Day 13: Back from the Mekong!

We arrived back from our excursion to the Mekong today around 12:30 after the homestay served us bread and eggs for breakfast. Here is a quick summary of some of the things we did:

• Boat rides. We took a boat to the homestay, got a boat tour of some of the villages and homes on the water, and on our way back today we received boat rides from local people.
• Visited a pottery factory. This was our first stop on the trip. We stopped at a factory where they make bricks as well as lawn and garden ornaments. Men and women work together here, making 5 or 6 USD a day. Any clay piece that is not perfect is broken and used as bank stabilization since the workers aren't allowed to take anything home with them.
• Market. We visited an open air market where we saw all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats, and live and dead animals.
• Candy factory. We stopped at a factory to see how they make a certain kind of toffee in the Delta and learned about all of the ways they use coconuts. They drink the water, use the shell as kindle, and can use the strings on the outsides as either rope or cleaning products.
• Homestay. We stayed at a homestay, which was really more like a family that owned a small hotel. This part reminded me very much of our stay in Africa. The family was nice and provided us with breakfast and supper the two days we were there. They also had bikes we could use and so our tour guide gave us a bike tour of the surrounding area.
• Food. We had all kinds of food while we were in the Mekong. Elephant ear fish, fried spring rolls, pork and rice, bananas, watermelon, dragon fruit, snake, snail, rat. Yes, I tried it all, including the rat testicle. Fun fact: you eat the snake bones as well because "they are good for you". Talk about a crunchy meal!

The excursion was great and it's weird to be back in the hustle and bustle of the city.

The outside of the temple we visited for the Cao Dai religion.

The inside of the temple. Bare feet only!

My partner student Thao and I.



Riverbanks of the Mekong.

Video of the riverbanks.

A woman making coconut taffy.

Snake wine. Yes, those are real snakes inside.

Making popped rice with sand from the Mekong. Don't worry, you don't eat the sand!

Just casually holding a snake.

The elephant ear fish we ate for lunch.

The pottery factory.

A woman working on making a rabbit.

A few finds from the market.

 

More finds from the market.

 

 

I also have a video showing how they killed the snake we later ate, but it is too big to be uploaded! I'll try to figure this out later or you will just have to wait until I get home to see it.

The majority of the day was just spent resting and doing a little homework. Today is also Vietnamese Independence Day (from the French) so we headed out to eat at 7:30. We went to The Black Cat, which is a Western restaurant, where I had a tuna salad sandwich. The fireworks show was at nine, and what a different experience! As soon as the first one went off, everyone was on their feet clapping and stood standing for the whole time. The fireworks were good, but the show was a short 15 minutes. As soon as it was over, the streets were re-opened and we found ourselves lost in the sea of motorbikes. Luckily, we found a taxi and made it back to the dormitory!