Our day was fairly laid back compared to the last week. We had breakfast, boarded the bus and headed for the Mekong Delta. We stopped at an interesting religious site called Cao Dai. This is a new religion developed in 1926 after the leader consulted with a Ouija board. Our guide explained that Caodaism is a merger of  Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity. They believe in one god, that all religions come from the same source and that people can access spiritual connections through seances. Their main symbol is the left eye – a sign of god’s omnipresence, spiritual awareness and universal truth. This faith has become popular and has millions of followers around the world.

Our next stop was the river. Our tour took us to several villages where we had the opportunity to see the crafts and culture of those living in the Delta. The cruise was laid back and interesting. The villagers get around by canoes, either motor or hand powered. The eyes painted on the boats are protection from the river monsters and to see the way home. There are no eyes on the fishing boats so that they don’t scare the fish away.

At one of our stops we watched the women turn water hyacinth stems into baskets. When fresh, the stems break easily. When dried they make strong fibres for baskets of all kinds.

We were served at least 10 different fruits on the cruise, including coconut water (still in the coconut). Drinking coconut water is the natural and Local way of getting electrolytes into your system. Given the heat, this was welcome.

We stopped at one site where the locals demonstrated folk music in song and dance accompanied by interesting instruments.

We also stopped at a shop that made popped rice, rice paper for food and coconut candy. The gift shop allowed us to purchase the snacks (and taste the rice wine they also made) and local handicrafts.

Lunch was at an historic wooden house built in 1886. More food was provided than we could possibly eat (as usual) but it was so good we tried our best. The most unique dish was the grilled tilapia fresh rolls prepared at our table.

The 10 minute walk back to the bus was helpful for our digestion. The journey back into Saigon was mellow. We called it a night after a drink on the rooftop bar. Tomorrow we head to Hanoi.