The Vietnamese will never win any road building competitions. There seems to be either an inability or lack of desire to join the road & bridge evenly. Sitting near the back of the bus Shannon and I were tossed into the ceiling frequently. Alternatively- perhaps the bumps are designed to slow down the drivers.......
Anyway- back to the delta-
Having seen a number of floating markets & villages on our travels we wanted the chance to see a bit more. Similarly- the traditional music performance made the some of Eurovision Song contest entries sound like beautiful ballards. Apparently there is a lovely story to explain the sound of some of the instruments however there is still no excuse. Remember 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' at Christmas by the grade 2 violinist and add a crying shrill whilst sitting in 38 degree heat.
Having taken a day trip to Vinh Long we decided to stay a night to see a bit more. After an hour of searching Shannon and I found some bikes to rent for the evening and next day. We cycled down bumpy paths, dodging small children, barking dogs and chickens. We saw kids of all ages doing Vietnamese karate at dusk - the coordination was woeful - no Bruce Lee's coming out of Vinh Long, that's for sure!
The next morning, we took the bikes back onto the delta islands and were able to really explore. Weaving along the pathways we passed villa style homes and shacks almost next to each other. We were surrounded by fruit trees: Coconuts, spiney melons, limes, bananas (see photo) and pineapples.
Bridges crossing the riverways ranged from concrete structures to fallen trees to clamber across. As we rode our bikes, we could feel the fresh breeze blowing through our hair (no helmets available, sorry Mum/Mom) and the quiet pathways, it was truly a heavenly experience. Living the dream.
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