Day 6

Our day at the Mekong Delta has finally passed. At almost every site visit we are asked if we have gone into the countryside and more specifically the Mekong. We travelled on a highway lined with small houses and fields for growing or raising plants, animals or even fish. I slept a lot of the time because we had to get up early so I have some pictures and only a few memories of the drive to Ben Tre.

We arrived at the warehouse of Vinacacao where they meet with sellers and partners. Out front where they actually had their desk was just a little hut with a straw roof and open wood sides. This allowed for the breeze to easily enter the “building”. We then got a tour of the warehouse where they had a few things showing how they complete the process. They showed us the actually cacao shell with the cacao inside. They told we could eat it so we all tried a piece. It was horrible. I will never eat raw cacao ever again. We then went out back to see where the cacao is fermented. It was just a bunch of wooden crate like structures where the cacao would go. After we got to see and try the fermented cacao. This time I was unable to swallow the fermented cacao because it tasted darker than baker’s chocolate. After we took some more pictures, we saw where the cacao is dried in the sun out in front of the warehouse.

We then left Vinacacao to eat lunch. The place where we ate lunch was beautiful! When we first entered the hidden paradise we saw tons of tables that were floating above a lake. There were hammocks hanging from the many palm trees. The outdoor paradise also over looked the Mekong River.

After lunch we headed to the Success Alliance head corridors in the Mekong. There we saw more of the process of producing cocoa and was able to taste test the chocolate liquor. I opted out of the taste test because dark chocolate and I do not work well together. After the presentation and taste test were finished, we went on an adventure to an actual cacao farm! It was super cool to see the cacao trees all over the place. The walk through what seemed like the wilderness was a lot of fun except for the fact that a fire ant bit me. It hurt a lot more than I would have thought. We walked up to a very pretty house with chickens just roaming around in the front lawn area and that is where we took a break. We drank a lot of water, and then we were served the freshest fruit I have ever had! It was absolutely delicious! My favorite new fruit was lychee. I hope they have it in the states somewhere. So after eating the best fruit ever we went back on the bus to go home. We were all exhausted and needed a shower or two because of how much we sweated and smelled. We arrived at the hotel and grabbed a quick dinner at KFC (Vietnamese KFC is a lot different than in the states). After eating the terrible meal I went back to the hotel and fell asleep for the night because tomorrow we are off to the beach for the day!