Traditional Vietnamese Water Puppets date back to the 11th century, and were a pleasant way to spend a warm night in Saigon. Eight men controlled tons of puppets that popped up out of the water, splashed around, and shared mini stories of rice planting, catching the eye of a darling, and fishing tales. Musicians skilfully added dynamics to the stories, which helped us with our non-Vietnamese ears. The highlight of the show was the dragon scene at the end when real fireworks spurted out from the dragons mouth, almost setting the musicians alight!
Mekong Delta
Taking a day tour down to the Mekong Delta was super. A comfortable 2 hour bus trip was a great introduction to what we might be experiencing once we're on our motorbikes. Thatched rooves. Market stalls from gate to roadside. Step through motorbikes everywhere! In fact, our guide Mike said Saigon (which sounds much better than Ho Chi Minh City to me!) has 10 million peeps, and 6 million motorbikes. From what we saw en route it looks like those stats are similar throughout Vietnam!
Once we got onto the Mekong River, the air cooled a little and our view was 10% green on the banks, 45% poo brown river, and 45% concrete-grey skies. But, how absolutely fun to be on the Mekong! Cai be floating market was having a quiet day, but we saw tons of longboats, with tall poles on the front displaying the wares of that particular boat. Folks were selling bananas, others watermelons, and others sweet potatoes. Generations of people have depended on that river for their existence and community. It's so different from our norm.
We cruised the river to a few islands where we saw local products being made (rice paper, coconut candy, puffed rice/ricies). We nibbled as we went! Who would've thought that they puff the rice (and popcorn too apparently) by chucking a handful of rice into a very hot oversized wok of sand. The rice just puffs up, and they scoop it out onto a wire mesh to allow 'extras' to escape! Ricies may never seem the same again!
We enjoyed a 'Vietnamese kayak' up a contributory stream, which actually seemed like a lesson in trust more than the kayaking we're used to! Our craft indulged us with about 8cm of clearance above the water. Mostly we just tried to sit oh so very still. No twiddling for Bry, and no wiggling for Blandy. For half an hour! Thankfully we'd packed our dry sack, so quick smart our cameras, passports and gadgets were tucked away. Towards the end, the skies opened up and we were doubly glad for that dry sack! Lunch followed, and as the 'rice bowl of Vietnam' (the Mekong Delta) absoLUTELY bucketed down, we happily sat, all smiles and dry under a local's thatched roof. It's actually rained tons today, mostly at the right times, thankfully for our electronic gadgets. (We'll pack raincoats every day from now on!)
We're not usually into taking photos of our meals, but this is the first actual meal we've been brave enough to try here! Everything seems laced with fish, pork, shrimp, or other 'faced' items. Popping to the local fruit market, and veggie market was ... umm, neat. (I just asked Bry for her descriptor for the market, and 'neat' was her best adjective, as we sit in this massive traffic jam on the way home. Already four ambulances have 'ambulated' past ... All very hindered by the jam of vehicles.)
Our little feast on the way home might be a few of these rambutan we picked up from our little friend in the New Zealand type of sky-blue shirt. She had a delightful smile as I showed her the image above, and then a nervous laugh, as if she'd never seen herself in a photo before. Ah oh ...Bry just said there's spiders growing inside those rambutan, so she shan't be munching any down!
Just passed the accident, two tourist vans had a nose to tail, one went through the concrete median strip, no bodies or red stuff. Yay!
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