Wednesday 25 September – Thursday 26 September – Can Tho (Green Village)
Wednesday 25 September
Awake at 6.00am.
See, go to bed early……
But I ain’t doing it yet, and next thing I know, that annoying alarm tune wakes me at 6.45am.
Up for breakfast of fried eggs on toast, as well as a cà phê sữa đá.
The details of our mangrove forest trip come to light, and we’ll be escorted by Tran, who we met last year, Nhi, which is pronounced ‘Nee’, who we’ve not met, as well as Giang, who is Cammy’s (used to work at Green Village) uncle, who will be doing the driving.
Our breakfast view.
Back to the room to get ready, and then some introductions, and reintroductions, before setting off just after 7.30am.
Out onto the main roads, and it’s not long before the combination of being pretty clueless on the geography of the roads around here, as well as ending up in a pretty engrossing conversation on the topic of Vietnam with Nhi, results in me having absolutely no idea where we are.
Interestingly, Nhi is the one with the most questions, and I think she’s having some difficulty in understanding why we keep returning to Vietnam.
The conversation, and the questions, continue, while the countryside whizzes by.
Past a large power plant, along with the everyday Mekong sights of rural Vietnam, small country towns, and ridiculous amounts of fruits and vegetables, both being grown, as well as sold, on the side of the road.
But then she stumps me, with the simple question of what is our favourite place in Vietnam?
Ten years ago, after trip one, it was Hanoi. And that, partly because it was probably easier not to think too deeply on the subject, was kind of how it remained.
But, over the years, I’ve come to realise I don’t like having favourites, and instead try and appreciate each place for what it offers.
Yes, there are places I wouldn’t return to – yes, you Phong Nha; but it doesn’t mean I hate them.
I end up giving her a wishy washy ‘sit on the fence’ type answer, and then reverse the tables by asking her the question of, “Why is it that Mekong people are so friendly, and so giving?”
She laughs, but then struggles to come up with an answer.
We then spend the next 15 minutes on that question alone, eventually coming up with, essentially, the same beliefs.
While there may be lots of reasons, genetics one; we think it has something to do with what happens down here in this part of the world.
Food. Or more to the point, the growing of food. There is such an abundance of it, thanks to the climate, that it’s perhaps bred a give and share mentality, to help spread the huge variety available around to as many people as possible.
But really, I have no idea, and in the end, it doesn’t really matter.
Mekong people are just lovely people.
With the possible exception of one Grab driver; although he was very friendly; and one old lady who sells beer……
About an hour after we left, we reach the mangrove forest, otherwise known as Lung Ngoc Hoang.
We leave Giang with the car, and after a short walk with Tran and Nhi, reach the boats.
Bright orange life vests, making me look more tourist than I’d like, are donned, and we head out.
Down the waterway, and the first thing you notice is the greenness.
The greenness beside you, of the water lily / weed that’s floating on the surface, and the greenness of the foliage of the trees around, and above, you.
It’s all so lush, and while it’s essentially one colour, it’s beautiful.
We travel for a bit, ducking under the occasional bamboo monkey bridge; no, not built for monkeys; and then turn off into an even more overgrown area.
The boat’s motor, which is far from loud, is switched off, and maintaining momentum becomes a manual job. But not by us.
Apart from the beauty of the flora, the area is also known for its bird life.
We see, and can hear, quite a few, and are even told the variety, but like remembering the names of various Vietnamese noodle soup dishes; aren’t they all phở?; it’s all completely wasted on me, with it all being forgotten within seconds of me being told.
Nonetheless, I did become quite the enthusiastic bird watcher, for a few minutes, while enjoying the incredibly peaceful, and sometimes a little eerie, surrounds.
Yes, it’s a bird. Unfortunately, that’s all I have.
Back out onto the main part and we motor on to a bit of an open area, with a concrete viewing tower.
Off our boat, and because it’s there, we climb the stairs.
It comes as absolutely no surprise at all, to find the stairs very much Vietnamese stairs, and I know instantly, that ascending will be far quicker, and feel far safer, than descending.
We get to the top, and yep, it’s worth the climb.
Looking over the treetops of the reserve, and then also over the next door flooded rice fields.
Selfies to commemorate the occasion, and then it’s back down the stairs, carefully, and off to have a closer look at those flooded, but now harvested, rice fields.
