We took a spacious air-con express bus for the 1.5 hour trip to Ben Tre. It was, as we would soon find out, luxury travel. The bus company also had a driver take us directly to the entrance toad to our hotel at no extra cost. From there we were picked up by moto to transport us the last 700 meters. Riding a moto with our backpacks on and holding Rosemary made us feel like locals, not to mention it was quite the workout.
Our hotel, The Mango House, was dubbed a home state, but it was more of a hotel than anything. Set amongst a beautifully manicured garden and abutting the Mekong it provided a perfect venue for our introduction to the Mekong experience. We arrived at about noon and they had cold towels and drinks waiting for us which were a heaven sent. After a quick and tasty lunch, we booked a private tour of the delta...what an experience!
Although the tour was quite pricey, $48 /person, it was exactly what we wanted plus some. We hopped on one of Mango's cruise ships with our guide, Ut, and headed up river for about 20 minutes until we reached our first stop, a coconut processing "factory." I say factory, but it consisted of about 10 workers, each doing a different job in the processing process. The process goes something like this: 1) Remove the coconut husk and fiber. This is used for making various products form rope to _____ 2) Crack the coconut shell. The shell is charred and sold to local pharmaceutical companies. 3) Skin the meat. 4) Cut the meat. The meat is used for making jam, candy, and other products. Each step is completed by one or two individuals and every part of the coconut is used. It is a pretty fascinating process. They process about 2,000 coconuts a day and the workers make between $5 and $12 depending on there job.
From the cocounut factory, we took a tuk-tuk through country backroads barely big enough to contain our vehicle to our next destination which was a brick making factory. This was truly an impressive process. The clay and glaze is shipped in and pressed through a machine that forms the bricks. The bricks are cand cut then stacked outside to dry for week. After drying outside, they are stacked inside the large kiln that needs to be fired for 3-4 weeks, and then cooled for 5-6 days before retrieved. They use rice hulls or cocount shells to fire the kiln. The ash from the rice husk is then sold to local farmers to be used as fertilizer, and if cocunut shells are used the charred shell is used in pharmaceuticals. Amazing how resourceful and wasteless this process appears.
After leaving the brick factory, we jumped back on our boat where fresh fruit and cocunt water were awaiting us. After another relaxing boat ride, our next stop was to take another tuk-tuk to a rice noodle factory. At this factory about 5 people turned rice into the vermicelli noodle that is ever so popular in this region. Again, this process is labor intensive with very little mechanization. The rice noodles are sold directly to consumers. Ut told us that their production has been cut in half because of large manufacturers undercutting their price. I realize that this is part of the capitalist system, but it's hard to believe that a lower price is best for the community in this regard.
From the rice noodle factory, we were taken by tuk-tuk again to a little canal-side picnic area for some more fresh fruit, tea, delicious coconut candy, and a chat with our guide. We were rowed away from our snack spot down a meandering canal by two lovely women in their 60s. This was one of the highlights of the tour. Just relaxing in the narrows while viewing the life along the Mekong was an outstanding experience.
After returning to Mango House via our large cruiser, we walked down the road to tour a locals home and view her rice paper making process. This little side trip allowed us to peer into the lives of the people of Delta.
One personal highlight was a short bike trip to fetch some diapers. Riding down the small country road on a rickety cruiser brought a smile to my face. It's a feeling that I'd like to recreate as many times as possible.
We couldn’t have been happier (maybe if it was a little cheaper) with our introduction to the Mekong River Delta. Our guide was friendly, the sites were thought provoking, and the travel was meditative.
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