Vietnam is a tropical paradise with an array of creepy crawly creatures. During a tour to the famous Mekong Delta, I had the opportunity to handle a beautiful python. We also took a stroll through a honeybee sanctuary as well as an alligator farm. We tasted authentic, freshly made honey and learned about “Snake Wine,” which is a beverage that contains a real snake.
Throughout the trip one animal stood out from the rest, the mighty water buffalo. While heavily domesticated in the upper hill regions of Sapa, on occasion you could find these buffalo on the outskirts of the major cities and even crossing main highways. In Sapa they are not bred for their meat but instead are bred to cultivate crops, similar to the way mules are utilized in America. During our two-day trek of Sapa, our group came upon a villager’s stable for his water buffalo. This animal will spend its entire life plowing rice terraces and traversing the hill lands with its owner.
While cruising through Halong Bay we took an excursion to Monkey Island. Monkey Island is a place most famously known as one of the many islands used to film the King Kong movies. While we did not see a thousand-foot behemoth there, the name Monkey Island did not disappoint. We saw dozens of monkeys flying high in the trees, climbing rocks, and screaming at the top of their lungs. This picture was taken from a kayak where we could paddle within five feet of these highflyers.
The true creepers made their appearance during our visit to the Cu Chi tunnels. Famous for the miles of tunnels used by the Vietcong during the Vietnam War, the dry, barren forest became a hot bed for creatures such as the scorpion. These creatures added just one more thing for soldiers on either side of the war to worry about, as their venom can be very dangerous. These creatures are very small, only about the size of a small rock or large nut. Their incredibly dark pigment makes them stand out during the day but nearly impossible to see at night when they are out hunting.