With Tran and Nhi.
Fishing the harvested rice fields.
Bit more chatting, and then back on our boat to where we started some two hours earlier.
On our way back to the patiently waiting Giang, we come across two local guys. One seems to be in charge of photography, while the other seems to be only interested in being the photographic subject, and taking great interest in each photo that is taken.
Maybe it’s a new Facebook profile pic?
Or maybe it’s for Tinder?
As we approach, he’s taking a close look at the last one. I walk over, and take a look as well.
He’s initially a little surprised when he sees me, but that changes to one of excitement, when I approve of his photo by giving him a thumbs up.
He then insists his mate takes another photo, but this time with me.
Back to the car, and Nhi suggests we visit a nearby pagoda on the way home.
With me and pagodas having a slightly strained relationship, I respond that we could do that, but that we could also perhaps instead, find a little local café / drink place where we can sit and just watch the world go by.
To sweeten the deal, I even offer to pay.
Pagoda idea put where I hoped it would be put, and café idea settled upon, we begin the drive back.
Into a small town, and Giang does the job, finding what I covet, and we’re soon seated in a small local café on the side of the road.
And you know it’s very local, when a cà phê sữa đá is only 16 000 Dong, and no other drink on the menu is more than 25 000 Dong.
The woman running it is very pleased to see us, and can’t do enough to help, and our drinks quickly arrive.
Lots of chatting, an attempt at a Vietnamese lesson which will likely go the way of the bird lesson, and just generally watching Mekong life go by.
Ducks in bags hanging off the side of a motorbike, a pillion passenger balancing four bowls of phở, or some kind of noodle soup, on a plate, while his mate looks after the driving side of things.
I love it, and I doubt I’d be feeling this way if we were walking around a pagoda.
The time comes to make a move, but, and not for the first time, my hopes of paying the bill are dashed, as Giang has discreetly done the deal.
The Vietnamese are indeed a stealthy race…..
Back in the car, Lisa of course falls asleep, and we’re back to Green Village just before 12.30pm.
It was a fun morning, and it must have been good, as it went really quickly. The scenery of the reserve, the birds, and just the general countryside of the Mekong, made even better by doing it all with some incredibly friendly people.
Back to the room, and while I could really do with a lie down, being in that lunch window means we really should be doing something about that.
A quick sorting of things, with looking ahead to see where we’ll be, and what we’ll need, for our final week in Vietnam.
Yep, the end, unfortunately, is in sight, with the next Wednesday we see, being the one we will fly out of Saigon.
Frightening…..
And damn my propensity to count and look too far forward.
Our money situation is perused, and a rather concerning discovery made, with that discovery being that we have $200 less than what I know we had.
We’ve only exchanged once, which was just the other day, when we changed $500 while still in Hanoi.
And now we’re minus two $100 notes, from what should be remaining of our money.
My mind races, trying to think back to the last time I actually checked, and counted out, the money, while also thinking of the possible times when it might, or could, have been taken.
Or maybe I just misplaced it?
Somehow managed to drop it, while moving it from pocket to bag, or bag to pocket?
But that is highly unlikely, to the point that with the way it’s packed, it’s just not possible, as I would have lost the lot, rather than just a couple of notes.
No, the fact is, we’ve been robbed.
But I just don’t know by who, where, or when.
I’m shattered. And hurt.
It’s not so much the money, although it’s hardly an insignificant amount, it’s more the violation. It’s not like we’ve had it just laying around in the open, with it either being kept in a room safe, in my pocket, or hidden away in my bag.
Yep, annoyed, angry, and hurt. But also sad.
Back outside, bikes grabbed, and we head off towards our lunch village from yesterday.
As good as the bánh mì was yesterday, Lisa wants something different, so we settle on the place over the road that we went to last year.
Cơm tấm (broken rice) with barbequed pork, sliced cucumber and tomato, along with a small bowl of soup, and it’s all really good.
But it’s being somewhat impacted by our discovery, and my head is full of doubts, questions, and big trust issues.
I hate that one person’s actions can make me question so much.
Bill of 70 000 Dong fixed up, and we make our way over the road to yesterday’s place.
Our lady is happy to see us, and she sets about organising our requested cam ép (orange juice).
