exploring the Mekong Delta

After staying in two big cities I was glad travelling towards the countryside. Well, it wasn't that easy to escape the tourist horde, but after one day travelling I managed to be the only Westener in town again... and it was a good feeling! :-)
The Mekong Delta - in my imagination it looked different, I expected untouched nature, mangroove forests, swamps and stuff like that. In reality it is one of the most densely populated regions in Vietnam. And so you could hardly find a place without huts, fields or orchards and lots of boats are cruising the Mekong permanently. But anyhow, that all has its own charm...
And also the people where more relaxed than in Ho Chi Minh, here they are smiling again. :-)

What happend to me exploring the Mekong Delta:
it was not that easy organizing transport off the beaten track - bus connections between towns should be frequent, but after asking five people where and when the bus leaves and receiving five different answers I started asking myself if I'm some kind of stranded in My Tho..... :-)
But in the end I catched a bus somehow going in the direction I wanted... with the result beeing kicked off the bus at a bridge and be told, that the town I wanted to go is "over there".... :-o
But, like they almost waited for me, I walked into Xe Om drivers... who only agreed to take me to the town for an incredible overcharged fare! In fact I managed to bargain them for half the price they wanted in the beginning, but this was still too much.Well, looking closely we are only talking about one Euro or less, but it is all a matter of principle....
But after all I enjoyed cruising the Mekong visiting floating markets, narrow channels, wide river streams almost looking like a lake, small villages, a coconut candy factory and a restaurant where they served the food on roller blades, but on a bumpy, really bumpy terrace without spilling a drop... ;-)

Have fun looking at my pics! :-)
Rainer