Woylie

This was said firmly by a young American backpacker as he fuelled up at a riverside stall beside us. He pushed the chopsticks away with an air of disdain. We were just relieved to have made it to a pleasant table after circling the flood waters in Can Tho streets. Our day started early to join a bus to the Delta so we were ready for a meal. The menu was inscrutable - pork smooth rotation, and opimelic- but a bit of pointing and the help of a middle aged Malaysian gentleman resulted in a good mix. His wife eventually dragged him away, saying he did like to talk, but we now know lots about the joys of Penang.

Our tour followed the well trodden path to My Tho in the Mekong delta, various sized boats right down to little sampans to reach and then navigate tiny channels on the islands, and then a lengthy extra bus trip to reach the central delta city of Can Tho for the night. Our hotel was a small building off the main street, but full of confidence we circled around the flood waters blocking our walk to the river. The problem came on the way back. Nothing looked the same, the water was still risng and despite several helpful locals, we couldn't find our street. In the end, we realised that the water was now completely covering the street, and the hotel was saving power and had turned off their sign. I took off my shoes to wade up the road and arrived dripping in the foyer.

Next morning our group hit the river early to visit the floating market, one of several, where buyers and sellers meet on the water each day. Our boat hooked up to a pineapple seller's boat for a while, and we ate half pineapples on their stems and bobbed in the current. Sellers advertise their stock by tying examples onto long poles.

The rivers are massive at the moment with flooding due to some heavy rain upstream. The water is very brown, and clumps of water hycainth have broken free to float down river. It rains most afternoons but is still warm. Fields and houses on the river edge were often under water.

We then had to wait to drive back 4 HOURS! to HCMC, certainly making us realise the engineering feats required to build and maintain roads in this area. We crossed the Australian-Vietnamese friendship bridge and another funded with Japanese help. Lovely suspension bridges over the huge river.

A long day but some amazing scenery, and an interesting crosssection of urban to rural life along the big road systems.

Our small guesthouse was full for our last night, so Vy had arranged for us to go to a cousin down the next alley. Great service, kept our bags, let us sit around til we needed to leave, and entertainment from the lads in the alley singing and playing cards. We stocked up on food for the overnight train to Hue and walked down to Pham Ngu Lao to take a taxi to the train station.

Had a great day cooking, eating and chatting at a cooking class based in an old opium refinery. Phuong met us at Ben Thanh market, took us through the markets, patiently answering our questions, and then guided us to make some dishes. Entertaining and interesting company - an Italian woman based for 8 years in Beijing, 2 other Australians and a couple who live in the Cook Islands! Made our way back past a bookshop to buy a recommended book of recipes, and to collapse in airconditioning for a couple of hours. Love to be able to bring back some bowls but all heavy ceramics or made of wood so not worth trying to queue for inspection.

We head off tomorrow early into the Mekong Delta by boat, looking a bit fearfully at the projected weather. Could be a wet time, but guaranteed not to be cold!

Lots of travellers tell us the Cu Chi tunnels are an awesome sight. Nothing will get me near one-way, narrow tunnels underground, even if they are widened so fatter westerners can experience them. The more appealing trip is up the river to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Might need more time on another trip. I do like a mighty river - perhaps because we see so few of them.

I'm reading my way through "Why the West rules the world - for now," where geography forms the basis for the author's big arguments. My Kindle is proving very handy!!

This city is amazing once rush hour starts. It's pretty challenging before that too. We sympathised with a woman left behind as her nerve broke at a crossing. Her husband anxiously waited until she did the merging thing and made it across to him. That was while we sank a beer and took in the rush hour sights. Best today was a passenger balancing 2 large panes of glass as his driver wove through the traffic.

Today's stand out experience was the Art Museum- not so much for the art as the building. A beautiful faded blue and yellow French colonial mansion with tiled floors, curving staircase and shutters opening onto a central courtyard. Breezes funneled along the galleries, the French architect had mingled Chinese and 1920 s design elements in an elegant but not pretentious way.

Last night, we wandered the Ben Thanh night market clad in ponchos as the rain began, and went on, and intensified. Made it back sodden from knees down, laughing at the sheer quantity of water falling straight down.

