We have found Vietnam to be quite different depending upon where you happen to be in the country. Last year we started in the middle of the country in Da Nang. In that area, nearby the Central Highlands, there were still many relics of the war and the economy seemed to be centered on tourism and agriculture. This year we began in the north and found a totally different outlook among the people and in what saw and we experienced.
Cai Be is an area visited frequently by tourists due to its location with respect to Saigon. The population is nominally about 5000-7000, many of whom work on the river either as farmers or tour boat operators/guides. We were fortunate to have had several mini-vans from the ship, but each van only took six passengers, a driver, and a guide. Thus, a semi-private tour.
Our first impression upon seeing the longboat and realizing that we were committed for the next few hours was a feeling of “what have got myself into?” Our boat “captain” was a very pleasant young lady, who spoke not a word of English, but who spoke excellent “River.”
She handled that longboat as if it had grown up around her. Several times we thought that an errant branch or clod of floating debris would hamper us, but she very skillfully maneuvered around everything – including larger boats wakes… Our only real problem was that the chair seats in the boat were designed for Vietnamese bottoms, not western bottoms, and after a while we longed to just stand up.
We left the dock and motored up the Can Be branch of the delta to a small canal. The canal was almost hidden from view until we were on top of it. Several of us thought she was deliberately steering for the river back – then “open sesame!” As we wended our way along the canal, we were able to observe the locals at their daily chores. Interestingly, most homes had electricity and running water – sort of. For many, it was only cold water that had to be had-pumped and heated on a wood or other fossil-fuel stove.
We stopped about halfway through the ride to visit a local crafts market and local candy/snack-making “factory.” We were treated to Vietnamese rice popcorn handmade over a kiln-like apparatus that has to be from the middle ages. We also saw the process of making coconut candy from the raw coconut and the pressed juice that is boiled and flavored. Finally, we were treated to a lesson in making rice crepes. After the cooking demonstrations we had a few minutes to wander the local handicraft shop for our obligatory magnets, etc..
One stop on the culinary trip was so interesting that I want to give it more detail. We were shown how the locals boil up rice to make a high-alcohol juice that resembles sake or vodka, but with a much higher alcohol content. They then add a “secret ingredient” and let it ferment for about a year before it is pronounced drinkable. This concoction is only for local men and male tourists, but women tourists were also allowed to sample it. Not many women chose to do so after the secret ingredient was revealed to be snake. Not snake meat or snake skin, but whole live snakes. They are put in to brew while still alive and then left to …well, you know.
Yes, yours truly had to try it. Surprisingly, it tasted a little like Italian Grappa… After I had my two sips, I did indeed feel much more virile and manly – or perhaps it was just the exceptional alcohol content…
After our adventure in exotic cuisine we stopped for a snack at one of the local landmarks: a house built in 1838 and in continuous ownership and use by the same family since that time – until the end of the war when it came into government ownership. To their credit, the government officials kept it as it was and is has made a list of Vietnamese heritage sites.
Most everything takes place in the canal or on the river, similar to what we had seen in the Amazon several years ago: playing, moving from one place to another, bathing, etc. It is the etc. that gave us pause later on when we stopped for a local snack.
We had a go at clean happy rooms (remember that expression from our guide in Hanoi?) and the aforementioned snack before re-loading the longboat for the trip back to Cai Be village. Bonnie and I saw how the dishes and silverware were being washed, so she opted for just a beer and I had a beer and a couple of finger-food spring rolls that had been cooked.
After another long, long mini-van ride back to Saigon we re-boarded the Silver Whisper, had a sandwich and Champagne in the suite and crashed for another day.
The next morning we were up and out early for a panoramic tour of Saigon. Last year when we were here, we used Da Nang as the jumping off point for our side trip to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We then returned to Saigon to rejoin the ship, but we only had a short day, so we went to the big market and did some shopping. This time we still only have a short day the second day, but we opted to spend it on this guided trip – mistake!
We were on a regular tour bus with 23 other people, some of whom, it was determined very quickly, had no concept of “5 minutes” or 10 minutes” or “please be on time.” We also found that our guide’s English was very good if you could listen and concentrate on what he was saying. The downside was that almost everywhere we went there were other tour groups, hard surfaces in enclosed spaces (read: “echoes”). We know that the ship has the “Whispervox” mini-earpiece units because they used them in other ports. Why they did not send them out here is beyond us. After only a few minutes of trying to listen to our guide and block out the other noises and guides, a number of us gave up and just wandered the National Museum, the Market, and the Chinese Temple. Therefore, I have not much to report on, but I did get a few interesting pictures.
It was not only a lot of fun turning the tables on the staff, but it was a great way to show our appreciation for the hard work they do daily to keep us happy, well-fed, and with spotlessly clean rooms and public spaces. The officers and crew were also quite appreciative of the fact that paying passengers would take the time to serve them – even if only for one meal. We can’t wait to to is again on another cruise.
We were shown to the officers’ mess where the ship’s executive chef had laid out an extravagant spread of food not normally available to the crew: shrimp, chicken in various sauces, salads, pastries, cheeses, chef-made pastas, and the crown jewel: roast suckling pig. Yours truly did the honors carving the pig. Miss Bonnie was the shrimp, calamari, and vegetable mistress.
Nothin's says lovin' like a baby pig's head...
The mistress of the shrimp and calamari.
Can't cut a pig with a dull knife.
Tomorrow is a sea day followed by two days in Bangkok, Thailand. We have no tours or other events planned, so we will try Bangkok on our own. Stay tuned…
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