A homestay in the Mekong Delta - Vinh Long, An Binh Island

After leaving Can Tho and prior to coming to Ho Chi Minh City, I decided to spend one more night in the Mekong Delta region and do a homestay on the island of An Binh, just outside of Vinh Long. Getting there was half the adventure as I decided to go by motorbike. I was riding on back of the bike with my small backpack while my driver, a very fit 62 year old vietnamese man, held my very large backpack in front of him between the handle bars. The ride to Vinh Long and An Binh would normaly only be about 30km, but we took the small side roads in order to do some sight seeing along the way, adding an additional 30km to the trip. The ride took us through endless rice paddies and fruit orchards and along the way we stopped at some factories that produce some of the local products of the region. This included a stop at a factory where they make joss sticks (incence), used when making offerings at the temples, a stop at a tofu making facility, and a stop at a local brick manufacturer. We also stopped at a couple of temples along the way, a buddhist temple and a Cao Dai temple. The journey also included two short ferry rides to finally bring me to An Binh island.
An Binh is primarily used for agriculture and there are many fruit orchards on the island. I was brought to my homestay and thanked my driver for the very informative journey as I said goodbye and parted ways. The "master" of the homestay then showed my to my bungalow - a little bamboo hut over a canal where I could hear the fish jumping underneath. I spent the hottest part of the afternoon lounging in a hammock and reading a book. Later on, just before dinner and after it had cooled off a bit, I took a short ride on a bicycle around the area and picked some fresh fruit. I returned a short while later, showered, and sat down to a feast of a meal prepared by my hosts. It consisted of elephant fish spring rolls, grilled pork with steamed rice, soup, fresh vegetables, and fresh dragonfruit for desert.
I retired early that night since theres not much to do on the island after dark and my hosts had shut the power off around 9:30 pm. I slept very well. The next morning, I woke fairly early and looked out the back opening of my bungalow - only to notice a tomb not more than 10 feet behind where I was sleeping!!! Good thing I didn't notice this the day before or I might not have slept so well. It kind of creeped me out, but this is actually very common in Vietnam. Family members are often buried on their property and many times you will see caskets right in the middle of a rice paddy. Certainly underscores the importance rice plays in the daily lives of the people of the Mekong region.
Shortyly after I ate breakfast - another wonderful meal prepared by my hosts, and we departed via motorbike back to Vinh Long where I caught a bus to Ho Chi Minh City. All in all it was a very memorable experience, and one i would recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to visit the Mekong Delta region.