I just want to point out before I begin that I'm heavily relying on
Chris's blog for this part of the trip. Not that the Mekong Delta wasn't
memorable, it's just that so much happened, it's hard to keep straight. So
thanks to Chris for being such a disciplined blogger.
Okay, so now I'm feeling like a lazy blogger. But in my defense, I found it
hard to write on the road, as all we had was this dysfunctional device (I can't
remember what it was exactly, as we ditched it long ago, but it was like a
mini-laptop). We had to type on this itty-bitty keyboard which would erase
posts if a pinky finger strayed. It was frustrating beyond words. Plus, Chris
was always using it for his blog, and I had 50 Shades of Grey to read—so,
that's my story. I'd like to say that I've been enjoying the process of
catching up, even if three and a half years have passed. It's a good way of
challenging my memory and also reliving the experience.
The Mighty Mekong
Some info on the Mekong—it's the world's 12 largest river, spanning six
countries (China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam). The Mekong
Delta takes up a large area of Southern Vietnam, emptying out into the South
China Sea via numerous tributaries. It would be a crime to travel throughout
Southeast Asia and not visit this important river and the communities that rely
on its waters.
We signed up for an overnight trip into the Delta region. According to Chris's
blog, we piled onto a crowded bus with other travelers one early morning and
headed out of HCMC. Our first stop was at a place called Unicorn Island where
there was a bee farm. Oh goody—bees. I've had a phobia of them since I once had
one caught in my hair when I was younger and went ballistic trying to get it
out. Just the buzz of a bee near my ear is enough to send me screaming and
running. However, the bees at this farm had no interest in stinging us. We were
brought to this place to sample some goodies: honey tea, banana wine, banana
and ginger chips. This sampling of things was indicative of our whole 2-day
trip—a little bit of everything, but nothing terribly special.
The sun was brutal. I saw tourists were buying traditional Vietnamese hats, you
know, the conical straw ones. I might have seen this as tacky, but the locals
were also wearing them. And they were practical for keeping both the sun and
rain off your head. I knew I'd never be able to pack such a thing in my bag,
but I bought one anyway. It provided much-needed shade out on the water, as we
rowed through mangrove swamps.
There were six of us in a canoe: four tourists and two older Vietnamese ladies
who did the rowing. Nothing impresses me more than the vigor of older Asian
women. Any of them look like they could beat you at arm-wrestling. The two
elderly ladies rowed our fat tourist asses through the swamps under that hot
sun and didn't seem to be struggling. However, they did pass the oars off to us
every now and then, though we figured it was just to make us feel part of the
experience more than it was asking for assistance.
Our canoe slid through the brown waters between clumps of mangroves, in a line
of canoes leading us all to the same spot: a tasting area. More goodies were
presented as we sat down at tables. Exotic fruits such as dragonfruit and
lychees were put in front of us, along with other fruits we couldn't identify.
Some were tasty, and some were not. I enjoyed the mangoes the most, but that's
because I'm not very exciting.
We sat across from a charming Aussie chap named Paul, and a Chinese girl named
Faye who was perky and adorable. Their smiley ways made the experience that
more enjoyable. As we sat trying out all the fruit, a pair of Vietnamese girls
came up and serenaded us with "If You're Happy and You Know It." I'm
not sure how this was considered a cultural experience, but they were cute in
their presentation, and because we were all in good spirits, we tipped them
when they passed us a hat.
Oh, what else happened? There were so many little things we tried, and most of
them are not worthy of recording. I know that at one point I tried snake wine.
There was a huge jar of murky liquid with a rather large snake coiled up
inside. A daunting sight to say the least. We were told that snakes used for
snake wine are venomous, though the venom dissolves in alcohol. The wine was
rice wine, distinctly different from grape wine. The taste is like that of
rubbing alcohol, at least I get that sense. A shot glass of the snake wine
really packed a punch. Chris wouldn't try it, but I was more adventurous. Yeah—it
was pretty lethal, as dangerous as it looked.
We were ushered from place to place, shown how coconut candy is made and how
rice wine is distilled. At one point we had the opportunity to try luwak
coffee, as we had in Bali. I found the Vietnamese version to be sweeter and
tastier whereas Chris preferred the Balinese. Who knew one could form a
preference for poo-flavored coffee?
We were taken to another island where lunch was provided. Though we were
tempted with culinary delights such as crocodile and snake, we played it safe
with veggies, pork and rice. After eating, there was the option to either rent
a bike and cycle around the island, or take a nap in a hammock. We opted for
the hammock, as the heat was killing us. It was a nice interlude, rocking in a
hammock and escaping the sun at its peak.
Our accommodation for the night was in the city of Can Tho. Chris and I walked
around on our own that night. Can Tho is very much not a tourist city. We found
mostly concrete buildings and traffic on our walk. There were no tourist
stalls, and this was nice for a change, though we did dine at a fancier
restaurant, one that sold cocktails and really decent pasta, so perhaps the
tourist tendencies were strong, as we weren't willing to eat like the locals.
Paul, the Aussie with the smile, had been intent on trying just about any
creature he came across in Asia. He was off to a good start in the Delta area
where anything and everything was up for offer. We had sat with him earlier
that day as he gnawed on rat meat. I think the menu had read "grilled rat.”
