The second week

Day 9-15
Luckily our neighbor didn't want to demonstrate his karaoke skills any further. Or our host Mr. T. (actually Thuan) asked him to. A Polish couple also arrived with us. Paul and Katrina. Mr. T. took the four of us on a tour of his village. He showed us two temples, helped us identify various vegetables and fruits at the market and then helped me buy fruit. I bought 2 dragon fruits, 1 mango, 2 kakhi and another net anone/ox heart for just €2. The tour also ended at the market. Ivar and I went to a café. Afterwards we relaxed in the hammocks on the veranda. In the evening we went out for something to eat (and were invited - the story from the blog entry from October 19th).

The next day, October 17th, we went on a boat tour with the Polish couple and Mr. T. We drove leisurely along the Binh Chánh River to the market. We stopped there for breakfast and then continued on our way. I was also allowed to take the wheel and drive us across the big river! :) We stopped at a factory that makes bricks from the clay in the river. Then we drove into a small side arm. The river became smaller and more curvy. Countless palm trees lined the banks to the left and right. The next stop was a hut that made chocolate and sweets made from coconut milk. The coconut milk was thickened and stirred until it produced chewy but sweet candies. Or rather, seal puller. The candy stuck neatly to his teeth. So you had some of it for longer and had to use your fingers to peel the remains off the tooth. A "band" consisting of singers and a guitarist sang tragic love songs and the Vietnamese version of "Take Farewell Brothers"! The fun tour continued to a hut where straw mats were made. A mat was being made by two women when we arrived. I was also allowed to help with weaving once. However, I was more clumsy and the grass tore. Threading 3 long blades of grass (with the assistance of the good lady who started the work) probably took me 4 minutes. The woman took over again and managed 10 blades of grass in 4 minutes with her nimble, practiced hands! We got lunch and rode the canoe for about 15 minutes on an even smaller side arm. The tour was interesting, but also very geared towards tourists. The next day we relaxed and just went for a walk. In the evening we decided to stay here one more night with Mr. T. and his family.

On October 19th Ivar and I let Mr. T. show us his farm. He calls himself “lazy farmer” all the time and we slowly understand why. The family has been growing coconuts for generations. It takes 6 months for a coconut to produce a few leaves. Until the first coconuts hang on the palm tree, water can flow down the Mekong for 6 years! And when the nuts are ripe, they don't even harvest! The workers from the factory where the coconuts are processed harvest the coconuts! Nevertheless, Mr. T.'s father is busy all day. He's constantly hitting something, jumping into the irrigation ditches or climbing onto the roof. At 71 years old, he is very active!
On October 20th we continued to Vĩnh Long. Opposite the city, on the other side of the river is our Nam Thanh Homestay. Considering it is a homestay, we are surprised by the luxury: large room, private bathroom, air conditioning and 2 large beds!!! In short, we slept separately, far away from each other's body heat. In the evening we visited the night market in the city. However, there were only clothes there. At one place we ate Vietnamese pizza "Bánh tráng nướng": round rice paper topped with delicacies and delicious sauce! Since the pizza is only small, we ate two things that we didn't know. A corn dish and a salad made from cut rice paper with sauce and treats inside. The next day we took a tour to a small national park. His name is Khu Di Tích Xẻo Quýt. There are supposed to be Vietcong tunnels there. It was probably a base of a few Vietcong generals just a few kilometers from an American military base. The Americans probably knew that there were tunnels nearby, but not where. And the Viet Cong knew how to hide well! Unfortunately the paths were flooded. So we took a boat tour on the canal and walked around a bit. The paths were all overgrown with moss and slightly slippery. “Going for a walk” or “running around” is more of a European thing. In the evening we were back in the town of Vĩnh Long, had something to eat and shopped at the Co.op Mart supermarket. Shopping in the supermarket is also a thing: there were sales people everywhere! Almost in every gear! Completely overstimulated, we ate ice cream in front of the supermarket. Finally sugar again! Haha. Hoax. Sugar is added to everything here. EVERYTHING (okay, not in drinking water)! Every diabetic's nightmare!
Today, October 22nd. we put in a research day. We travel our way to the Cambodian border. For lunch we had a very good vegetarian pho (rice noodle soup) and Ivar got his hair cut. We rode around on our bikes and discovered our surroundings. Just great!
Another detour to food: in Vietnamese cuisine, a lot of meat is used! Very much! Sometimes there are only meat dishes on the menu. I often manage to eat at least one dish without meat. But today, for the first time ever, I managed to enjoy the entire day purely vegetarian! Yes!!! :)