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1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Hello! It’s our 3rd day in Vietnam and we are still waking up around 6.30am (although a bit tired) to have breakfast before going for our tour to Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta. Above shows the breakfast voucher at Elios Hotel. For photos of Elios Hotel, please do refer to “A Day in Ho Chi Minh City“. Also do check out our 2nd day tour to “Cao Dai Temple & Cu Chi Tunnels“.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

My first serving – fried rice, potato wedges, ham, sausages, etc.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

My second serving is usually toast (with butter) and a repeat of the food that I find it nice in serving 1. The good thing about the breakfast at Elios Hotel is that the majority of the food (except for toast & drinks) are changed everyday so that you will not feel bored eating the same food for several days. Likely to have a fixed menu which it’s rotated around.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

We walk over to TheSinhTourist and boarded the coach. This time round the tour group is rather huge and the majority are non-Asians.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

After a while of the coach ride, we stopped at a restaurant for a break where tourists can visit restroom, smoke or just hang around.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

After another 1 hour of journey. we were told to alight and then continued by walking for a short distance to have a motorized boat ride.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

On the motorized boat ride. Captain checking the head count of the tourists before leaving.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

The kind of motorized boat we are taking. πŸ™‚

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Mekong Delta – here we come!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Passing by a another smaller boat, it seems to me that the boat is actually their house where they lived, sleep and go on with their everyday things…

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Transport boat – passengers together with their bicycles, motorbikes and large items.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Church along Mekong Delta.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Alighted the boat, we didn’t get to see the “Cai Be Floating Market“… not sure why…thought it was in the itinerary…

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

We were then ushered to a place where we tried free samples of Royal Jelly. If you like it, then you can purchase it.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Showing us the worker bees where the Royal Jelly comes from.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Believe this should be Cai Be (as tour guide didn’t explain) and it’s a very calming area. Walking along a small path to the next destination.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Reached our next destination…what do we have here?

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Brewing alcohol? I need a drink!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Yeah, because at the opposite of the brewery, you can see this. Alcohol with snakes, scorpions and herbs… anyone game to try? Well, a couple from my tour group tried and mention that it tastes like sake but much stronger. He also asked me whether I would like to try which I politely declined. πŸ™‚

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

At another corner, there is a stall selling crackers and also showing how Vietnamese spring roll skin is made.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Next, another area showing how they make coconut candies.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

A variety of coconut candies is available and there are free samples available to try. I overheard that there are banana, chocolate, etc flavors too!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Walking on to the next destination. Looks like pasar malam in Singapore?

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

This area sells lots of clothing.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Another section showing how they make rice crackers, the grains are thrown in the hot wok (with sand) and it pops just like popcorn!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

The backyard of the shop.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Durians for sale here too! But I personally find it way too heaty (due to hot weather) to consume any durians but Vietnamese differs as there was a party of 3 who went ahead to eat.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

More souvenirs for you to buy back. πŸ™‚

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Continuing our journey on the boat to a village to have lunch as well as to see the life of villagers.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Another boat carrying a large pile of of sand passing by our boat.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

A house along Mekong Delta, seems to be self-built.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Petrol station for the boats!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Lunch that was packaged together with the tour. Food was quite fine but it was nothing fantastic. It comes with some fruits as well but the drinks is chargeable. I suppose this restaurant is always frequent by tourists so the drinks are slightly more expensive – 1 333 beer and 1 Coke totaled up to VND 34,000.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

The restaurant where we are having lunch with our tour group.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

After the lunch, we went to take a stroll around the village premises.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Private area to host your guests for lunch or dinner.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Crocodile farm. You can pay a small sum of money to feed them too!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Hammocks are available here and some of our tour members even had a good nap after the lunch!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

There is a short singing performance by the locals and you are welcome to part with you money in appreciation.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Continuing the journey on the boat and the reached our next destination – Vinh Long Market.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

The sun was extremely hot today and it made walking around really difficult as there wasn’t much of shelter around.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Cho Vinh Long, which is Vinh Long Market in English.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Food stalls at Vinh Long Market, the stall owners are beckoning at us to try, which we politely declined.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

My partner bought a small 50g BiorΓ© facial wash (facial-fit expert) at VND 19,000 here. Nostalgia sight!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Vu Trung Discotheque – doesn’t seem to be in operation anymore. We went back to the coach and waited for it to leave for our next destination back to Ho Chi Minh City. A rather unfortunate thing happened halfway during the ride, the air-con in the coach broke down (despite the bus assistant effort to get it working) and we were all trapped in hot air. Opening the window helps a bit but you also get to have free carbon monoxide, dust and sand in your face!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Coach stopped at Mekong Rest Stop. It is a very nice and clean place and I think you can imagine if I tell you the above photo is actually the rest room.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Facade of Mekong Rest Stop.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

My partner bought a can of coke here at VND 16,000 and we sat at the table to the right to rest. It was a relief from the hot bus due to the air-con going nuts!

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Mandarin Duck relaxing at the pond at Mekong Rest Stop.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Private resting area for big groups.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Somehow, before we board the bus, the air-con was fixed and the rest of journey was rather pleasant. We reached Ho Chi Minh City around 630pm and walk around to find a place to have dinner. Passing by Crazy Buffalo Saigon, a restaurant and bar that is open 24 hours.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Decided to try Sasa Cafe (242 De Tam Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), which was just along TheSinhTourist office. Internet is available upstairs and you can also eat here too as there are tables looking out over the street.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Delicious spring rolls (10 pieces) at VND 33,000.

1 Day Cai Be & Vinh Long via the Mekong Delta Tour

Pizza Quattro Stagoni (large) at VND 85,000. Total dinner is at VND 211,000 which included 3 x Saigon Beer (VND 15,000 each) and 2 Heineken (VND 20,000 each). Food was extremely nice and staffs are friendly too! The ambiance is cozy and great for after-dinner drinks!

The next blog post will cover my 1 day Vung Tau Tour as well as walkabout, shopping and french dining in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). πŸ™‚

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