Day 3 (8/12/2014)
2nd breakfast buffet at Queen Ann hotel today! They tweaked their menu a little, so the variety was not as boring as I expected hehe. Along with the normal white bread that they served daily, a bread basket next to it was filled with slices of super delicious-looking baguette. I had 5 slices because it was so good! The rest of it was nothing out of the ordinary (fried omelette, fried fish/meat ball, fruits and tea). Oh but silly me mistook butter cubes for cheese cubes so I got a very rude shock when I put them into my mouth. OOPSIES.
After breakfast, our minibus arrived to transport us to the Mekong Delta! Our tour guide said that it was about 2km wide, and it honestly looked more like a sea rather than a river to me. It was also really yellow and murky, but according to our guide, that was because the Mekong Delta lay at the foot of mountain(s), which meant that rain constantly washed sand and mud into the river, thus contributing to its current appearance. Couples with increased pollution (due to urbanization in Vietnam), the river inevitably turned from blue/green to yellow.
During our boat ride on the Mekong Delta, our guide introduced the stilt houses located opposite the main land (as you can see from above) as well as the floating markets dotted around these stilt houses (see below).
Due to their small scale, their goods are largely limited to pineapples, tapioca and casava. At the end of our boat ride, we got off at one of the nearby islands (I can’t remember its name! ) that specialised in growing longan trees and cacao trees!
We had their local specialty tea, which comprised locally produced honey (there were honey combs with tons of bees lying around ….. super scary!!!), freshly squeezed lime juice, dried longans, and of course tea (what kind- I’m not sure).
After that, we went to visit a coconut candy manufacturing workshop and witnessed first hand all the processes involved, from the grinding of the coconut to its packaging.
My mom actually went to buy 6 packets of the coconut candy (because buy 5 get 1 free haha). We then proceeded to a nearby place to enjoy a Vietnamese vocal performance. However, being the pig that I am, my focus was on the fruit platter that was served during the performance:
On the way to our next activity, I saw a board that recorded the number of visitors brought by each guide to the island:
It’s honestly quite scary to see how competitive they are.
Anyway, a sampan boat ride was arranged for us, so at the dock, our guide showed us the way to step onto a sampan because it could topple over easily. (It was an incredibly nerve-wracking moment when it was my turn to step on it!) As I had never been on a sampan before, it was definitely a unique and eye-opening experience.
At the end of the ride, we hopped onto a motorised boat to go to another island for lunch. It (either the island or restaurant) was called Hao Ai, and it was an outdoor-style lunch where the waitresses made fresh spring rolls at each table. This lunch was especially interesting because its deep fried fish was served upright, and not flat on the plate:
After lunch, we took a walk around the island to digest our food and I saw a water buffalo up close! (First time ever!) I was so afraid that it would charge at me though haha.
Anyway, it was time to go back to the main land, so on the boat ride back, our guide gave us coconuts to drink from! super shiok! (probably because it was sooooo hot, I think its even hotter than Singapore at times)
Because it was so hot, our guide gave us 20 minutes to jalan jalan at the harbour. I bought a traditional Vietnamese hat (the cone-shaped one) for 20 000 dong (about $1 sgd) and a communist-style cap (as featured on my insta) for 30 000 dong (about $2 sgd) at the souvenir shops there! I absolutely love them and I only spent about $3 sgd on souvenirs WOOHOO (cheapo alert!!)
After our incredibly long bus ride back to the city centre, we arrived at Ben Thanh market- a touristy place for shopping! In there, my mom and sister picked up their souvenirs (some dresses, nuts, peanut candy). And for some unfathomable reason, the stallholders there kept approaching me and talking to me in VIETNAMESE! (Do I look like a Vietnamese??) (Or maybe its the double braids haha). We then went to Saigon Square – also a shopping place, but its catered more for the locals, that is located just opposite Ben Thanh market. Nothing really caught our eye there, so we started searching for a place to have dinner. As we walked around the area, we chanced upon ACHAYA CAFE and it was the best find ever! I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and let me tell you, it was the best sandwhich I have had in my life thus far.
The baguette was so crunchy and fragrant, the stewed pork was so juicy and flavourful (although I did spit out all the fats) and the vegetables were super fresh! And the best part? It cost less than $5 sgd! Super satisfying dinner!
That’s pretty much all for today, kinda sad that we have to go back home tomorrow, but it has been a really good trip! (Oh and the movie of the night was Les Miserables – awesome hotel that allowed me to catch up on movies I missed when i was busy studying for As! )
adventuresofxmm 