Getting crafty on the lake

A lie-in, we didn't get on the bikes until 8! That's because we weren't cycling that far really and even then we made a stop at one of the local markets.  The great thing about a cycling holiday with Exodus Travel is you don't have to worry about your bike

The mechanic washes and lubes them every morning, giving them a check over before we ride for the day.

But before we could go and explore we had to make way for this guy, huge baskets but hopefully light load!

This was a very local market, but as well as the fruit and veg there were pretty flowers too.  See the baskets on the bottom stall, let's take a closer look....

Lots and lots of beans, pulses and the most huge sunflower seeds ever.

As with markets the world over there are the characters.  The chap on the left was doing a roaring trade in little bottles of potions, complete with head mike.   Down well on Barnsley market!  The lady with the head scarf is from one of the hill tribes whilst the bottom pair were betal  makers.

And that strong smell wafting about? Kerosene, of course.....

Back on the bike we cycled through everyday life, in the field, the building site, the sugar cane factory and the boats.

And then it was time to hop on board another boat.  Only trouble was I forgot to take my straw hat off but the wind saw to that...fortunately the chap driving the boat was able to navigate back to fish it out of the water.  Phew!

And where are we going to?  Ah, that's another blog ;-)

Meeting the locals in Tra On

Time for Tân to have a day off today as I went on the 'Mystic'sampan today!

The trip started with breakfast onboard...there's only me, so it felt rather strange.  It wasn't meant to be a private tour, but I was the only one who had booked, so today was my day!  

Cruising down the Mekong once more I was struck by the contrasts that are Vietnam. Modern high rise on one side and local life on the other. In just two years I can see the changes happening, the young don't want to follow the old ways, they want what the west have...

Even so daily life goes to the same rhythms for the moment, and in the Mekong Delta everything revolves around the river.

It truelly is the life blood of this region.

We stopped so we could explore the local market, but before we reached it I spied ....baskets.  I'm a girl who loves a basket!  Besides, with a salesman as cute as this, it would have been rude not to buy!

Also piled high were the cooking stoves, very simple and very cheap to run.  Remember the piles of sticks and coconut shell by the roadside?: now you know why!

Much of daily life is conducted by the roadside, see the chicken trying to sneak up and grab some titbits?

Spread out on bambo mats this fish will dry out quickly,

Or you can buy fresh if you'd prefer.  We walked through the meat market.  Bet you're glad I didn't photograph in there.  No part is considered inedible...

The Vietnamese are a smiley chatty people, they start it young!

The fruit and veg are much more pleasing to photograph.  The little banana leaf wrapped packages are food-to-go!

This part of Vietnam used to belong to Cambodia once upon a time, so there is still a large community of Khmer people living here.  This lady wears the traditional Khmer headscarf.

The live fowl market was distressing, but these day old ducklings looked healthy enough.

Taxi? If you need to get your purchases home, this lady will row you there.

Many houses line the banks.

Further down river we visit a Khmer sanctuary with its golden pogaoda,

In the bright sunshine it shone brilliantly bright 

All a bit too bling for me.  

By stark contrast is the grey sleeping Bhuddha.  

The contrast of rich decoration and decay

is what interests me most.

Highly decorated walls and peeling window frames.

But the monks don't seem to mind.  Today this monk was on kitchen duty.

Back in the sampan we head down river before taking the bikes on land to cycle through the pomelo groves.  The smell was intoxicating, the sun on the citrus skins scents the air. Here is my guide for the day, Lông with his auntie.  We were cyclin past, but stopped to say hello!

By lunchtime we arrived at a local farm and helped to make lunch.  Well I watched as the Vietnamese pancakes were made, and then had a go myself.  Typically the first one was rubbish; but then isn't it always? Made from ef, coconut milk and spring onions it is cooked in a wok with papaya, bean sprouts and coriander grated beets and shrimp.  We had lunch with the grandfather, a VC fighter in the war.  It was interesting talking with him and amusing to hear his views on Trump.  Yes, even the Vietnamese don't have a good word to say about him either. Loved Obama though.

After lunch we went to have a look at the farm, which produced pomelo.  They are so heavy, it took all my effort not to drop the one I was picking.  Tastes good though.

There was a special pond for growing the water hyacinth, the flowers are quite a delicacy.

Such a pretty colour.

And this berry they used for ink, typical boy, he ended up with it all over his hands!

