The end of the Mekong (Vietnam)

April 4-5, 2006
Still alone, I joined a tour to visit the Mekong Delta. The outlet of the great river that begins in China, runs through Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and finally Vietnam. While it was a relatively small river in Nong Khai, Thailand, the Mekong, at its final desination, spans across the land through tributaries, creating lush islands with the most fertile soil in the area. Life here is the Mekong: the delta and the river. Fruit merchants sell their goods on the river to each other, from large distributor boats to smaller ones. They hang their products on a bamboo pole rising up from the boat to alert their potential customers of their selection. Boatswomen eagerly wait to ferry tourists through the canals shaded by coconut, jackfruit and longan trees. The area was beautiful and alive. (Pics to come later)

On this trip, I met several very interesting people.

My favorite was an elderly American gentleman named Bill. Bill was traveling by himself with an itinerary that took him through the major battle points of the Vietnam war. (Or as they call it here in Vietnam, the American war.) Though I never asked, I think he probably fought in the war himself. He was friendly and gamed to try anything -- including the durian. (Also known to some as smelly or stinky fruit. It is not allowed in hotels nor airports. But gosh, I LOVE it.) Unfortunately, we couldn't find any ripe ones. For lunch, he treated a bunch of us to elephant ears. No, not real ones. It's just the name of a fish 'cuz they kinda look like elephant ears. Very tasty when fried.

The other person I'd like to highlight was another American - John (I think). John (~late 40s, early 50s?) lives in Guam and has been to every continental country in the world except for 12 in Africa and the Middle East! (Continental meaning countries that are on the actual continent. He's still missing a bunch of little island countries.) I asked him how he can afford this type of travel and he told me that he rents out a lot of property. (note to self, get into that business.) He literally takes off for at least 6 months of the year traveling. He traveled through Africa by bus - crossing from one country to the next, and when necessary, bribing his way through. Amazing huh? The only not so cool thing about him (that I could discern) was his traveling companion. A very young Guam girl. Kinda revolting, but each to his own.