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Published: February 12th 2014
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Departed Hotel for the short walk to the passenger jetty where we boarded our boat for a trip to the local floating market selling wholesale produce brought from all over Vietnam. Leo was surprised to see many motorised river barges enroute carrying sand ballast with their decks awash and water close to the hatch combings , guess very little swell here.
We were encouraged to board a craft selling prepared pineapple, lollipop style. Most of the people on our craft opted to buy and eat. Coming from Cyprus we felt this was no longer a novel concept, so stayed seated. However, a young Canadian couple in the seats in front offered us half of theirs and we both agreed it was excellent, probably the best we'd tasted, and cleverly pared and looked a lot like the London Gerkin.
After viewing the various commodities on offer and exchanging banter with the many smaller craft trading their wares of drinks and snacks, we took in a cottage industry style rice noodle maker, found this fascinating if not too hygienic. Next was a rice mill and processor learning that Vietnam, since 2013, is now the World's largest exporter of rice. Returning, we
were fascinated by the many small craft carrying hardwood sticks, which we saw were being stacked in large clumps at shore side. Apparently, these small saplings are the building blocks of Vietnamese rural life, used in place of expensive bricks and cement, chosen for its cheapness durability and longevity . We discovered these 3.5 metre lengths cost 1USD per bundle here.
We found a lovely riverside restaurant. Leo wimped out and opted for a Western meal of Pork Schnitzel with French fries while Paula stuck with a Vietnamese meal of Chicken served with Ginger and Sauté Vegetables. One of us may suffer for it later.
Left Can Tho
at 2pm, destination Chau Doc, situated right on the Cambodian border. Journey took over 5 hours and included a coach change back at Vinh Long (much to our horror), and a rest break at a venue called Crocodile Farm. We were tired by now and appreciated the chance to stretch our legs. Not fully appreciating the name, we thought this just a rest break and sat down to enjoy a cold drink. After five minutes some one came over and asked why we didn't want to see the Crocs! We hurried
through a passage to be met by the site of hundreds of Crocodiles from small to huge in muddy ponds. Leo was convinced they were wooden models until one moved, close to the fence by us. We were impressed by the philanthropic ideals of this venture, until we read their mission statement 'to breed and distribute crocodiles to merchandise their skins as belts, shoes and handbags, to supply cooked and uncooked crocodile meat to retail outlets'. Enough said!
Our hotel tonight is a series of floating houseboats, surrounded by water chestnuts bobbing and the Delta all around us. The twinkling lights of Cambodia beckoning from across the river, enchanting - except that our room is the worst either of us have ever encountered, but will not spoil the moment. We type from a quirky lounge area with fantastic atmosphere and views. Looking forward to our final day in Vietnam's rice bowl area tomorrow, with
a 6am start.
Tip of the Day: Too much rice in your diet causes constipation - gospel, according to our Vietnamese Guide!
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Sheila Lammin
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Mosquito Net
Absolutely love this blog - what an experience you are having. Does the Mosquito Net work? Looking forward to next blog - keep up the good work - Constipation must be slightly better then the next evil!!!