Exploring the byways of the Mekong

Cycling adventures mean early mornings, get the riding in whilst it's not too hot.

So it does mean I get to see the sun rise.  The stillness at this time is quite magical.

But soon it's time to be busy, work in the organic veg garden outside my cottage is in full swing by the time I walk to breakfast.

Love the shadow play on huge stralitzia leaves this morning.

Today we went round in circles....from the hotel the bikes were piled on board a boat and we set off into the Mekong.

A big problem is the water hyacinth which despite being harvested, still clogs the water ways,

So we switch to a much smaller craft, and for the authentic experience, with traditional paddle power,

so it was quiet wandering through the smaller byways and mangrove forests.

Under little bridges, I've been over a fair few of these already.

The smaller canals were much busier than now, but they're still used for local travel and taking goods to market.

All the dwellings which line the canals have a boat or two tied up.

The banks are strengthened with wooden stakes or less attractively plastic bags stacked high with sand.  Here, as in many other parts of the world, plastic bags and bottles are a huge environment problem.

Time to rejoin the larger boat and thank the local lady

Like most women she makes sure she's covered up, 33C and she has gloves on, full length sleeves and trousers and socks - look, even special ones for wearing with flipflops! Why? Well they want to keep their skin white as it's more desirable.

Out on the main river there's many craft, large and small plying their trade.

Nothing is wasted, this boat is piled high with rice husk.  Off to be made into brickets to burn for cooking fuel.  We see many boats piled with the stuff, but then the Vietnamese do eat a lot of rice!

Most dwellings extend into the river on long stilts.

Further down stream we see the floating wholesale market again.

See what's tied on the mast? These boats have tapioca for sale,

and someone has stocked up on pineapples ready to sell at the market.

Even in ramshackle boats there's still a sense of beauty to be found in the colours and faded paint work.

This lady has a good sense of balance, even if she has to hold onto her hat...

perhaps she's in a hurry to get to the fruit stall.  This boat was piled high with coconuts, pineapples, Jack fruits and plenty more.

Bambo is widely used in construction and here freshly cut poles are kept in water so they don't dry out.

Looking at these stilts it's a wonder how they manage to support the buildings !  But this is where we get off and go exploring on the bikes.

First stop is a small covered market area.  This lady is busy batch baking tapioca and coconut waffles to be packaged up ready for the market. Wafer thin they had a delicate flavour.

Her little grandson wasn't so sure about this woman dressed so strangely, despite encouragement from grandad. However once I showed him his photograph he was all smiles!

As a child did you every have multi coloured sweet popped rice, it used to come in huge cellophane cones?  Now I know how it's made, but no weird colours here, just sugar syrup and nuts to bind it all together.  Over tiny cups of green tea we got to sample some, with preserved ginger  slices and peanut brittle.  Oh boy that was addictive ...

This is the wooden mould that is used to shape the brittle and guide the knife as it is cut into pieces for sale.

See what's being used as fuel? Rice husks, light as a feather but burns very well.

Next stop, coconut candy making.  All done by hand, that guy is so fast with the huge knife chopping the canes into precise squares that even 3 women working non-stop can wrap them fast enough.  Fancy doing that all day, every day?  No I didn't think you would.  Better study hard at school then!

I love a bit of rust, but  I think Tan is a bit surprised when I stop to photograph 

everything vaguely ramshackled.

Still these school children are really happy to shout hello and wave to me as they cross the river on the way home from school.

Although I felt huge when asked by these High School girls to pose for a photograph.  Apparently my white skin, blue eyes and long ( that 'Shaw' nose!!) nose are all very attractive and desirable features.  Well, there you go!

I never like to miss a market opportunity.  This one was quite crowded, so we pushed the bikes along which made taking photographs tricky, but as you can see, not impossible.

Last stop to visit an ' Ancient House', this one was well over a 100 years old and is one of the oldest in the Mekong having belonged to the same family for 6 generations.  We had tea and tropical fruits in a shady courtyard.

Whilst this little fellow tormented his mum and kept hiding under my chair.

Along side of the byways you see neat lines of kindling and coconut husks drying in the sun, ready for fuelling the cooking stove.

It was really hot by the time we reached the hotel again, so I was glad of a cooling swim as the sun went down.  Tiny birds / bats? Skimmed across the pool surface hunting for their dinner, so at that point I decided it was time to leave them to it.  As I walked back to my cottage a slither of a new moon could just be seen rising into the night sky.