can tho. vietnam. february 27th – 28th. 2009

A small settlement in the Mekong delta. Just over 24 hours here. Spectacular floating markets, the draw . We discover another vegetarian restaurant, check emails, and organize our day on the Mekong.  5:30am start. Don’t remember if Stephen even slept! Sunrise was not dramatic, but really beautiful to watch dawn creep above the banks of the Mekong. Just the two of us and our driver. We arrive at the first floating market, which is bustling and captivating, but seems more active with photographing then with a thriving trade. It is a unique and textured environment and it is nice to share it with Stephen in a quiet, not as part of a larger group. The next stop, a vermicelli making shop and we seem to have connected with another small group for the rest of our day. A female boat driver and two young women. We dock and walk through a field, past a pen of pigs to the shop. I will let the photos speak for themselves. A quick stop for drinks, the 3 women are a lot of fun and I am glad we are travelling in tandem. Back on the water we see more of the settlements now that it is late here, make our way to the second market. The rest of the afternoon is quiet meandering through the waterways of the delta, lush vegetation, sedate communities ‘monkey’ bridges. The driver from the other boat weaves origami cricket bracelets out of grass! For her passengers and me. She is full of spirit, while being laid back and seemingly genuine. A final stop for fruit and the journey back to our hostels. Waiting to catch our ride from the hostel, I see the face in the wall. We leave the Mekong today and enter Saigon.

laurel's can tho photos on flickr

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