Chau Doc to Pnomh Penh by Speed Boat up the Mekong

After a quick walk through an aromatic and colorful local market in Chau Doc, Vietnam, we turned down a narrow alley towards the river. Above, ingredients for Pho soup, a breakfast favorite.


Decorations for New Years


Rambutan fruit (May be same as lychee)


Here is Carol just turning down the small alley to the river..


Our first glimpse of life on the river bank was spectacular. I felt that I wanted to stand in this one spot for hours. Here families were starting their day, many in houseboats or small thin river boats. Shoreside homes are built on stilts and the river side is mostly open air. Boats full of school age children were arriving from the hundreds of houseboats, dogs cheerfully living on boats, everyone cooking, eating, washing up, bathing in the river. Everything wildly photogenic. Too bad we had to move onto our own boat. Here's a spot I'd love to see more.





We set out to begin our day on the river, this huge body of water that is the source of so much life in SE Asia. It is surely one of the great rivers of the works. First we stopped at a family owned fish farm. It looked like an ordinary house boat, but underneath in a giant cage swirled 90 tons of catfish, carp and tilapia. We watched them being fed, and heard all about how they harvest them (best ones go to US, less good stay here for domestic market). The family lives above the fish farm.








Then we got onto our speedboat for a fast race up the river. Along the way we went by numerous riverside dwellings, most on stilts for the inevitable floods. We saw duck farms, mango and banana groves, farmers with teams of oxen and wooden carts. There were boats of every imaginable size and shape, including many local ferries loaded with scooter riders trying to cross the river, and innumerable house boats. We saw only one bridge, a huge suspension cable one now under construction with only the approaches in place on either side of this vast river.






We made one stop at the Cambodian border to get visas, an amazingly tropical garden spot with hibiscus, orchids, mangoes, tropical birds, and pagoda-like buildings.





We were wind-blown and sunburned almost beyond repair.


Later we arrived in Pnomn Penh for a great lunch and then walk to the Royal Palace. This is a rapidly growing riverside city, with now a casino and amusement park, along with the hundreds of saffron robed monks and lovely formal gardens. Our guide made a succinct comment about the new development here. She said, "like with food. Sometimes presentation is very beautiful, but taste is terrible." Clearly she believe that Pnomh Penh is going in the wrong direction in a hurry.


Last night, after a spectacular dinner at our very lovely hotel, we went out in tuk-tuks (called Sambo here) for a ride around the city at night. Finally feel into bed around 10 pm.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Sothea Ros Blvd,Phnom Penh,Cambodia

Across the Mekong Delta

Today was a long driving day, from Saigon across the Mekong Delta to the Cambodian border, where we are staying for one night, in a government run hotel, Communist style. It is surprisingly comfy and we are told that a great breakfast lies just ahead. It was a beautiful drive, with many stops along the way. We visited a small, home incense factory.








And we stopped at a brick kiln in a small village, where they still make bricks by ancient methods. Patty created a sensation here by putting on her clown nose and handing out stickers and candy to the dozens of mill children who swarmed around her.

We saw flower farms and blooming lotus fields and luscious green rice paddies. We had language lessons, sampled local delicacies along the way.














When we stopped for lunch, there was another wedding going on, so of course we crashed it and posed for photos with the family.





And all along we crossed and recrossed the great Mekong River, such an important and historically significant place. Great dinner last night in this small town, including an amazingly bright purple taro soup, yummy!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Đường Tân Lộ Kiều Lương,,Vietnam

An Evening in Saigon

I left off writing before if had a chance to describe our evening out in Saigon. First was a show of Vietnamese water puppets. The puppeteers stand behind a bamboo screen in waist deep water and operate these charming puppets using underwater wooden poles. A small musical orchestra accompanies them with odd, very strange-to-our-ears music. I've heard about these puppets for years, so it was fun to see them. I wished I had Desmond and Elliette on my lap!









We then went on to dinner at a "culinary academy" where we "helped" prepare our meal. Translation, they taught us how to chop up ginger and scallions using four small cleavers at a time, a skill I'm pretty sure I'll never use, but we had a lot of laughs and a delicious dinner. The green glass was our "fruit cocktail dessert."








Outside we all climbed into individual rickshaws for a ride back to our hotel. As I mentioned earlier, the streets are wildly lit up one for the upcoming Year of the Horse celebrations, so it was fun seeing that from an open rickshaws, a much slower and more relaxing mode of transport than the scooters.








I was worn out and so I came in to sleep. Others went on for drinks at the Top of the Rex, the fanciest hotel in downtown. Thanks to Lada for some of these photos.








Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Đường Tân Lộ Kiều Lương,,Vietnam

Pho and Go !

After the cu chi tunnels, we drove back into the city for a fantastic Pho lunch. This noodle soup was supposed to be the most authentic around. It was really good!

The big treat, next, was a half-hour ride on motorbikes through the swarming heart of the city, back to our hotel. It was more fun than a bunch of senior citizens oughtta have - no, nix that thought! It was wild and hair-raising and amazing and exhilarating. We all survived! There will be videos.


Now resting a bit before an evening on the town.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Đường Lê Lai,Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam

First Day in Vietnam.

Last night we strolled down to the night market. It's not as good as Luang Prabang, but it was fun to look at the street food vendors, and stroll past the other market shops.





Today we left the hotel early and drove way out into the countryside. Our first stop was in an area famous for making rice paper wraps for spring rolls, as well as crispy rice snacks. We watched this woman making thin cakes that had shrimp and sesame seeds in them. Later they will be broken up and fried into crispy snacks. Her method is ancient, probably unchanged for centuries.











Across the street was a rubber plantation, something I've never seen. Vietnam exports huge quantities of rubber, mostly to China. We later drove through miles of these lovely plantations.





Finally we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, over 130 miles of underground tunnels and rooms used extensively by the Viet Cong throughout the war. This was fascinating. We saw how the access in and out was cleverly hidden, how they built and marked booby traps for US troops, and we crept around in some of the tunnels, that have been widened now to fit the fat American tourists into! We heard a lot of history of this country, especially from their point of view about the war. It inspires me to learn more.



American cluster bombs -here they are again in all their ugliness.


Our guide demonstrated how they hid.


Johna jumped right in and pulled the cover over her head. She was surprised to share the visit with a bat flying around her head in the tunnel


Booby trap, showing iron spikes in the ground.


Kitchen, with smoke holes hidden several yards away.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Đường Lê Lai,Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam