Cyclo-ing around My Tho, Vietnam

Can Tho is famous in the Delta for it's floating markets. We hopped in a long boat and cruised through the Cai Rang market which only deals in wholesale fruit and veg. Larger boats 'advertise' their products by hanging them off bamboo poles above the boats, then the smaller boats weave their way between and buy what they need. It's a bit mad, but works because it is easier to boat around than drive. Along the canals there are also these crazy 'Monkey Bridges' which are basically a skinny log with a bamboo handrail, but the Vietnamese can negotiate these with ease, carrying their big loads. We were also greeted along the way by a Vietnamese flasher who hid his face behind a palm leaf, leaving everything else hanging out!!! And all for the tourists!

Off to My Tho next (pronounced Me Toe), where we toured the city in a cyclo pictured in the photo. Not much space for me in front of Martin, but we had a great hour or two watching the fast pace of the town and motorbikes swerve around us! Our driver, Nib, was a fantastic guy, very friendly, very educated, so you may ask why he was driving a cyclo. Well, we seem to think he is one of the many intellectuals of Southern Vietnam that, , were sent to be re-educated once the Northern Vietnamese Communists gained control of the whole country back in 1973. All his possessions, home, and basic rights to work were taken away, leaving him a 'nobody' as far as Vietnam was concerned. He was happy though, and toured us around the markets, busy streets, and stopping at a nursery to some really stunned kids. He was a very special man and we will always remember him. Our next morning in My Tho began with a boat trip across the chocolate coloured Mekong to Dragon Island where there was a tasty coconut candy factory! We managed to cruise some more canals lined with lush palm leaves and banana trees, and stopped at an 'orchard' where we feasted on some of the local fruits (jack fruit, dragon fruit, pineapple, mini bananas), while listening to some local music and song (a bit like squealing!). Then it was on board the bus to the big city - Saigon or its new name since the war - Ho Chi Minh City after the Communist leader. * Mush and Stub