Monday, July 30, 2018

Floating Market, Vietnam


Water, water…everywhere..well it’s the Mekong delta in Vietnam. Its water everywhere here. Its full of the mighty Mekong river, small rivers, their tributaries, lakes and canals.
If you want to enjoy sea food, floating markets, cruises, boats and farming then Mekong delta is the right place for you.






Mekong delta is the catchment area of River Mekong in South Vietnam. It is three and half hours by bus from Saigon city. Can Tho is the nearest city to visit Mekong delta.
From China to Vietnam, the Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia and offers a glimpse into the long history and diverse cultures of the region. Mekong is the 12th longest river in the world and the 7th longest in Asia. Mekong river which flows down six countries from China , Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia finally winds up its journey by joining the sea in Vietnam.





The major attraction in the Mekong delta is the floating markets on the river Mekong. It is called as Cai Rang floating market.
The floating markets should be visited early morning at dawn. This is because the farmers and wholesalers bring the fresh produce from the farm at dawn. Farmers and wholesalers sell vegetables and fruits in their small boats to retailers on the river. The retailers also buy the produce and load in their boats to sell to their customers far away.




Farmers come from faraway places to Cai Rang to sell their produce. There are hundreds of boats in the river every morning waiting for customers to sell their produce. Fruits sold here include jackfruit, watermelon, dragon fruit, rambutan, mangosteen and others.

Get up early in the wee hours of the morning and walk to Ninh Kieu dock in Can Tho to board onto a motor boat and travel to Cai Rang floating market. It takes thirty minutes by boat to reach there. 





A big board `Cho Noi Cai Rang’ on the bridge welcomes you to Cai Rang floating market. There are floating petrol stations on the river here to refuel the boats. You will be surprised to see vendors selling tea, cigarettes, snacks and lottery tickets here on the river.



Stop at the rice paper factory in the river side to see the demo of how rice paper is made. Rice paper is a delicacy in Vietnam. You can also make a rice paper and rice noodles here. The next stop along the river is the fruit orchard. Fruits like dragon fruit, rambutan, jackfruit, mangosteen can be seen and tasted in the orchard.


                                               
                                                            Petrol station


The last stop is lunch at Nam Bo restaurant besides the Hau river.











 A beautiful park besides the Hau river is worth visiting. 




A big bronze statue of Vietnam President Ho Chi Minh is the major attraction here. 



A long walking path besides the Hau river attracts thousands of tourists every day to Can Tho. Enjoy a walk here in the evening with gentle breeze.




A lovely pedestrian bridge over the Hau river overlooking the hanging bridge over Mekong river is picturesque. 





       Cruise boats here take a round of the river for dinner with Vietnamese music.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Scuba diving in Nethrani Island, Murudeshwara

Scuba diving in Netrani Island, Murudeshwara


               The best scuba dive in India is available at Netrani Island at Murudeshwara. 

Murdeshwar is a town in Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. 

Famous for the world's second tallest Shiva statue, the town lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and is also famous for the Murdeshwar Temple. Murdeshwar has a railway station on the Mangalore-Mumbai Konkan railway route.



Murudeshwar is 12 kms from Bhatkal town, where the all the trains stop.

Netrani is located 19 kms from Murudeshwar. It is also known as Pigeon Island. 

Netrani island is uninhabited, but has a temple and religious places. Netrani appears heart shaped from above and has many varieties of coral reefs and sea life. Water is crystal clear and sea life can be viewed with the naked eye. Underwater life is like in an aquarium in Netrani island.


An organization called Netrani Adventures offers scuba diving at Netrani Island. Scuba diving is usually held during weekends. The best season is from December to January. The scuba is not held during rainy season. The fee for scuba dive is around Rs 4500/- and Rs 500/- for photography.



It takes 45 minutes to reach Netrani Island from Murudeshwar by boat. Before the scuba dive, an orientation is held for 30 minutes at the office. 


Experienced divers accompany during the dive. The dive lasts for around 15 to 20 minutes. The water is around 20 mtrs deep here.

Netrani adventures conact details:
9916554422
9900431111

Certain medical conditions will stop you from diving. If you have a heart condition, have had history of lung problems, please check with your PADI professional.

• Swim wear or something you are happy to get wet in must be worn by all participants and is not provided by Netrani Adventures 
• Anybody smelling of alcohol will not be permitted to dive 
• There is no smoking in the dive centre or on the boat 
• Water and light snacks will be provided during your trip 
• Don’t forget your sunscreen / sunglasses and hats 
• Minimum age for dive is 10 years. There is no maximum age limit.