It quickly arrives, and it’s beautiful, and just so refreshing.
We sit and savour, and our lady, who is lovely, fusses over us, clearly wanting to engage in a conversation.
Unfortunately, even with Google Translate, it doesn’t go far, and not for the first time, I’m frustrated at my inability to learn the language.
Orange juice done (30 000 Dong each), and we make our way back to Green Village for a rest and recovery session, which only results in laying there.
A big thunderstorm rolls in, and while it’s impressive, it doesn’t last long.
We head up to the communal area and chat with Thy and Oanh for a bit, before Lisa returns to the room to do art stuff, and I grab a bike to do beer stuff.
Onto the bike, and then down the ‘main road’ in light drizzle, pulling up at my place from yesterday.
I get the same nervous reaction.
Seat taken, beer arrives, and the world once again watched, but I’m still struggling.
I need to let it go, but I’m finding that difficult at the moment.
A guy goes past on a bike, pulling a trailer behind him, but doesn’t get far, as he and his bike become separated.
Neighbours race out, helping him to his feet, and he’s taken into a nearby house, with blood running down at least one leg.
While it’s not good, it could have been far worse, and he reappears a few minutes later, all bandaged up.
A second beer is had, and with it just not really happening, partly me, partly their awkwardness around me, I get up to pay the bill.
I hand the woman 20 000 Dong, which was what it was yesterday, and she intimates she wants more.
A second 20 000 Dong note is handed over, thinking that perhaps it was supposed to be 20 000 Dong each, yesterday, and she hands me 10 000 Dong in change.
I don’t get it, and once again, it frustrates me.
Back on the bike, and back to Green Village.
Even in the rain, it still looks beautiful.
Tran stops me as I walk past the communal area, and asks about my beer place.
Yes, someone saw me there, and it appears I’ve become the topic of conversation.
It’s funny, and nice to be noticed, but knowing I won’t be seen there again tomorrow, I ask if there’s any other beer options nearby.
No one can think of any, so it seems that Green Village balcony beers will be tomorrow’s thing.
I’m more than okay with that.
Back to the room, a little early practice with that balcony thing to finish off the last of the day’s light, followed by a much needed shower.
Up to dinner, and tonight it’s chicken and vegetable hotpot, along with marinated pork and rice, and then dessert of jackfruit and banana.
We’ve not had a bad meal over all the years at Green Village, and tonight is no exception.
The other guests finish up early, and we’re left to chat with Thy, which is always nice.
Back to the room around 9.30pm, for the usual of Tripadvisor and notes on the bed.
A great morning of seeing something we hadn’t before, but more importantly, having a lot of fun doing it with some incredibly friendly people.
But then the ‘discovery’, which, and not for the first time this trip, was just another thing that makes me stop and question whether this whole trip was a good idea.
The rollercoaster continues…..
But, I need to look forward, and need to make the most of our last full day tomorrow.
Plan is a bike ride. Hopefully to places unknown.
I fully expect to get lost.
Which is good.
Bed by 11.30pm.
Thursday 26 September
A slow and lethargic start, getting up just before 9.00am, and then down to breakfast by 9.30am.
Fried eggs again, Lisa has an omelette, while the cà phê sữa đá is replaced with chanh dây (passionfruit juice).
Chat with a girl from Belgium, and then back to the room to get ready.
Finally sorted, bikes reclaimed, and then on our way to wherever, just before 11.00am.
Out the driveway, turn left, and then past our turn off to our village.
We’ve been here before, but we soon reach our goal of seeing an area that we’ve not.
We continue on, and it’s the usual sights, which range from interesting to mundane, but never boring.
Friendly smiles, the occasional ‘hello’, and then an area where the canal is completely chocked by river weed, to the point it looks like you could almost walk across it.
But a large, and very well used, excavator on a barge, trapped in the middle of it all, confirms you can’t.
Kind of not going in the direction we want, we cross the canal, and head back up the way we came. The path, which had been good, soon turns to no good at all, with it having been ripped up.
We push on, and it gets worse, to the point that it’s unrideable. Returning from where just came from is considered, but we’ve come too far.
Our bikes continue to be walked, and while it’s not a lot of fun for us, I feel more for the locals who have to live with it.
A stretch of the ‘path’ that actually wasn’t too bad!
