February 3 Chau Doc to Vinh Long

The day began badly and only got worse.  I don't know if I brought some of it on myself because I was so apprehensive about the home stay or not but I do know that it coloured my thinking throughout the day.  As it turned out what I was most concerned about didn't materialize (isn't that always the way) but others replaced it. 

The problems began when I tried before breakfast to log into my home e-mail account and it wouldn't let me in.  Hopefully it was just because the server was down or something.  Then I went in for breakfast.  When my coffee was served it was in some sort of little filter contraption on top of a cup and a cup of hot water was served along side.  When I tried to add more water from the cup I slopped it all over the table.  Then my soup was served with a small dish of soy sauce on the side.  Soon while trying to make my coffee I tipped over the soy sauce on the table cloth.  Next I tried and failed miserably to use the chopsticks to eat the solid pieces (pork heart, pork liver, noodles, carrots, etc.) in my soup.  After numerous attempts the waiter took pity on me and brought me a fork. Of course i dribbled stock on my shirt while slurping the noodles that didn't want to be eaten.

Once that fiasco ended we boarded the bus for what was supposed to be a three or three and a half hour ride to the place where we picked up our boat.  That turned into a six hour endurance test.  We had to ask the guide to stop for a washroom break at one point.  As usual the bus was going so fast that photos were impossible.  I tried to sleep but couldn't.  I have to say that it was a pleasant change to see a lot of green around after the browns and dust of Myanmar and Cambodia.  There were many rice paddies fully planted and covering what must be acres and acres.

One of the two bright spots in the day occurred when we had to leave the bus and board a walk on ferry for a trip across the river.  I took a seat and offered the one beside me to an elderly, toothless Vietnamese gentleman.  Shortly after he sat down he reached over and picked at the hair on and then laughed silently.  In retaliation I plucked at the whisker stubble on his chin and then we both laughed.  He continued to play with the hair and then switched his attention to a couple of scabs on my leg.  Since we couldn't communicate we just laughed and laughed and laughed - all silently but looking at each other all the while.  Some of the group noticed what was going on and lined up to take pictures of the two of us.  I hope they remember to send me a copy.  Because our bus had gone on a different ferry we had to wait an hour or more until it arrived.  In the meantime we endured the heat and the most persistent beggars.  Not fun at all.

As we neared the place where we were to leave the bus while we proceeded by boat the guide stood up and announced that that we were only permitted to take our back packs and that our luggage would remain on the bus.  That meant of course that we had to get our luggage out and dig out what we thought we would need for the night. Needless to say there was much grumbling and many complaints about not being told in the itinerary or at least the night before so that we could have been prepared.

That done we proceeded to the boat and a short trip to where we were to have lunch.  Unfortunately the tide was out so the boat couldn't make it down the canal and thus we were forced to walk.  It was a fair way and my back was killing me by the time we reached the restaurant.  I immediately told the guide that if the boat wasn't able to pick us up after lunch he would have to arrange a ride for me.  Lunch was four course affair (soup, two kinds of spring rolls, battered stuffed pumpkin blossoms, a pork dish, elephant ear fish and fruit) and looked very nice.  Only the soup appealed to me so in spite of the fact that it was 3:00 pm I ate very little.  Luckily for me the boat was able to reach us and negate the need for special arrangements.

We then transferred to smaller row boats for a short trip around the island through smaller canals..  Unfortunately the was very little to see other than motor boats passing us in each direction and causing our boats to rock in their wake and a few shacks.  Back to our main boat and then a stop at a nursery orchard which was the second and last highlight of the day for me.  As we walked through the guide pointed out various kinds of fruit trees and other plants.  We then sat down with the owner, an eighty-seven year old man, and shared some of his fruit (breadfruit, jack fruit, star fruit, longons [sp?], etc.) and two varieties of the wine he makes from the fruit and a bit of rice wine.  He was fun and that was enjoyable.

Back to the boat and off to our home stay accommodation.  Contrary to the house I had imagined this turns out to be a very large building and complex.  With much gratitude I learned that I would have  a separate "room".  Actually the room is more like an enclosure with a curtain across the entrance, thatched walls and roof except for an open area near the roof.  more or less privacy of sight but most definitely not of sound.  Being pretty much open to the elements the bed is enclosed in mosquito netting to keep the critters out.  Apparently I was the only one with a three quarter bed, the rest had singles.  My pillow was really only a small cushion so i had to use my back pack to supplement it.  Not that any of that truly mattered because sleep was impossible given the dogs barking and howling, the cats screaming and fighting, the cocks crowing and the boats chugging along the river.  Get me to a hotel room in Saigon!!!

Dinner (who needed it) was similar to the lunch with only minor variations.  I wasn't at all hungry so just picked at bits and pieces.  The grilled prawns were good but over done.