Monday, March 26, 2007

The Cai Rang Floating Market

Selling fruit at Cai Rang Floating Market

The Cai Rang Floating Market was pretty much the reason why we came down to the Mekong Delta on this trip. As expected, many merchants floated by selling all sorts of fruits and vegetables, while a few others sold stuff like coffee and noodle soup. This is a worthwhile experience, especially as you step into one of those little boats hugging the water; it's like the Pirates of the Caribbean (the Disneyland ride, not the movie) on steroids. I suppose in some ways it's also a bit like the Vietnamese version of Venice...or perhaps even the possible inspiration for Kevin Costner's Waterworld. Whatever your fancy, try also heading up the river into some of the smaller tributaries afterwards...you can't help but think of Apocalypse Now too.

Ech Chien BoAfterwards, we stopped in the town of Can Tho for a quick bite. I grabbed some ech chien bo, which turned out to be butter-battered frog legs. Yes, they tasted like proverbial chicken, but just watch out for those darned annoying bones that I kept biting into. They definitely were not Chicken McNuggets.

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