MEKONG DELTA
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2008
1
62
319
Trip End
Sep 02, 2009
Can Tho,
Vietnam
Friday, November 28, 2008
We have the guide who was on our trip yesterday so we know we will be informed and looked after. He tells us about the Meakong Delta's history and where we will be going and what we will see. It is a 3 hour ride to the boat. Once on we go down river a short distance to a village and we watch the cocoanut candy being made right from scratch with samples of the different stages. Then we sat down and were given a plate of different candies to try and an offer of tea out of those little cups. I teased the driver again when he said we will stop for tea I asked him both yesterday and today where's the beer, we don't drink tea. Again, he says we will have rice wine and today we had some rice wine. It was quite good, something like a whiskey taste but a little milder on the burning going down. Len even had 2 shot glasses of it. We did buy some peanut brittle for our travels. One of the samples was a very black soft candy that was made from molasses and very good to my taste.
We then went on to learn how they make the rice wine, showed us the mash of rice and yeast fermenting, and then the still where the liquid was heated and the wine evaporating up an aluminum pipe and then out the bottom into a plastic bottle.
Next was the rice paper making, another amazing process where they put the hot rice liquid over a piece of gauze, steam it until it is just solid and then skim it off and onto a bamboo rack to cool. Of course there were samples to try.
Next we went to watch the rice cakes being made over open charcole fires with long handled metal grills with lids. Once one side was cooked they flipped it over to do the other side. She had three going at one time.
Met up with Stephen and Cliona there, they left Mui Ne just before we did and will be off to Phenom Phen one day before us. They were on a different tour than us, so we had to part as they had to find their group.
Next was making puffed rice, it was done in a large wok type pan with black sand in with the rice. When it popped, just like popping corn, they strained it so the sand ran out. It was then put together with a sticky substance, rolled out and we all got to taste it. It was good, but not the same as our rice crispie squares.
Back on the boat and an hour down the river to where we will have lunch. The river is about 2 kms wide, merky like the Red or Assiniboine Rivers back home. Lots of other boats on the river, either fishing, barges, or just their homes. There are many, many side rivers going off on each side.
Met a man from Quebec, and chatted about his travels, gave us some web site names to look for accommodations on line such as couch surfing - apparently it's free. You go and stay on someone's couch and the hope is that you would offer the same back to another traveller.
We docked at a large restaurant for lunch, our table was the chap from Quebec, a young Irish woman who is with the Chicago Police, in Obama's house district, and two young woman from Scottland and another man who we didn't get to meet.
After lunch we walked around and seen a pen of crocodiles, about 15 of them. The keeper put some meat on a long pole and dangled it over the crocs and they came snapping up trying to get the hunk of meat. We then had to leave to go and watch the musicians and singers perform local area songs. It was quite entertaining even though we did not know what they were singing about.
Back on the boat and back to our bus. The bus, had a problem getting the door open and once on we hear air hissing, The extra young guy travelling with us then takes panels off the front and tries to fix the air hose leak.. He holds it together and we are off. This is the air for the brakes. We stop at a store and he gets a rubber band about 1 inch wide and 12 inches long and tries to put the hoses together, but still holds it.
We are now at the ferry crossing, but we really didn't know we were there, our guide has gone back to Saigon and we have no one speaking English. We are asked to get off the bus and walk forward, which we do following 5 Vietnamese men who are on the tour. We then realize it is the ferry and we have to be off the bus for it to get onto the boat. We end up in an enclosed area with all the motor bikes. I notice the 5 Vietnames men going through a small opening and walking towards the boat. I say to all behind me, out tour group, follow me this way and we all work our way through the bikes and to the ferry. Once on we sit and we are soon underway, we are just crossing the river. Before we get to the other side we are told to get back on the bus - strange way of doing it all.
We are now at our hotel in a small town. The tour will continue tomorrow along this area.
Comments
re-hello
HI again--If we don't get an entry from you every day ,we do get a little anxious,we are still enjoying your e-mails so much JILL something to look forword too everyday.We still say you've got to be in good shape to be pushed and pulled around every day and by the sounds of it you are enjoying every bit of it,and thats great, you are doing a great job of reporting it to us.You've got to write a book someday and by the way--only 10 months left. Do take care,LOVE YA Jack & Aggie