<!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->

18 June: Can Tho

We were up early, our bags packed, we would have to leave our larger bags at the guesthouse, taking only clothes and supplies for the two days. After buying water we headed to the TM Brothers office where we boarded the bus heading for My Tho. The trip from Saigon to My Tho was almost 2 hours, with a pit stop along the way just to freshen up. Arriving at the pier we boarded a motorized boat (not a motorboat, but a narrow wooden boat with an enjin at the back) crossing the mighty Mekong river and taking us around the 4 islands. Our guide was constantly making jokes and singing with a guitar he had brought along for the trip, in between his jesting would explain history and customs of the area.

Our first stop was at Phoenix island were we were taken to the coconut factory to be shown the art of making coconut sweets. First the white inside of the coconut is cut out and grinded into small pieces whereafter it is pressed to collect the coconut milk. The milk is then mixed with 1/3 sugar and churned for an hour. The end result is a sticky fudge material which is placed into a wooden separator forming long lines which are then cut into 2cm sweets.

We were given tasters of the 10 odd types of coconut sweets as well as other rice and peanut sweets. We ended up buying 2 packets of the sweets after which we tasted their wines, which are more like spirits. The first was banana wine, then coconut wine and lastly snake and scorpion wine. A small tot glass of each was even to much for Leanne and myself to share considering it was 30% to 40% alcohol. The snake and scorpion wine is denoted as such with not an emblem, but rather an actual cobra fully inflated with a scorpion tail in its mouth and the scorpion dangling down towards the bottom of the bottle.

After this we took a smaller boat and cruised around the estuary creeks between the island, before returning for a brief 20 minute cycle ride around the island. Our bikes had no working breaks nor any gears or shocks that it at one stage possessed. We were however given a unique opportunity to experience daily life of the island locals from our vantage points as we cruised by. After the exercise routine we sat down for lunch, everyone was provided with a pork chop, rice and vegetables and a soup.

After that we took another boat to a restaurant where we were given honey tea and dried fruits to enjoy. Just before leaving we spotted a small 2m python, which was being kept as a pet in a cage devouring a pheasant. This attracted everyone's attention and soon the whole group was crowding around to watch it enjoying its lunch. After the excitement level dropped, we were driven again to another restaurant where we enjoyed jasmine tea and different types of fresh tropical fruits, while watching and listening to a family performing their traditional singing.

The day had come to an end for those who were only doing the one day excursion and they headed back to Saigon on another bus, while we drove another 2 hours to Can Tho, where we would sleep the evening. The drive there was characterized by most people using the time to rest after the long day. Every so often you would be jolted back to consciousness by the driver slamming on the breaks or more likely his incessant hooting.

We arrived at Can Tho just after 18h00, we all booked into the hotel and headed to our rooms, definitely not the cleanest we had slept in. After this we headed to the local night market to do some exploring. The night market was only a few stalls with no food being offered and we soon decided just to walk along the boardwalk of the riverside, while looking for a nice restaurant. We had seen on many occasions that people along the streets would make sugar cane drinks. They would use the raw sugar cane with a lemon, run it through a turning press several times after which they would add ice to complete the drink. We opted for one, but remembered to late that in Vietnam one isn't supposed to drink anything with ice, lest you become ill. This caused us to drink as quickly as possible not allowing the ice to melt, quite enjoyable if I may add.

We found a little restaurant on our way back and sat down for a plate of rice and chicken, of which the latter was sparcely added. Walking around some more, we bought banana bread at a bakery and ramputans and water along the way before returning to the hotel.