It has been an awe-inspiring three days doing the cycling tour around the Mekong Delta. It went something like this:

Day 1: We were picked up by our private tour guide, Chau (who in some light resembled Quigmire from Family Guy), from our hotel and got in our minivan to the first Mekong town of My Tho, about 2 hours away. We saw four spot-on mountain bikes in the back of the van so we knew we were in for a treat soon! Once we arrived, we boarded a boat for the four of us to the tiny village of Thang Bhu where we were shown round a local woman's home and tried some freshly picked fruit with drinks. We were taken down to a small canal round the side the home where we took a small sampan (local tiny boat) to see some awesome quiet scenery of the back canals of the Mekong River - too chilled out! This small boat eventually led us to our first boat again, where Chau said we were going to the island of An Binh for lunch. The food was unbelievably fresh - A whole 'standing up' fish was brought over to our table where the waitress took all the good bits off to make me fresh yummy fish spring rolls with all the trimmings. The amazing food didn't stop there - it just kept coming. By midday we where back in My Tho by boat to start the cycling tour from Cai Lay. The first day entailed a 14km cycle to Cai Be. It was *so* good. I never thought (and everyone who knows me would agree) I would enjoy cycling but the scenery we saw was so unique and seeing where/how the locals lived was a real eye-opener. All four of us where given proper cycling shirts - we all looked so keen with our gear on! After a relaxing 2 hour ride, yet again, we were boarding a boat to our homestay for the night on An Binh island. It was literally as close to nature you could come. Some would say the accommodation was indoors, I would say outdoors with curtains is more accurate. Thank god for mosquito nets. We had panaromic views of the river as soon as we stepped outside our room. The dinner was again so fresh and filling with spring rolls, vegetable noodles, tofu, soup, rice etc.

Day 2: Another early morning start: 6:30am. There was no messing around today, just straight to the cycling. The saddle-sore - Oh My God. So painful. It looked like me and Dad were the only two really suffering from it and it was just our luck that the first 4km was THE bumpiest, most narrow track - not welcoming for the bum at all! After this 4km ride we were at the ferry crossing to Vinh Long, from which we cycled a further 17km to Binh Minh. The roads we rode through were never Highway type roads, they were quaint narrow, scenic roads where you would meet lots of locals everytime you passed their house. For the 2nd day it was all very flat, long roads with vast rice fields on either side - a very pleasant and relaxing ride crossing through canals at a few points too. Once the cycling was over, the minivan was waiting on the other side to take us to a small local lunch spot. They catered very well for vegetarians and myself, so all round another great eating experience. After lunch, we were taken to Can Tho by a short ferry ride - the biggest town within the Mekong region. It was a bustling town with a nice vibe where we were told we had the rest of the day free for us to relax, so we chose to go for a swim in a nearby hotel. Chau had organised for us to go to the best restaurant in Can Tho (according to him) for dinner and it didn't disappoint so another thumbs up :) We were staying at Tay Do hotel, which was very decent and a much needed change from the basic facilities of the homestay from the night before.

Day 3: The best day. 6am wake up call (Ugh). We were taken to Cai Rang floating markets in the early morning by a small private boat. It was so interesting seeing all the locals trade on the river. I saw sights that I couldn't even imagine, with an immense number of boats, floating villages, river homes and friendly locals giving us a warm smile as we floated by. Taking photos had never been so fun! Organised chaos would describe it well, but the atmosphere was great to be around. We were taken to the backwaters/small canals of the Mekong where there were no crowds/foreigners whatsoever - bliss. The scenery was sublime and so peaceful. We were the only ones floating around these canals for an hour saying Hi to locals and seeing how they embrace such a unique environment. We were all kitted out in our biking gear (of course), where at the end of the boat ride awaited our bikes all set up for us by the driver. It was the most relaxing 10km ride, with small children smiling and shouting 'Hello!' (the only word they know) all the time. We were cycling along narrow tracks within the Mekong backwater canals, which made it all the better. The river is what the locals live for. The children were so friendly and they were fascinated as we cycled by. The scenery was gorgeous with the water only footsteps away for pretty much the entire ride. The last 2km's were quite gruelling and I was peddling as hard as I could to the end. It was a very satisfying finish, not only physically, but mentally too.

We were sad to see the end to such an amazing trip. We left Can Tho for Rach Gia, where we stay for one night before heading to Phu Quoc island tomorrow morning. Beach fun is exactly what we all need after all that exercise ;-)