here for free tasting.

Then we walked to a nearby bee farm, where we get to try their honey tea. I personally loved the taste of the tea, and wanted another serving. Bee Honey and Royal Jelly can be bought from here.

Next stop, Lunch! We went aboard the boat again, and headed to Orchard Garden for lunch. Lunch is free, and then there’s an option to try the Elephant Ear Fish which goes along with the spring rolls. We ended up eating it with rice though. :)

There are hammocks which can be used for free if you’d like to take a nap, and bicycles that are also free of use, so you can explore the neighbourhood.

Last course of the tour is the boat rowing along Mekong Delta Canal. You don’t get to row the boat though. Just sit and enjoy the view, with your Non Las (hats) that are free to use.

The row boats will take you back to your boat, which will continue on passing through the Mekong River, and then will drop you off Vinh Long market where your bus that will take you back to Ho Chi Minh is waiting.

We’re back in the city around 6:45PM. The drop-off is at Pham Ngu Lao so we headed back to our hotel first to leave the stuffs we bought, then went out to try their iced coffee w/ milk at Trung Nguyen Coffee.

Not yet in the mood for dinner, we decided to go to Saigon Square for our North Face bags. It’s a good thing we decided to shop first, as Saigon Square closes at 9 PM, and some of the stalls are closed already. After we got our bags at Saigon Square, we then walked across the street towards Ben Thanh Market -- our last take at shopping for ourselves, and for pasalubong.

Last stop, dinner at Nha Hang Ngon restaurant. Nice ambience and experience, just right to end our Vietnam trip.