grand voyage
Rice workshop and, left, floating market, both Cai Be
on the front – “to ward off monsters”, according to Thang – overflow with locally made wares. This is followed by a visit to a traditional, sixth-generation Vietnamese house with a glistening, mosaic-tiled temple dedicated to the VURWVHFQDbVۑ\OLPDI On a stop at a rice workshop, we
see demonstrations of various rice snacks being made – puffed rice and coconut sweets, cereal bars and coconut crisps – before we attempt to make rice
TESTED
TRIED &
Smells of raw meat, fish, fruit and vegetables blend together, showing us a side of Vietnam that tourists don’t normally get to see
paper ourselves, drizzling a dollop of gloopy, coconutty liquid onto a griddle and peeling it off to dry out in the sun ULFHbIDUPLQJ LV RQH RI WKH PDLQVWD\V RI the local economy). But the most memorable moment
here comes in the form of ‘snake wine’ – a murky, pond-like rice wine stored in a jar with an actual cobra in it, shrivelled up and wrinkled like a Turkey Twizzler. I chicken out and opt for the banana wine instead, leaving the bolder members of the group to tuck in and wince. Apparently it tastes like tequila – with a hint of dried-up snake, I imagine.
Mekong Navigator, Lotus Cruises
This all-suite, 68-passenger ship is reflective of the destination it sails in, with wooden floors, Vietnamese furnishings and cream-and-gold hues characterising its French- colonial decor, together with paintings and elegant, winding stairs. There are 34 suites across five levels, with facilities spanning a sun deck, lounge, library, fitness
room and spa. The restaurant is excellent – think Vietnamese, Cambodian and international options including a coconutty vegetable curry, avocado mango mousse and ultra-tender Chateaubriand beef. Local wine, beers and spirits are included (cocktails are extra but cost only around $6), but the line’s USP is its off-the-beaten- track excursions. Lotus Cruises was the first major operator to go to Long Khanh Island and boasts several exclusive stops, allowing guests to meet local people and explore remote parts of the Mekong that other visitors to the region do not have the chance to.
22 May 2022
SECRETS OF SA DEC It’s not the only eye-opener on the trip. In Sa Dec, I find myself in the midst of a heaving market where animal carcasses, clawed chicken feet and chopped-off chicken heads poke out from pots as black eels slide up the sides of big tubs, huge fish flip in vats and live frogs sit piled on top of one other awaiting their fate (I witness a woman behead and skin one alive). Smells of raw meat, fish, fruit and vegetables blend together in an overpowering stench, showing us a side of Vietnam that tourists don’t normally get to see – we’re the only visitors there – and it’s fascinating. Most Mekong cruises do stop in Sa Dec, though – mainly to see the house
travelweekly.co.uk/cruise
¬ PICTURES: SHUTTERSTOCK/ NEVSKII DIMITRII; PETER STUCKINGS; LUMINOUS PHOTOGRAPHY
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