We were going to go to another tourist spot to see rice-noodles being made, but the factory was closed so instead we went to a local street market beside the river. This was much more interesting as they were not used to seeing tourists there, so there was no "you buy, you buy" in-your-face sellers. We were free to wander around the markets and soak in the pungent atmosphere. What great luck the noodle factory was closed!
Then a 5 hour bus trip back to Ho Chi Ming City. This is a typical Vietnamese street scene from the bus...
Overall the Mekong trip was just amazing - it was 2 days of overwhelming culture-shock. It was quite exhausting also - even cruising up the river slowly for hours at a time, it sounds relaxing, but there was always an overwhelming of the senses with unfamiliar things to see reminding you you were a long way from home.
We are both staying healthy - despite eating at street stalls and back-street market stalls (and cafes serving local food) for most of our meals. Have eaten only local dishes so far - not needing western food yet (the local stuff is all sooooo tasty - and there is huge variety). Except breakfast - we have been enjoying a fresh baguette with soft cheese - a local breakfast option left over from the French colonial past - costs maybe NZ$4 for both of us. A dinner with two mains, a plate of spring-rolls and a couple of beers sets us back roughly NZ$10-11, such great value for money!
The heat isn't as bad as we expected, but it is overcast most of the time, and a light breeze keeps things nice and cool (maybe hot humid NZ summer temps). We can imagine a still sunny day would be pretty tough - but have avoid this so far. Have stayed in Air-con rooms so far and got very good sleeps at night.
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