We reach a bridge over the canal, and making the assumption that stuff is always better on the other side, we take a chance and head across.
Back on a still made path, and that heat has now become a very big thing.
Fortunately, just down from our bridge, we find a drinks place, with a small group, of mainly women, sitting around chatting.
Decision is made, almost instantly, and as we approach, a couple of chairs and a table are quickly arranged for us, no doubt after noticing the colour of our faces, as well as our sweat soaked t-shirts.
The choices are all bottled stuff, but it doesn’t matter, as it just needs to be liquid.
Lisa ends up with some sort of energy drink, while the label on mine mentions aloe vera and bird’s nest, which just makes me think of moisturiser and bird spit.
Poured into a couple of large glasses filled with ice, and a little surprisingly, it’s actually pretty good.
Although, to be fair, right now, anything cold and wet was always going to be much enjoyed.
We sit and relax, sweat still running down our backs, and have a bit of a conversation, using Google Translate, with our incredibly friendly hosts.
They couldn’t do enough for us, fussing around and trying to make sure we were comfortable, perhaps while also questioning why we’re silly enough to be riding around in this heat in the first place.
Feeling a little more human, we make a move, fixing up the bill of 24 000 Dong, with one of our ladies even wanting to make sure we received our 1000 Dong change.
Heartfelt cảm ơn’s given, not just for the drink, but for the kindness shown and the opportunity to engage, and we head off to continue our ride to wherever, happier, and more content, with the world than I was yesterday afternoon.
A little faith has been restored.
With a plan ‘B’ having been devised, after finding ourselves not where plan ‘A’ originally was going to take us, we head over the next canal crossing, and turn left.
Very local area, and a little more built up, but hardly crowded, the acknowledgements and ‘hellos’ we receive are almost constant.
We even get a high five from a young boy riding towards us, with that, as well as the smile on his face, just adding to our much improved day.
Life in the Mekong.
More riding, but a concern begins to creep in that I’m not finding what I expected to find, after checking out the map earlier.
Google is once again consulted, and yep, we’re going the wrong way.
Turning left, instead of right, after crossing the canal will do that.
And I can blame no one else but myself.
Continuing on, according to what the map is telling me, seems problematic, but we’re now a long way from where the mistake was made.
Contemplation ensues, and the decision is made that Google Maps is perhaps wrong, and that it will be possible to get back to Green Village by continuing the way we are going.
We move on, possibly, but maybe more probably, making our second error of the day.
The ride continues, more checking of maps, and we eventually reach the highway. But below it.
It kind of looks familiar, but I’m not really sure, and anyway, even if it is, it doesn’t matter, as I don’t know exactly where we are.
We turn right, following the highway, and then find a woman doing cơm tấm on the side of a bit of a service road.
While there’s some nervousness, she organises a table for us, and we quickly have cơm tấm with chicken.
It’s really good, but the timing probably better, as a second rest stop was much needed.
Lunch done, and I go to pay, but voicing the answer to my question is a bridge too far.
Never fear, another local customer steps in to help, translating that the bill is 60 000 Dong.
While he doesn’t have a lot of English, he has enough, and we have a brief conversation with our helpful saviour.
He was a nice guy, and I suspect he enjoyed being able to practice a little English.
A big cảm ơn to both our translator and our cơm tấm woman, and we move on for the final push ‘home’.
Parallel with the highway for a bit, contemplating, with absolutely no excitement or desire, at having to do the actual highway, seeing as Google Maps is telling me there’s no other way to cross the next canal we reach.
We veer off to the right, crossing a canal that I can’t see on the map, or maybe it was just the bridge that wasn’t on the map.
I don’t know, it’s all becoming a bit confusing.
But it’s fun, and it does at least feel like we’re heading in the right direction.
We eventually reach an area that now does correlate with what my phone is telling me, and it’s a residential and small business area, laid out in a grid pattern. It kind of stands out, as it looks different to everything else we see down this way.
We ride on through, and then get to another grid patterned estate. It’s mostly unbuilt on land, save for a scattering of three and four storey residential buildings, with the vast majority looking empty.
It’s a bit sad looking, and it makes you think about who will eventually live there, and how it will all look once it’s full.
It’s hard to imagine what it will evolve into.
We make our way through, and then we’re back to the canals, with the belief that I know where we are.