Enjoyed a pho breakfast at a local stall in the next alley, and lunched on tiny plastic seats on mmm well, there were pieces of ?pork, rice, cabbage, pickle, egg and a small bowl of a bitter vegetable in soup. This came with iced tea.

We've booked a two day trip into the Delta on Friday, so looking forward to rural sights instead of big city life.

Well, that's what the menu said. "Dried shrimp, leeks and botanical eggs." The shrimp, in a spicy sauce, were recognizable, the leeks were crunchy tiny shallot bulbs, and the eggs were steeped in something which turned the white into a dark clear firm jelly, with black creamy yolks. David tried burnt rice with dried and shredded shrimp, which was discs of crispy rice with fine green onions and shrimp.

We have been checking out local beers, and coffee styles. Lots of coffee beans in the markets- we talked last night with a Malaysian guy who works for an NGO, who told us that Vietnam is the 2nd biggest exporter of coffee after Brazil. We talked as the rain bucketed down on the awnings, the traffic slid past in a blur, and then we found our way back to Vy's Guesthouse to catch up with our sleep.

We are now in holiday mode, slow wandering, pleasant but persistent nos to sales people, and sitting to watch the world. Lots of chats with other travellers, like the young man from Adelaide in Vietnam for the first time to visit relatives. We were envious of his ability to speak Vietnamese, which seems a challenging language to master. Our room is in a tiny alley, off another tiny alley, in the backpackers district, so there are lots of different languages to hear. When we arrived, a lanky Brit was resting in the doorway and gave his thumbs up to our choice (well, my choice). It is surprisingly quiet for the activity outside and Vy is very helpful. She provided us with a card to call her if we were lost, but David's direction finding is kicking in. Others are obviously not so lucky.

The traffic is impressive, like Hanoi. 10 million people in the city, and 5 million motor bikes. We have seen riders texting, phoning and smoking as they weave around each other with polite little parps. We are remembering the art of slow inexorable progress across the road, but sometimes resort to hiding behind a local.

Now for the other important part of holiday mode - a little rest each afternoon, to gather strength for the night market.

As we ventured away from the local streets, we have found a couple of interesting places to try. So for two nights, we have eaten at a busy corner restaurant with a fabulous menu. I really just wanted to buy the menu! The various "meats" were shown by illustrations but after that you were on your own. enteric of chicken? flaccid beef strips? The first night, David was taken sternly to task by one of the young women, who took the bamboo paddles away from him and correctly stirred the earthenware pot of steamed rice, and then filled his bowl. He tried an eel chilli and citronella (lemongrass), my dish was cha ca, the local fried fish speciality and a plate of garlic and morning glory.

It was later than we have usually eaten because we saw the Water Puppet Show fisrt. This was unexpectedly good - very clever work and funny. The theatre empties in a rush onto the street where mighty coaches wait to transport tour groups to their hotel. We meandered past the crush on foot. The streets and verges were a little more open as some shops began to close. The lights glowed in the dusk, and families sat in open doorways.

I have just stopped to chat to an elderly man called in to talk in Russian to a traveller. He says he also speaks French and good English!

Today we passed the HoaLoa prison- the original Hanoi Hilton. I have read that the local Hilton was forced to choose an alternate name for obvious reasons. we were on our way to Hoa Sua which trains kids in skills which lead to hotel employment. Very pleasant courtyard and indooors areas, with charmingly eager young staff. We enjoyed a French oriented light lunch and coffee. Still not what we expect from an espresso. Very popular and some air kissing moments.

A large exhibition space, part of a French study complex, had a French photographer's work on hands of writers.
Lots of gallic posing going on!

I have been channelling Holly often as we pause at shoe shops and lace stalls and material corners. Lots of bling, shiny colours and outrageous violations of "name" brands.

Yesterday, we walked early to the big local market. What a buzz! The wholesalers obviously to many of smaller vendors. Huge bales of fabrics being strapped onto bikes, unbelievable loads wheeled away with a casual hand steadying the stack. The edge of the markets was all foods - I tried a tea, and yearned after the fruit, but not some of the dried fish on offer. Golden mounds of dried noodles, red sunflower seeds, and threatening pots of chilli pastes. Even pets were avalaible. The tiny green turtles were lovely.

Last full day tomorrow so we are paying our respects to uncle Ho.