i love boats and factories

Rather than taking a bus from Saigon, Vietnam, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we decided to go on a three-day tour through Vietnam's Mekong Delta that would take us, mostly by boat, into Cambodia. It was a good choce for me, as we were on at least seven different boats and visited three factories....two of my favorite things. :)

This picture is from a rice noodle factory where the noodles are made entirely by hand. I think it would be fun to try it out for a week or so...I am sure it must get tedious eventually.

We visited a big floating market, where the "big boats" show up with their produce (the long rod with vegetables tied to it is a kind of sign . . ."this is what we've got" sort of thing) and the "little boats" pull up alongside and purchase what they want, possibly for use, or possibly to be taken down smaller canals and re-sold.

This was the cheesy Disneyland-ish part of the tour. But we were on a boat with a couple from Japan, who live in a city near ours! We were only too happy to pratcice Japanese with them.

And another boat . . .

Our last night in Vietnam we spent the evening with a lady we met at the post office, and her family. It was really great to be in their home, talking about their lives, and even loking at their wedding pictures. The woman's father was a South Vietnamese soldier and it was really interesting to hear his perspective. Although he hasn't been able to work professionally since then, due to government restrictions, he is so happy for the peace and safety for his family.

On our way out of Vietnam we saw a wedding procession in a Muslim Cham minority village.



Riding up the Mekong River to Cambodia, we got to see lots of people living, working, and playing along the river's edge.