Who needs the Quickie Mart?
More stories from our tour of the Mekong Delta:
On the second day, we woke up at our host family's to a beautiful cool morning mist. After breakfast (which included a delicous banana leaf-wrapped treat of roasted corn mixed with coconut and sugar), we rode bicycles on the small village paths over canal bridges and past thatched homes to the town's morning market. Families were busy making homemade rice paper, cooking food, and tending children. Almost all of the children we passed would scream "hello" to us as we rode by.
Cat posing with our high-technical vehicles
One of the best things about being part of such a small group was that our guide, Phat, could walk with each of us and answer the questions we had about the unfamiliar fruits, vegetables, beverages, etc. We saw live fish being delivered from the river to waiting water tubs; bowls of fresh-cut noodles ready for soup; mountains of bean paste; stacks of the infamous durian fruit (some say it smells and tastes like garbage, with an onion aftertaste); stands with the betel nut-lime mixture that stains the teeth of the older women who chew it; and frogs getting their heads snipped off. Because this was a town that doesn't see many foreign visitors, many of the people were tickled and curious to see us, peppering our guide with questions about us.
When we returned from the market, our host family were observing the death anniversary with a grand meal with friends and neighbors. Ancestor worship is very strong in Vietnam and we saw altars everywhere we travelled. A large food and drink offering had been prepared and placed in front of the father's photo along with incense, cans of beer, and many many dishes of food and sweets. In the afternoon, the offering was consumed by everyone.
After leaving our host family, we travelled by bicycle, motorized cart, ferry boat, and finally our first motorbike ride (invigorating but quite horrifying to Jen) to get our next accommodation in the town of Cantho. The next morning as the sunrise sky was brightening, we departed from the Cantho docks for the Cai Be floating market.
The land of the Mekong Delta is among the country's most fertile. Rice, vegetables, fruit, sugarcane, coconut, and fish are abundant in "Vietnam's rice basket". The floating markets on the banks of wide stretches of the Mekong are THE place to shop for these riches.
The Cai Be market features wholesalers on large boats, each specializing in a few types of fruit or vegetables. Customers cruise the market in smaller boats and can easily find what they're looking for because the large boats hang samples of the their goods from tall wooden poles.
Shopper at the floating market-In the background, you can see the pole advertising this boat's wares
Our very adept boat captain was able to steer our small wooden boat in and out of all the market traffic. First we stopped for breakfast by tying our vessel up to a floating noodle boat from which we were passed steaming china bowls of spicy pho (noodle soup). Then a beverage boat tied up to our boat's other side to serve us Vietnamese coffee (strong coffee with a dollop of condensed milk over ice). Afterwards we took in the gorgeous views of the buying and selling of picturesque flowers and pineaples and green onions.
Too bad we won't be able to do our shopping this way on the Chicago River!
On the second day, we woke up at our host family's to a beautiful cool morning mist. After breakfast (which included a delicous banana leaf-wrapped treat of roasted corn mixed with coconut and sugar), we rode bicycles on the small village paths over canal bridges and past thatched homes to the town's morning market. Families were busy making homemade rice paper, cooking food, and tending children. Almost all of the children we passed would scream "hello" to us as we rode by.
Cat posing with our high-technical vehicles
One of the best things about being part of such a small group was that our guide, Phat, could walk with each of us and answer the questions we had about the unfamiliar fruits, vegetables, beverages, etc. We saw live fish being delivered from the river to waiting water tubs; bowls of fresh-cut noodles ready for soup; mountains of bean paste; stacks of the infamous durian fruit (some say it smells and tastes like garbage, with an onion aftertaste); stands with the betel nut-lime mixture that stains the teeth of the older women who chew it; and frogs getting their heads snipped off. Because this was a town that doesn't see many foreign visitors, many of the people were tickled and curious to see us, peppering our guide with questions about us.
When we returned from the market, our host family were observing the death anniversary with a grand meal with friends and neighbors. Ancestor worship is very strong in Vietnam and we saw altars everywhere we travelled. A large food and drink offering had been prepared and placed in front of the father's photo along with incense, cans of beer, and many many dishes of food and sweets. In the afternoon, the offering was consumed by everyone.
After leaving our host family, we travelled by bicycle, motorized cart, ferry boat, and finally our first motorbike ride (invigorating but quite horrifying to Jen) to get our next accommodation in the town of Cantho. The next morning as the sunrise sky was brightening, we departed from the Cantho docks for the Cai Be floating market.
The land of the Mekong Delta is among the country's most fertile. Rice, vegetables, fruit, sugarcane, coconut, and fish are abundant in "Vietnam's rice basket". The floating markets on the banks of wide stretches of the Mekong are THE place to shop for these riches.
The Cai Be market features wholesalers on large boats, each specializing in a few types of fruit or vegetables. Customers cruise the market in smaller boats and can easily find what they're looking for because the large boats hang samples of the their goods from tall wooden poles.
Shopper at the floating market-In the background, you can see the pole advertising this boat's wares
Our very adept boat captain was able to steer our small wooden boat in and out of all the market traffic. First we stopped for breakfast by tying our vessel up to a floating noodle boat from which we were passed steaming china bowls of spicy pho (noodle soup). Then a beverage boat tied up to our boat's other side to serve us Vietnamese coffee (strong coffee with a dollop of condensed milk over ice). Afterwards we took in the gorgeous views of the buying and selling of picturesque flowers and pineaples and green onions.
Too bad we won't be able to do our shopping this way on the Chicago River!
posted by Jen and Cat at 2:41 AM
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