Saturday 23 September – Can Tho
Awake, and up, a bit before 8.00am.
The night was uneventful, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was uninterrupted sleep the whole way through.
But, I rarely achieve that anyway.
I hardly feel brilliant, but I’m no worse than last night, so that’s a positive.
Up for breakfast, and to keep it simple, it’s a repeat of yesterday; eggs on toast, but only one slice of bread this time, along with a passionfruit juice.
The ordering of our preference is done with as much Vietnamese as I believe I’m capable of, which results in an impromptu Vietnamese lesson with one of the housekeepers.
Does it help?
Well, I think it does. But at the same time, the more I think I know, often just proves to show how little I know.
However, I do get the feeling that much more is ‘sticking’ this trip, which perhaps has more to do with us being here twice in 12 months, as opposed to some great increase in my intelligence level.
But gee, it’s a tough language…..
Breakfast done, followed by a little just sitting and taking it all in, and then it’s back to the room to get ready for our day.
Getting sorted and there’s a knock at the door, with a water delivery from another of the housekeepers.
The water is graciously accepted, but the offer of fresh towels is politely declined. I don’t change my towels daily at home, and see no point in doing so when we’re away.
Our housekeeper is more than happy with that; perhaps even appreciative; and the interaction results in a ‘conversation’, which sort of also turns into a second Vietnamese lesson for the day.
With my Vietnamese being what it is, and her English, while better than my Vietnamese, but by no means great, the lesson and discussion doesn’t go too far, but I was just rapt that she had the confidence and felt the desire to actually make the effort.
Again, it’s those little things.
Finally sorted, we head out around 9.30am, grabbing our trusty bikes along the way. The rough plan, for no other reason than it looks like an interesting point on the map, is to try and find where the five rivers / canals intersect, which, looking at Google Maps, isn’t too far away.
Up to the main road, the heat doing as it was yesterday, and then, heading in the direction of our lunch place, down to the next bridge over the canal.
Off the main road, onto the narrower path next to the canal, and we come across two local girls, who begin pointing at the path ahead of us.
Yep, we’ve reached our first obstacle, which is the path that would ordinarily take us in the direction I believe we have to go, now actually resting in the canal.
They laugh when I indicate that I might attempt to jump the gap on my bike, but the realisation has well and truly hit that we’re going to need to find another way.
Really not conducive to going any further.
As we turn to head back from whence we came, the younger one, who actually has very good English, asks us where we’re trying to get to.
I respond that we’re just going for a ride, to which she then laughs. She translates to the older one, who I suspect is her mother, and she too laughs.
I get it, and I’m certainly not offended, as the Vietnamese tend not to ‘just go’ for a ride or a walk, unless they have something they specifically need to do.
That might be because no sane person would voluntarily exert themselves in this heat, unless they really had to.
We head back to the main road, spend some time studying Google Maps, then continue on towards our lunch village. This time we turn right, and head along parts unknown.
Not convinced we’re going in the right direction, the map is rechecked.
The map confirms my suspicion.
Turn around, back into the village, lots of smiles and acknowledgements from passers by, including from two young girls on a bike, with their small dog, as they overtook me.
I’m sure the dog even smiled, or perhaps it was more a smirk, as they left me in their wake.
Turn off down to the canals, past a fairly rustic recycling place, and we continue on. It’s same, same, but different, and it’s just nice to be near water, and to be doing it in amongst a local community.
And to pretty much be the only ones doing it. Well, at least the only ones who look like us.
On we go, get a bit lost, and the map is once again consulted. The realisation then hits, that it’s all just becoming a little too difficult to actually reach our destination, and even if we did, I’m not convinced we’re going to really see or achieve much.
Well, except for what we’ve already seen and achieved, which once again, just confirms it’s often more about the journey, rather than the destination.
We begin heading back in the general direction of where we came from, but using different paths.
The construction area for the expressway extension is found, and once again, ponderings of how it’s all going to look, as well as how it’s going to impact, flood my brain.
Yep, progress, and all that, with it obviously being needed, and of course, once it’s done, things will go on and evolve around it.
But yeah, the disappearance of countryside. And people’s homes….
Back into the unchanged, and won’t be changed, part, and we find our recycling place again, without even actually looking for it.
Into our lunch village, and then onto the road that takes us back to Green Village. The heat is starting to impact, but fortuitously, we find a little local café over on the right.
Bikes parked, we head in, and the old lady who owns it is just a little surprised to see us.
But she then can’t do enough for us, fussing over all the minor details, to make us feel welcome.
Two cà phê sữa đá’s promptly arrive, and we sit and enjoy the shade and relative coolness, while watching her strange, but cute-ish, little dog, seek attention wherever, and whenever, it can.
Had quite the personality!
The coffees are far from the best we’ve had, with them being just a bit too sweet, but the old lady’s personality and friendliness made up for it, so it was far more about the whole location and interaction, than the drink itself.
Coffees done, and Mekong countryside price of 15 000 Dong each, is paid, and we bid farewell to our very kind and friendly lady.
Back out on the road, and into the heat, we make our way back to Green Village, around 11.30am.
