Cycling the Mekong Delta

Jan 10, 2013   //   by Avia   //   Blog, Vietnam  //  1 Comment

Flat as a pancake, the Mekong Delta is good biking terrain for recreational bikers. Off any road small paths suitable only for bikes or cycles quickly lead to little villages along rivers and streams. This is where people live. There are a few towns in the delta and some major roads but most people live along the water accessed either by boat or two wheeler. Our guide, Ute Ho, grew up in the delta and happily new how to shorten a 35km cycle to 12km when necessary by using short cuts and back paths. He was also willing to race Yannay 1 km up a 45- 60 degree mountain road.

Here is a summary of the 5 days we spent in the delta: The food was unbelievably good.

Spectacular Water Forest near Chau Doc


 

 

 

 

 

 

$300,000 of fish live in the river in nets under this house

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fish are fed through a hole in the floor

Life on a house on the Mekong River

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Town life in the Mekong Delta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flat roads, lots of rice paddy fields and water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wholesalers bring fruits to sell at the floating market


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or to sell to visitors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life in a Crocodile Farm. Grown for meat, leather, teeth. The only place Crocs survive in the Delta are in farms. Once they lived in the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life in a rice packing factory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch. Most things in the photos end up in soup.
What’s that? – something for soup.
How do you use that? – We eat eat in soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ferry Crossing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fighting Cocks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water Lilies under the Eco-Hotel, Pelican Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eco-hotel means “no frills” and shower in the toilet.
Romi seems refreshed after a toilet shower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yannay  on the way to his toilet- shower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did we mention, we cycled. Daily. All day. And we only stopped briefly when it was absolutely necessary, for boating, for lunch, to snack, to admire the flowers, to drink coconut, for sightseeing, birdwatching, canoeing, shopping and other good reason to stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canoe into the water forest.

 

1 Comment

  • Septimus Nüóveñgeráárdüóñüeñ February 19, 2013 at 4:17 am

    My favourite posting so far – looks like an amazing experience. Especially pleased you shared the photo “Yannay on the way to his toilet- shower”