![\"_DSC6599\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/files\/2016\/02\/DSC6599-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe troop successfully embarked on its first program trip this past weekend. We ventured into the Mekong River\u00a0Delta, one of Vietnam’s two prominent river deltas.\u00a0The Mekong is a fluid source of power and economy to the people of the southern region which we were able to witness\u00a0during our trip.<\/p>\n
Our\u00a0cultural tour began at a\u00a0Cao Dai temple. Caodaiism incorporates practices and beliefs from Taosim, Buddhism, and Christianity, to name a few.<\/p>\n
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Soon after leaving the temple, we arrived at our boat. Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge, which he gladly shared with us all, teaching us the history and culture of the region. Our first stop along the river was at a river market, and what seemed to be a hub for tourists. We were able to\u00a0see how coconut was used to make a variety of snacks. My favorite? Coconut taffy, specifically, freshly made coconut taffy. While the other, more adventurous students and friends on our trip tried snake wine, I stuck to the safer option of coconut taffy and pop\u00a0rice, the Asian counterpart to popcorn. I did, however, hold a 25 kg python, a feat I am quite proud of accomplishing (never mind the snake was probably used to it). And speaking of snakes, they are quite the delicacy in the Mekong Delta region, so of course we had to try some. Shocked and awed, I couldn’t tear my eyes away as our tour guide killed the snakes and cleaned them to be prepared for dinner. The snake, wrapped in bitter banana leaves, was palatable and somewhat akin to the texture of a meatball, but\u00a0I don’t think it is a dish I’ll be adding to my Top 10 list (although most of the positions are held by other Vietnamese dishes).<\/p>\n
![\"_DSC6633\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/files\/2016\/02\/DSC6633-300x200.jpg\")
\u00a0![\"_DSC6650\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/files\/2016\/02\/DSC6650-200x300.jpg\")
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The next day our tour guide took us to a brick factory, which relies heavily on the Mekong Delta. The bricks are made up of a mixture of sand from the Mekong and clay, and the kilns are fired\u00a0with\u00a0rice husks transported along the river. This factory also exports pots, vases, and\u00a0scaled-down replicas of the Easter Island statues, as well as provides impish\u00a0students with a playroom, aka the storeroom for\u00a0hundreds of millions of rice husks.<\/p>\n
![\"_DSC6720\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/files\/2016\/02\/DSC6720-300x200.jpg\")
\u00a0![\"_DSC6734\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/files\/2016\/02\/DSC6734-300x200.jpg\")
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On the way back to\u00a0Saigon, we stopped by a pagoda to visit and play with some 100 children. Prizes were distributed for games such as the potato sack race, gifts were given to each and every child in preparation for the new school\u00a0term, and we also had the opportunity to hand out red envelopes containing “lucky money”. During the Tet holiday, children receive money from older relatives which they refer to as lucky money.<\/p>\n
![\"_DSC6796\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/files\/2016\/02\/DSC6796-300x200.jpg\")
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All in all, it was one sweaty, jam-packed, educational, entertaining weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The troop successfully embarked on its first program trip this past weekend. We ventured into the Mekong River\u00a0Delta, one of Vietnam’s two prominent river deltas.\u00a0The Mekong is a fluid source of power and economy to the people of the southern region which we were able to witness\u00a0during our trip. Our\u00a0cultural tour began at a\u00a0Cao Dai … <\/p>\n