A rest, recovery, and cooling down session, and an hour later, the decision is made to do something about lunch, as well as try and make the most of our rapidly disappearing time.
Back on the bikes, and then down the main road to yesterday’s spot. They seem to be setting up for some sort of function, with both the husband and wife serving up food on a number of plates spread out on tables.
We pull up out the front, now not terribly sure there’s going to be room, as well as feeling like we might be intruding a little. However the smiles we receive when they see us, indicate otherwise, and we’re immediately welcomed in and directed to a table.
A plate each of chicken with beans and rice, along with a bowl of soup, but minus offal today, quickly turns up. And after yesterday’s little challenge at making large pieces of chicken smaller, the chicken is already cut up.
That, is much appreciated, but probably more by me, knowing that I don’t have to witness the scattering of rice across the table again.
The food, like yesterday, is excellent, perhaps helped by not having to deal with offal, and we sit and watch as the small function gets underway, which appears to be a group of local Vietnamese on some sort of day trip.
Lunch done, the world watched, and we fix up the 50 000 Dong bill, giving both the husband and wife a much appreciated cảm ơn, for accommodating us.
Back on the bikes, and back towards Green Village, but turning off the other way once we reach the canals, for a final ride into our usual nearby village.
Not far from it, we come across some locals out the front of a house, who appear to be setting up for some kind of party.
But it’s not your traditional fabric or ribbons, or even lights, that are being put up, with the decoration of choice this time being plant foliage and material.
We stop and watch, as two groups of guys set about making decorative dragons, pretty much completely out of, well, plants.
It’s fascinating, and their attention to detail is incredible.
They seemed to enjoy having an audience, and with no English spoken, Google Translate was used to confirm my assumption that it was all for a wedding.
The photo doesn’t quite capture it, but they were certainly impressive looking!
Our ride continues and we soon reach our village. Off to the left, and down to our nước mía đá lady from yesterday, who has a huge smile on her face when she sees us pull up.
Two are promptly ordered, and as good as our drinks were yesterday, we ask, with a little finger pointing and hand waving, for slightly smaller versions.
No problem, and we quickly have our drinks. And just like yesterday, it’s good. As in really good. I’m not sure what she does with them, but it is quite possibly the best nước mía đá I have ever had.
And oh so cold.
World watched, and drinks done, I hand over 20 000 Dong. She immediately goes to hand me 5000 Dong in change, but I politely decline.
She tries again, but I’m not budging, as 10 000 Dong is more than fair, and really, it’s just as much effort to make today’s slightly smaller ones, as it was to make yesterday’s version.
Back on the bikes, and we head off to Green Village for the final time, which is always a rather sobering thought when that realisation hits.
Down the driveway, bikes dropped off, and then, even though I can’t really be bothered, we make use of our bathers, which have been carried around, untouched and unused, for the last four weeks.
In fact, they were carried around for a month the previous trip, and never once put on.
It’s funny; on the first couple of trips I always thought a pool, or access to a beach, would be a positive, or at least a bonus, should our accommodation have one. But now it’s something that I rarely think about, or ever really consider, to the point that it’s not since the third trip in 2017, that we’ve actually had a swim.
Not really sure why, and I certainly have no aversion to getting wet, but I guess that it’s just that we have other, and maybe better, things to do.
A quick swim had, before boredom sets in, and then we drip dry on the deck of our hut, prior to a short rest and recovery session.
Somewhat recovered, and seeing as beer o’clock has arrived, it’s back to the deck to do my thing, while writing a few notes, and watching the dogs play in the mud.
Getting close to dinner, so shower had, followed by a bit of packing up, in anticipation of tomorrow.
So much dread….
Up for dinner around 6.00pm, and tonight it’s fried fish, bok choy, rice, along with a chicken and pumpkin soup.
Not surprisingly, it’s all good, but once again, just a bit more than we are capable of finishing.
The guilt of leaving food never diminishes….
We chat with Thy, including about whether we should book the bus back to Saigon, or just show up at the bus station and arrange tickets then.
The answer is book now, so she kindly makes a phone call to Futa Buslines, with the end result being that we have seats, but probably more likely ‘beds’, on the 10.00am bus.
And to get there, a car is also arranged for 9.15am, which means the countdown has now well and truly begun.
Again, so much dread…..
Back to the room a bit after 8.00pm, for the usual on the bed.
Which, and it usually happens on ‘final’ nights, includes a fair amount of contemplation.
Fifth trip to Green Village almost complete, which means tomorrow, for now the fifth time, I will leave here really not wanting to leave.
As hard as that is, I guess the positive is that it is far better feeling that way, than feeling really happy that you’re leaving.
And, you can’t come back if you don’t leave.
Yep, it’s all about positive spins, to make you feel better, even though they don’t really make you feel better.
A couple more beers, more over thinking than I’d care to admit, and then the pin is pulled around 10.15pm.
7.45am alarm set; if past experience is anything to go by, there’s a fair chance it won’t be required.
Which may not be a bad thing, as I still haven’t got around to changing that awful alarm ring tone.
Cheers,
Scott
seriouslynot 