Two years ago we sat here, sipping a cà phê sữa đá, while looking out over a rather boring and desolate area.
Don’t get me wrong, it was much enjoyed, but there was just nothing to look at.
We disappear off down by a canal, along a familiar looking path, and straight away, it’s nice to be back in amongst, what I consider, quintessential Mekong. The friendly smiles and hellos, once again become a thing.
One more consultation of Google Maps, just to check where our required canal crossing is, and then we’re soon back at the far end of our little village.
Through the very quiet market, and then eventually back to Green Village around 2.00pm.
Hot, sweaty, a little tired; 21 kms apparently; but also very pleased with our lot. It was fun, helped, as it usually is, by getting lost.
Rest and recovery session had, and then out on the bike on my own for one final ride of the area, around 3.30pm.
Onto the main road, and down to our lunch village, keeping an eye out for any possible beer places that may be hiding in plain sight.
Past the school, with school pick up clearly imminent, and then beyond, over a couple more bridges.
It’s a road I know reasonably well, as when we come this way, it signals that we’re not far from Green Village.
It’s an interesting enough road, but doesn’t really have anything of interest for me, so with balcony beers calling, a U-turn is made.
Back over the bridges, and past the school. Pick up time is well underway, and there are bikes, parents and kids everywhere.
It always fascinates me.
Back towards Green Village, and I’m notified that all is not great in the stomach area. Again…..
I push on, and make a slight detour to the local convenience store, for a few 12 000 Dong beers.
The young kid is lovely, trying really hard to use his English, which is great, but I’m trying really hard to use my Vietnamese.
In the end, I let him ‘win’, as he has a far better future in becoming bilingual than me.
Back on the bike, and back to Green Village for the final time; but only for this trip; stopping for the obligatory sign photo at the top of the driveway.
Bike parked, and down to the room, with those stomach pains, while not completely awful, necessitating a toilet visit.
It’s not great, so two gastro tablets are taken.
Beers and notes on the balcony, while watching the dark clouds of a storm roll in, which then disappoints when it delivers nothing.
Coffee, the dog, pays us a visit, and then lays at Lisa’s feet.
It’s like she knows we’re leaving tomorrow.
Shower, and then with a much happier feeling stomach, it’s up for dinner of bánh xèo, around 7.00pm.
It’s good, as always, and we sit and just take in our last few hours at Green Village.
We chat with Tran for a bit, and she brings up our preference for the coffee stop yesterday, as opposed to a pagoda visit.
I think it’s something that she’s struggling to understand, and then says she doesn’t think we’re like normal tourists, but instead, more ‘travellers’.
I like that, and I like that our little ‘socialising moment’ yesterday, has had her thinking.
We discuss the bus options for tomorrow, and a decision is made on the 10.00am Futa bus to Saigon.
Tran suggests we leave in a Grab at 9.00am, but I counter with 9.15am, being of the belief that an extra 15 minutes here, is far better than an extra 15 minutes at the bus station.
Tran doesn’t argue.
We chat some more, and then she brings up the subject of my beer place.
At some point since my visit, Tran had come across my beer lady, who actually brought up the pricing issue we had.
The woman was of the belief that I’d only had one beer, which they normally sell for 20 000 Dong. Apparently, her husband then got it wrong, by only asking for 20 000, when it should in fact have been 40 000 Dong.
I have no problem at all with a misunderstanding, but I then explain to Tran what happened the next day, with the woman charging me 15 000 Dong per beer.
Tran is surprised, and more than a little confused, now that she’s heard the other side of the story.
Again, all just part of the journey…..
Tran’s shift comes to an end, and thinking, or more hoping, that we have tomorrow for the goodbye, she then informs us she won’t be here tomorrow.
It can’t be put off, so it’s done, but of course, more as a ‘see you later’.
She really is a lovely girl, and while her English is excellent, she just lacks a little confidence in using it.
But she’ll get there.
Back to the room around 8.30pm. Some packing up, a few notes, a little Tripadvisor, and some WhatsApp-ing with someone in Saigon.
I’ve ‘met’ her through Tripadvisor, but never met in person.
Hopefully, we get to rectify that in the next few days.
Second last component of the Vietnam part all but done, and the end is now well and truly in sight.
I hate that.
Cheers,
Scott
seriouslynot 