On the way to Cambodia

I can get used to having coffee on our veranda every morning and watching the Mekong wake up. Today we woke up just outside of Tấn Châu and we will spend the day checking out the town and neighboring villages.

After a short sampan ride, we had a rickshaw tour of Tân Châu.  The rickshaws here are a little different than the ones we rode in Saigon as they do not have back support and the driver is in front of you.  LuLu was a trooper and was the demo how to get in the basket.  Not going to lie, it was not the most comfortable ride and I did not look very graceful getting in and out or even riding as my knees don’t bend so I had to put my feet in the holsters on the side.

We made our way from Tân Châu to a floating fish farm. It is farms like this where a large number of the vendors from yesterday’s market get their products. Vietnam has definitely been a place of sensory overload and today’s visit was no exception.

Our final stop of the morning was to Vinh Hoa (Evergreen Island) to get up close and personal with the farmers and learn more about life on the Mekong.  The Vietnamese are very direct and not question is considered rude or personal.  In fact, the more you ask the more respect it shows as it lets them know you are interested and concerned.  Our guide said that it is very common for a Vietnamese to ask your age and if you are an age where you “should” be married but not, they will ask you “why…what is wrong with you?”

Mrs. Tròn welcomed her into her home and was very gracious with answering questions about her family, life and home.  She and her husband have 3 children and their marriage was arranged for them.  Both of them were only able to go to 3rd grade (long enough to learn to read and write) and then worked the farm with their family.  Because of this, they have worked very hard to save money to be able to send their children to school as life on the farm is hard and they want better for their children.  In Vietnam, school is not free so families must pay and the most expensive is pre-school as the children are there longer and require more attention.  Because they live on the river and there is flooding, the homes are built on stilts and instead of steps leading to the front door there is a ramp (very steep) so they can drive up their motorcycles when the floods come.  While Viking does supplement them and we all gave her a little monetary gift, you could tell her smile and hospitality were genuine.  LuLu asked if she could give her a hug and it was so sweet and genuine as well.  After Ut asked if she would “re-enact” so he could get a photo…LuLu spreading the love!

We spent the afternoon sailing up to Cambodia so after watching the spring roll demonstration, LuLu and I had massages.  They were just what we needed and our only complaint was they ended too soon.  Before dinner, Ut entertained us with his guitar.