Berry's SEAJ trip Day 4: Mekong tour – pt 2 of 3 (6/9/15)

Slept well as being away from HCMC there is very little honking or motorbike noise throughout the night. After breakfast, we got on a motorboat to go up the river to meet up the rest of the tour to explore the floating market which is a bunch of boats selling fruits and other goods (coffee anyone?). Kinda cool as the big boats with all the goods have small boats that load up, come to your boat, hook on to stay with you and then carry out the transaction before unhooking and going about their business.

The homestay had a hair washing chair so Berry got his hair done. 

Berry made more friends with the young pups on the premise.

Got on the boat at the homestay and went into town to meet up with the group. This was that river behind our homestay from last night's pictures.

Height and width measurements (presumably in meters) with a rice farmer strolling across the bridge. 

We joined the group and then explored the floating market. Each of the boats has their own commerce.

The big boats have smaller boats that approach boats with buyers and they hook on so the people can make their transaction then release and go to the next one.

The large barges go on for days. Was cool seeing the density of those ships; was a like a town on the water.

Another vendor. This one selling fresh produce. Big boat workers behind him hard at work.

After the market, we toured a rice noodle factory, which was cool to see how they are made. They make a thin pancake of rice mixture and then sun dry it, once dry they pass it through a cutting machine which probably was the predecessor of the paper shredder we use now a days and they grab the noodles and package it right there.

After the market, we learned how rice noodles were made. This was a large flat stove where they would spread the liquid really thin (just like a crepe) and let it cook. In the foreground you see a bag of rice hulls and other non essential parts of the rice plant that is used to make the fire to cook the rice paper. Again using all the parts of the plant in the process.  

When the paper is done cooking, they use this medieval torture device to roll the rice paper up on it to remove it from the fire.

Rice paper sticks to the roller and then you move it over to the drying racks.

Once on the drying rack, you undo the roller to lay the rice paper flat.

Then put the dryer sheet in the sun on elevated platforms for the sun to completely dry out the rice paper.

Once the rice paper is dry, they bring it over to the cutter where you slide the paper disc into it and out comes evenly sized noodles. The guy sitting on the ground grabs all the noodles and puts them into the bag for sale. 

This is how we cut the rice noodles.

Berry was helping stoke the fire waiting his turn to turn some rice paper.

Berry checking out the rice plant, seeing where the rice paper came from.

The rice farm had a couple animals as pets. This looked like a mongoose of sorts. Pretty lil guy. 

They also had guinea pigs which apparently love rice plant leaves. 

After that we go to a fruit garden where some people paid a couple bucks to rent a bike to go see a monkey bridge (single piece of wood you walk across). I chilled at the garden and watched them grill some frogs and snakes for people to eat.

Our next stop was a place to grab a bite, rent a bike to explore if you want, or just walk around the grounds for this restaurant. Berry wanted to explore the grounds and we found this walking bridge (I believe they call it a monkey bridge)

Nearby waterway with some lilies and pretty flowers floating around.

Berry was checking out this fruit we found in a tree nearby. It was prickly and sharp. Clearly trying to protect its delicious innards. 

Just a couple local delicacies - snake, frog, whatever else can be found nearby. 

We then go back into town and have a little bit of down time as we wait for our buses (Me and one other person were spending another night out while everyone else was going back to Saigon).

After that, we go back to hotel to grab lunch on our own time before those of us on the 3 day tour go deeper into the delta. We drive close to the Cambodian border (town of Chau Doc) and the rice patties go on and on, as far as the eye can see. Very beautiful as there are the mountains in the distance providing contrast to the flat green pastures. Get to a marsh and get in a boat to explore around it in hopes of seeing some birds (akin to the egret I think). The marsh is pretty and quiet.

We stopped to stretch our legs and this pit stop had a monkey in a cage. Berry wanted to say hey, but the monkey was TERRIFIED of Berry. This will not be the only animal Berry meets on this trip that is terrified of him.

Driving closer to the Cambodian border, becoming more remote with mountains and tons of rice fields.

Another rising mountain in the distance. Countryside is beautiful and serene.

Berry and I go walking down a path at our next stop where we are to explore the marsh.

Berry boating around. This boat was  a quick motorboat to get us to the launch of the marsh.

Got in a new boat and started exploring the marshland with lily pads everywhere.

Calm waters with Berry hanging out on the boat enjoying the silence of nature.

The marsh was filled with birds. This one perched in a tree just hanging out.

Forest of the marshland area. 

We check into the hotel in Chau Doc and I then walk around the city to just explore and to grab some food. Saw some people in the town square playing a hacky-sack kinda game with a shuttlecock type of thing which was cool to watch. Kept walking around until I decided to head back to the room and get some sleep.

Hotel room for the last night of the mekong tour. The room had AC and all the amenities one gets used to in the west.