Day 008 : The Mekong Delta

Today I began my journey from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta Area. It will be a 4 day trip, the first day taking me to Chau Doc. I was pretty excited about this portion of my stay in southern Vietnam. I had seen photos of how the locals live on and in harmony with the water, but I was anxious to see the real thing with my own eyes...

On the way I passed this brick making factory. Pretty interesting - no? I desperately wanted to stop and wander within it but unfortunately the bus had to keep on rolling.

There was lots of road construction along the way.

I wasn't able to sleep at all despite the fact that I woke up at 4:00 to catch the bus. I was a victim of observation overload - there was simply just too much to see! For some reason I became obsessed with photographing cyclos and their drivers. You wouldn't believe what the Vietnamese people can pack onto these tiny two-wheeled machines...

At the not-so-glamorous rest stop I stumbled upon this pretty special scene.

It was interesting to see how the different dwellings begin to deal with the intense temperature and wind conditions of Vietnam's tropical climate.

After a long bus ride I hopped on a boat to visit some river villages. Along the way I ran into several boats like this one. Each day I have more and more admiration for these people and how they make a living. The work is quite labor intensive and it is done under such extreme conditions.

The river was full of these humble houses.

I stopped off at one of the homes to check out this fishing hole. Once again, business and domesticity are found in the same space.





I hopped out of the boat the check out a small village. Immediately I was greeted by several children that wanted me to buy their goodies. It's hard to resist when they are so darn adorable, but I did.



This particular village was of the Muslim faith - a religion that is quite rare in Vietnam. The majority of the population is either Buddhist of Catholic.

On the way back to the boat I caught a glimpse of one boy finishing up his afternoon bath...

...and another group of kids heading to the river for theirs.
Click here for Mekong Delta photos!