I owe Tuan 10 dollars

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Over the last 2 days we went up to visit Tuans uncle in the city where he was born .. and i must say it was a looonng and bumpy 7 hour drive and a 20 min ferry ride across the Mekong Delta . But when we got there it was all worth it . We first checked in to our hotel to put our bags down and then it was out to dinner we went , but it wasnt just any restaraunt , it was his uncles 10 acre rainforest themed restaraunt /karaoke place .. and we were fed and treated like kings .
After we finished eating Tuan and I played a few games of pool nearby and then headed to sleep because we had to get up early the next morning for some sight seeing and stuff .
The next morning we all met at his uncles restaraunt for breakfast and to figure out the day . And then i hear Tuan say " we are having snake for lunch " and he wasnt joking . His uncle then takes us into the kitchen and out comes a guy with a plastic bag in his hand and on the ground is a wooden chopping block and 10" cleaver . He reaches into the bag and pulls out a 3 foot snake still alive and holds it by the head in the air and underneath the snake is an empty pint glass. He then begins to slice the snake in the belly and work his way down slitting the whole thing open and letting all the blood drain into the glass . Tuan actually gagged and I had to turn away away few times . Once all the blood was drained the guy takes out the still beating heart of the snake and hands it to one of the people we were with and the guy swallows it whole . Once that is done he chops the head off the snake and puts the still moving body into a bowl to marinate for our delicious Snake soup lunch .
So while our soup was mariniating we decided to take a tour around Chou Doc . First we go to the base of Sam Mountain where we visited a temple and then to the cemetery where Tuan and his Family went to go see the tombstones of their relatives . And then it was lunch time , we headed back to the restaraunt and our feast awaited us .. A big bowl of soup with scaly skin mmmmmm! (Tuan and I had chicken and rice ) cmon now you really didnt think we were gonna eat that . I owe him 10 dollars for saying that i would drink the snake blood wine but i chickened out . After Lunch we headed over to the market of the city where we visited Tuans old house and his uncles jewellry store and then headed
back to HCMC .


Tommorrow we leave for Thailand !!!!!
we will be spending a night in Bangkok and then making our way down south to Phuket and phi phi island where it will be relaxation time from the city and it will time to sit on the beach all day and party at night .
We will update when we get back from Thailand

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Photos

Ferry ride
Across the Mekong Delta

2 a day ....
keeps the doctor away

sponsor this child
for only 50 cents a day

mmmmm
who wants snake

look mom
a white boy

Comments

[Pauline]

You should have drank the blood! With that $10 you could have bought 50 beers!

[draw me a map]

NO WAY
even if you gave me alllll the beer in vietnam

[Emily]

Does the restaurant trump Rainforest Cafe? Uncle should sue... Ferry ride across Mekong Delta sounds sooo much more exotic than one across the Hudson! Tuan, what will you do w/the 50 cents a day?