giddy adventures.: Mekong Delta Tour Day 1

Early in the morning, we took a bus from Saigon to Caibe with our tour guide, Phuc. When we reached the edge of town, we hopped off into the heat and started our long hike through town to our Homestay at an ancient house called Ba Duc (www.baducmekong.com - We highly recommend it!) Motorbikes stopped us all along the way to offer us rides to town. Phuc explained it is pretty uncommon for people to walk. Not hard to believe. It was hot and humid. I was sticky and tired. Motorbike drivers laughed at us as we walked by - not mockingly, but more in a crazy American tourists kind of way. We stopped at fruit stands along the road to try new fruits and stay hydrated.

After we crossed the bridge into town, we entered a market to enjoy a nice cup of che-a Vietnamese street food dessert. As we maneuvered through the market, vendors snickered at our large, seemingly over-sized backpacks. "I wonder where those girls are from?" they whispered to each other in Vietnamese. "What must they have to carry such large bags?" We smiled and nodded at them as if we didn't understand.

Walking through town, we passed a school letting out. Hoards of children were waiting for their parents, buying chips and goodies from street vendors, and grabbing their bikes. "HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!" they shouted and waved. "Not too many foreigners come to this part of the Mekong, and the people in Caibe are so friendly!" Phuc explained. Our conical rice hats were probably not enough for us to blend in. Motorbikes whizzed past us and passengers often looked back to smile and wave.

Or. Stare with sustained interest.

When we finally reached our Homestay, we were pleasantly surprised at how calm and serene it was. Dogs waddled out to greet us, the garden was filled with a variety of fruit trees, and our room looked out onto a pond. One could easily spend a few days there meditating and enjoying the delicious home-cooked meals. After a midday rest (I am growing so, so, so, so, so fond of these), we rode our bikes around town. We ate the largest banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) I've ever seen in my life and biked back in the rain. For dinner, we joined the other guests for an egg roll cooking class. Angela and I shrugged our shoulders and reminisced on all the times we were forced to make egg rolls when we were younger to help prepare for large family functions. Our egg rolls were, without a doubt, the prettiest ones there. After dinner, we enjoyed taking shots of local wine with the owner and telling ghost stories. Vietnam's got to be so haunted.

What a first day.