One thing missing from yesterday's blog is the fact that our boat is a shoe free zone and we have to go barefoot around the decks. In less than 24 hours this has started to feel totally natural.
At eight prompt a 30 seater 'tourist boat' pulls up alongside and we climb aboard for the short trip to the mouth of a creek. A fleet of long rowing boats appears and each couple is allocated to one. The rowers stand at the stern and appear to apply themselves very languidly but we keep making progress. We hear birds twittering in the trees above but apart from a couple of brief sightings of Coucals we fail to get an ID on anything. On the mudflats there are plenty of small mudskippers but they refuse to hang around for photos. Eventually the creek becomes so shallow and narrow that punting with the oars becomes necessary. Suddenly we emerge into the main channel next to the tourist boat and our jaunt is over.
Our next dose of fun is a visit to a large riverside shack in a town called Cai Be. The small boat crosses the main channel and then turns up a branch waterway that is basically the high street of the town. We pass a floating market with boats selling fruit & veg. Dien tells us that the markets have drastically reduced in size over recent years as bridges have been built and roads improved. These days the locals prefer to go shopping on a two wheeler rather than in a boat. There are still plenty of businesses that front onto the river including convenience stores, chicken sellers and even a couple of shops selling coffins.
The place we tie up at is some kind of tourist orientated food factory cum gift shop. We are given a demonstration of how coconuts are processed that ultimately ends in a rather chewy toffee as well as coir matting, fuel for stoves and dessicated coconut. Next up is the chance to watch rice paper being hand made by an extraordinarily skilled lady. After this we are shown how to pop rice using a cauldron on a fire, some sand and a garden sieve. The tour winds up with a cup of tea and samples of various products before we are let loose in the showroom.
This bout of retail frenzy is brought to an end by the call to embark. This time we sail out of the town and land near a small village where the choice is walk and visit an ancient house or take a cycle ride. The caveat is that the roads are narrow, full of two wheelers and the island we are visiting tomorrow is a much better place to do it. The bikes are stacked at the back of the boat and when eleven hardy souls opt in the crew lift enough bikes onshore. We opt for the walk which takes us by some rather grand houses and some colorful gardens. Dien calls a halt at one place where two ladies are wrapping rice and black beans into banana leaves. These are then cooked and stored for a couple of weeks to be eaten as part of the New Year celebration meal. The ladies cut one of the parcels that has already been cooked open for us to try. The rice has a green colour and is exceptionally sticky even by local standards. For a special meal it lags well behind turkey.
The ancient house turns out to have been built around 1825 and is one of several in this village. It was the home of a family who had adopted Chinese culture and is still furnished and decorated in that style. Lots of dark wood and inlaid mother of pearl. The gardens are very pleasant with some lotus plants and a pond full of enormous catfish. When we return to the boat it is clear that we have had a better deal than the cyclists.
Back at the mother ship there is barely time for a refreshment before lunch is called. Soup, grilled prawns, huge fillets of unidentified fish in honey and lemon sauce and crunchy green beans keep us busy for a while. An hour on our balcony is the perfect aid to digestion as we sit and watch the various types of vessel pass by. There are barges carrying huge loads of sand dredged from the river. These are so low in the water that disaster appears imminent. There are boats with loads of logs as well as cut bamboo, decorative trees, a special boat designed to carry live fish and enormous rice carriers.
Over lunch and after our cruiser has moved westward towards the town of Sa Dec where we have a visit scheduled for this afternoon. Dien gives us a briefing about what to expect and tells us that the locals consider rats to be a delicacy. We are not sure if he is having us on but it may explain why 10 out of 30 of the group opt out this afternoon. We visit a Chinese merchant's house that became the childhood home of the woman who wrote the story that was filmed as L'Amant. French and apparently a bit spicy. After a quick stop at a Chinese temple we get to the market, the biggest that we have seen yet. It is the usual kaleidoscope of colour and noise with extra two wheelers. We treat ourselves to a custard apple for later. All too soon it is time to get back for complimentary sundown cocktails. It's a hard life.
Dinner is served promptly at 7.00 pm. It is the first meal on board that is slightly disappointing. If you are ever offered Mekong Fish Cakes don't set your hopes too high. The highlight was the pea flower salad, colourful and tasty. After supper we retire to our suite and to watch the river. There are dots of light everywhere, some of them moving quite quickly. The river doesn't sleep.
What was that drink ? Citrus fizz or Asian garden ? You seemed to have avoided fried critters.
ReplyDeleteElegant young lass there !!