And that was exactly what he got. Though the fur was gone, the bones were still
there, and it really appeared that he was eating rat limbs. It was unappetizing
to us, but he said it tasted like—what else?—chicken. Chris and I were less
inspired to try out new kinds of meats. In Asia, even pork can seem adventurous
when bathrooms are hard to come by.
Rolling on a River
On Day Two of our delta adventure, we boarded a boat and set off down the brown
rolling rivers of the Mekong to the floating market. We thought this was going
to be ultra-touristy, with boats surrounding us trying to sell us their wares.
It turned out that this market was authentic, and had probably been going on
for generations before tourism set in. The locals sold mostly produce. They
would display what they were selling on tall bamboo poles: carrots, cabbage,
yams, beets, bananas, and the like. Most of the boats were small and piled high
with produce. The bananas were unlike the kind we get in America; these were
short and fat and grouped in bundles like colorful works of art. Some of the
boats sold flowers. Everything was colorful and lively, though the pace was
slower than I thought it would be. Everything seemed so laidback on the Mekong.
Even the driver of our boat was unconcerned with river traffic, steering the
boat with his feet while he ate a bowl of pho.
A newly-married couple sidled up beside us in a speedboat. They made no effort
to engage us; rather they were there for photographic reasons. The woman was
dressed in red lace, so beautiful and elegant, while the man wore a gleaming
white suit. They pressed their hands together and bowed their heads, as if
honoring the river, while a photographer snapped away on another boat.
Further up the river we saw a man and a bike being transported on a canoe from
one bank to the other, rowed by an elderly woman. The bike was bigger than the
boat. This struck us as funny, I don't know why. I guess the way the locals
view boats is the way we view cars. Being on a boat seemed second nature to
them. Me—I would never live on a boat, the way that I suffer from motion
sickness. Thankfully the Mekong, though rolling, was manageable. Like the
people, the river just flowed and rolled without a care in the world. Though I
will add a side-note here that the Mekong is currently being threatened with
the building of dams upstream, endangering the livelihood of many who live on
the river. Such is the problem with a river which winds through six different
countries. Who owns the Mekong? It's an ongoing debate.
We made several other stops that day, but I can't really say what they were. In
his blog Chris writes about the making of rice noodles, but I can't be bothered
to relate it here. We stopped at another fruit farm where we marveled at the
size of dragonfruit and whatnot dangling from trees. Yes, there was no doubt in
our minds that the Mekong Delta is fertile and vibrant with life.
Back in the City
After a long bus ride back to HCMC, we found accommodation down the same alley
we had stayed before. However, this guesthouse had air conditioning and cable.
We watched HBO movies and shows. lounging in the A/C like complete loafs. We
did wonder out from time to time to eat and take care of business. I say
business, because I had a tooth that was hurting me. Before I left America for
the UK, I had my fillings redone—all seven of them. It had been torture, but
the fear of British dentistry propelled me to get this done. Anyway, I thought
I was good for awhile. So why was one of my teeth hurting, particularly the
tooth that was supposedly dead, sacrificed to a root canal ten years before?
There was no tooth left to suffer a cavity, just an artificial cap. So why was
it hurting so damn bad? The pain was so severe that it was keeping me awake at
night. I thought it was time to get it checked, and from all the smiling tooth signs
across District 1, I thought this place was as good as any.
My experience at a Vietnamese dentist was pretty painless. They checked me
over, X-rays and such, and told me I was good. Then they gave me a teeth
cleaning, which I desperately needed after three years of heavy British
tea-drinking. I'm like "Really—that's all?" And they're like
"Yeah, you're good" and gave me the thumbs up. Okay, so they didn't
see any cavities. Excellent—only, the pain was still there.
I found the Vietnamese people to be docile. They weren't in your face trying to
sell you things. They weren't hostile (as I had feared) and they weren't false
in order to weasel money out of you. They seemed to just go about their
business, and if you were part of that business, then they would do their best
to cater to you. There was a quiet dignity about them, perhaps because they
were people who had suffered in the past and yet are making the best of the
present. There's a lot that can be learned from that.
Though there was that one hawker. When we were sitting outside at a cafe in
HCMC, a young lady selling bracelets approached us. I always hated getting
meals interrupted by hawkers, so I probably wasn't very polite. I got up to go
to the bathroom and when I came back, Chris was fingering some leather straps
and smiling with the young girl. We had just bought leather bracelets in
Bangkok on our last journey through, so I didn't see the need to buy more. I conveyed
this to Chris, and he shook his head at the girl. And boy did she stare daggers
into me! She spat out something in Vietnamese, something like "Die
bitch!" and hung around glaring at me. I was actually scared of her, the
hate was that intense. I thought she might go summon her brother or a group of
guys to come beat me up. I guess I forget how important a simple sale sometimes
is to people who are struggling. Still, encounters like this were incredibly
rare.
We were just at the start of our trip through Vietnam. All in all, we'd be in
Vietnam for a full month. Though this gave us lots of breathing room to move
around in a single country without worrying about visas and border crossings,
there was a larger trip ahead of us to ponder. Our return home loomed, and that
was a still a huge question mark. What does one do when they're essentially
homeless? We had to sort that out.

Tuesday, 29 December 2015
Life on the Delta
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