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By the time the girls had got up this morning Jonny had already had a coffee with the riders and headed off on his local bus to Kon Tum. I'd promised to look after Cal until we meet up in Hoi An.. not sure I'm up to the responisibility though!
The first class of the day was spent at a rubber plantation, seeing the trees being bled of the latex. Loads of kids were heading off to school and all kept running along the road, or trying to keep up on their bikes, waving and shouting hello. They are all so friendly asking our names and where we're from. Can't imagine the kids on the Magdalen doing that!
Then to another coffee plantation, but this time a special treat.. Philip found a cocoa plant and picked a fruit. Sliced in half.. around the beans that make the chocolate we love so much, is a white fruit you can eat. Yum yum.. chocolate just got even better.
Today's minority village belonged to the Ede people. We stopped at their market as they are up bright and early trying to sell their wares from the fields. They were so welcoming,
giving us a Jack Fruit - hmmmmmm - and some fresh corn - not so hmmm! A couple of the girls kept telling me I was beautiful and couldn't understand why I wasn't covering my arms from the sun that was already burning through. Here they are so obsessed with white skin, all the toiletries have whitening agent in them. One of the women, who was stunning pulled up a chair next to me so she could stroke my hair. She loved the colour and the frizz, I mean curl.. crazy girl.. she can have it if she wants it!
They wouldm't take any money off us for the food, insisting it was a gift. These people are so poor in comparison to us, but still wanted to make us welcome in their environment.
So there's a theme today.. as we headed off to a noodle factory, to see them being made and dried in the sun. At least they are draped over frames here - unlike the rice which is simply left to sun bake on the road.. yes actually on the road. Sometime on covers, sometimes not. (bet you'll be sure to wash your rice next time,
hey!?)
We've a long way to travel today on the bikes in order to get to Nha Trang in good time, and as we rode up the moutains we bumped in to an Ede farmer out walking his cows. More than happy to pose for a picture he was incredibly photogenic.
Then Philip climbed into the rice fields and plucked some mountain rice the Ede people grow here. We all tasted it, as he told us how these here mountains were desimated by napalm and agent orange during the war.. they've only just been able to grow food on it again .. and here we are eating it, uncooked! This is where I realise I should've started a list called 'Things you do abroad that you'd never do at home..' too late, it's already too long.
At the top of the mountain the views were amazing - brace yourselves for lots of hillside shots - then Philip turned the engine off and coasted down. It was brilliant, so peaceful, and yet the powerful countryside all around. We are most certainly alive.. only this time we are not wet through! The sun is gleaming, the breeze is keeping
us cool, and I don't want these three days to end.
We stopped at another little cafe that looked like a shack for a fantastic seafood lunch. A little sceptical about eating the shellfish I was soon tucking in to the shrimps without a second thought .. another one for that list..then the sweetest mango I've ever tasted. If only they were this good at home I might like them!
From here it was a hard ride down to the beach. We stopped just as we came over the mountains for our first glimpse of the sea. In front of us was the sea and all around the mountains. To the right was dozens of lobster farms. Now what to have for dinner?
We found our way to the hotel recommended by Nicola and John (Phu Quy) considerably more expensive than their stop two years ago, but still as lovely.
We waved our EasyRiders - Tai, Philip and Trey - goodbye. Still trying to take in everything we've seen and learnt over the past three days - has it really only been three days?
But now the girls are at the seaside. A new kind
of adventure begins!
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Nicholas Gosling
non-member comment
Food and Rice
That comment about the community people giving you food has moved me and made me feel happy that there is still lots of good in the world. By the way. . . . No .... I am sure that I still won't be bothering to wash rice. i am sure you know that. X