Mighty Mekong

Mighty Mekong

Bonsoir Mes Enfants :o)
Pappa is sitting at the laptop writing the blog - sadly fist as a part ;o)
Today the AirCon finally beat me. After fifteen days of moving from sweltering heat into freezing air-conned rooms the old Snoz has started running like a tap and the throat is filled with gravel :o( BUT this afternoon a lovely old gentleman, “Little Tiger, Son Of Ho” introduced me to 46% proof distilled rice wine. And it works like a charm …. Temporarily. So, with great reluctance, I am pouring regular doses of this wonderful elixir down my gravely gullet …. While the world gyrates slowly in the background ;O) hic!

Despite the Mighty Mekong stemming from the proboscis, today has been truly memorable. But, as always, it started with a minor farce:
We have a room on floor 2.
The restaurant is on floor 7.
So we summoned a lift and started the ritual ascent to fried Oink heaven. At level 3 the doors opened and two rather portly French folk beamed their way aboard. On to level 4 … and two more equally porcine folk from across the channel wedged their way into the steel box. Onwards and upwards to level 5 … where another two portly people pushed their way in. Now it was getting extremely intimate and air was running out. We looked at the label that said “Max load 8 persons” and wondered idly if this referred to slender Vietnamese or Obese Europeans.
The answer came with a lurch: The lift ground to a halt mid-floors and a look of panic suddenly appeared on eight perspiring brows. Zut Alors! No-one could press any buttons without risk of arrest for indecent assault, but thankfully the lift staggered into life again.
At floor 6 all of the brave Gauls fled, heading for the stairs, while we smugly pressed the button to close the doors …. And swiftly hurtled down to the ground floor!
When we finally ascended to Fried Oink Heaven we were politely greeted by the assembled masses from France (our hotel appears to be an extension of Provence) who smiled politely as they barged past us in the food and coffee queues. Oh, it’s just wonderful being polite Brits abroad….

After finally grabbing a few tattered morsels, once the French Locusts had finished demolishing the dining hall, we went down to meet our guide, Thanh, and our driver Khoa. And so began another wonderful adventure:

We headed off by road to Vinh Long - a 3 hour journey. There we toured a wonderful local market (You’ll have to wait for the video to see the frogs, rats and snakes on offer) before boarding a boat and heading across the Mekon in search of Cai Be floating Market. Now we had already cruised the Mekong in Laos …. But what a contrast! Here it was like crossing the channel: whopping great waves, spray cascading over the bows and a zig-zag course to avoid being swamped!
Then into a channel through an island that splits the Mekong. Stops on the way revealed how Rice Paper is made (highly relevant to our up-coming luncheon) as well as pop-rice and candied ginger and coconut. Yummy :o) Next stop: a market garden, to sample local fruits….and to meet Little Tiger, Son of Ho.
Now. At this point the afternoon got much warmer and considerably more hazy - for Son Of Ho introduced us to his Elixir…..and many samples had to be taken before I was really sure I liked it. A Lot!
Finally the Floating Market: Forget all thoughts of floating Markets in Bangkok. This is a totally different kettle of pisces and firmly aimed at a local market. Boats anchor for up to ten days, with a full cargo of local produce. You can tell what they are selling by a bamboo pole with a sample, attached to the mast. Thus these vessels fly flags of Sweetcorn, Sugarcane, sweet potato, Longanberry …. And so on.
Local boats chug up, barter and load. All very unglamorous but totally authentic.

From there we went for a superb meal. The highlight was a wonderful grilled Elephant Fish, which our giggling waitress served to us: Circular pieces of rice paper were moistened and then layered with mint leaf, pineapple and starfruit. Then generous wadges of elephant fish were added and the whole lot rolled up into a parcel. Drizzle a little Fish Sauce and Voila!
Superb food served in an idyllic setting.

After lunch we had to walk along the towpath to reach our boat (the tide had come in and the boat could not pass under some bridges.) And so a wonderful series of encounters began: Beaming local men and woman came to meet us as we strolled, basking in the late afternoon sunlight. We watched children playing, men unloading barges, women preparing meals … and it was totally idyllic. Nothing was wasted here: The husks from Longanberries are dried and make the fuel for cooking fires. Unwanted seeds are burned and returned to fertilise the soil. Every part of a fish or animal is consumed. It just makes us seem so wasteful with our multi-layered packing, wasted food .... especially the parts we are too squeamish to eat. These lovely people live such simple lives, yet there is happiness in abundance.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I slept for much of the journey back to Saigon. On arrival we declined Thanh’s offer of dinner - it was too soon to eat and we didn’t want to obliterate the memory of a wonderful meal.

Instead Jan and I walked the streets of Saigon and marvelled at a different culture - a culture to be envied for its innocence and values: Children played en masse in the local park - despite the fact the sun had long since disappeared below the horizon. Families sat out on the pavements, eating and drinking coffee. Wherever we met someone our eyes were engaged without embarrassment, and warm smiles broke out. During our stay in Indochins we have seen eager children going to schools. Immaculately dressed, well behaved and keen to learn. Without the benefit of Playstations, Ipods, Pcs and portable TVs they manage to find joy in their lives. What a contrast to our sullen, disruptive and thoroughly spoiled younger generation back home.

And finally …. When I plugged in the laptop to write this blog I received a wonderful email from our mad companion at the Hoi An Indochine. A wonderful end to a wonderful day :o)

Tomorrow: A cosy Fit in Cu Chi Tunnels…..

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