Another day, another day trip. This one left Saigon at eight this
morning for parts south. I slept most of the way there except when
they woke us up for a pit stop. Funny thing about Vietnamese rest
areas--they all come with a local craft demonstration and gift shop.
This one, of all things, was dedicated to the difference between
sticky and not-sticky rice.
We arrived at My Tho--the farthest south either of us has ever been--
around 10:30 and boarded a couple small boats. The delta is massive,
four km wide at points, with smaller channels leading off in all
directions. In one of these, we got to see what local farming looks
like.
It's a different environment, though in some ways similar to the
Louisiana bayou: when you exit the boat, you head up a gangway to
about six feet above the water. The farmers grow fruit trees and keep
a couple of chickens handy. Shrimp and frogs grow fat in hand-dug
containment pools and round out the menu. And of course, there's the
local band--just replace the banjo and washboard with a single-string
Vietnamese violin and a two-string Chinese mandolyn.
They even have crocodiles.
Of course, no trip is complete without more local crafts, the last one
being the coconut candy-making process. Good stuff, and it won't rip
out your fillings (not that I have any). You can purchase it plain,
chocolate, peanut or durian, or get the sampler pack, which we did.
I'll be bringing the durian to Duarte.
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