Still groggy from the "trip", I wander to the street, have my first cup of ca phe and wonder what the hell I'm going to do. Within moments, a stranger approaches and offers his services as a guide for the Mekong Delta. I usually ignore these type of solicitations, but in my dazed state I opt to be reminded why. Soon I'm sitting on the back of Kim's moto heading for the town of Ben Tre.Instructions for tour guides: Unwrap package, heat until sweaty, spoon-feed, repeat.
Day one: Fish farm and fireflies.
Day two: Coconut Monk Island, coconut candy and honeybee farm.
Day three: Floating market.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the island home of the Coconut Monk, named for his strict adherence to a diet of coconut milk and fruit. Please watch your step as you climb the narrow, spiral staircase to the small platform where he lived, surrounded by nine female devotees. Visitors are not allowed to cross the metal plank suspended in the air to the wire globe hanging precariously at the end. This was the site of his daily meditation, which lasted five hours. At the top of the steps on the other side is the look-out tower complete with a miniature replica of the Apollo spacecraft. The Coconut Monk achieved notoriety during his bid for the presidency. He promised to bring peace to Vietnam in eight days and on the ninth day he would retire from politics and return to his island. His loyal followers diligently raised fifty million dong, about three thousand U.S. dollars. Sadly, the Coconut Monk fell to his death from the platform on which he lived. The government never officially recognized the religion built around his ideology. Please enjoy the rest of the park at your leisure, where you will see a crocodile pond, an ostrich and two monkeys. Thank-you and come again.
