Semester At Sea: Vietnam! #2 Mekong Delta and …..port diversions…
So, no Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and no India. Needless to say everyone on board, including the captain is really on an emotional and logistical roller coaster.
Concern about contagion with Coronavirus has created craziness on the seas.
Although we were ahead of it by avoiding China and spending 2 weeks in Vietnam, the concern is that if we go to Malaysia and India or anywhere in the area, someone will contract it in THAT country, and then our ability to be accepted in future ports because we were in THAT country will be effected. As a result, we are headed to the safest places that have open docking berths….Seychelles has been added (French teacher Sally rejoices here!) and our stay has been extended in Mauritius and Capetown. Remain flexible, go with the flow of the universe and pursue the obstacle, embrace the challenge, and be open to opportunity.
Mekong Delta
Rushing brown water as we motored through the rivers
Stiller green water as we were rowed through canals
Water hyacinths are gathered and secured at the shores, safeguarding against erosion, and attracting the tons of plastic debris.
Net fishermen, pole fishermen, trap fishermen.
Dredging the bottom of the delta for clay and sand to use in pottery and cement, changing the contours of the bottom, the current and habitats for the fish.
Family run businesses line the tow path:
Coconut candy, Vietnamese rice krispy squares, rice spring roll wrappers, rice liqueur, tofu – all made by hand in giant woks over rice husk fires.
Mushrooms grown in greenhouse bags, while mulberries, Vietnamese cilantro, mint and morning glories grow in 3-foot wide rows separated by irrigation ditch. Everything planted, watered, picked by hand and transported by scooter to the river for delivery to the wholesale floating market.
Planters, bricks and Easter Island statues made by hand and fired in a kiln the size of a small garage bay, heated by rice husk fires.
Pottery products “Made in Vietnam” exported to Easter Island to sell as souvenirs.
Bike rides on one-speed, rickety bicycles on canal towpaths, sharing the one lane path/road with scooters and pedestrians.
Children playing ball, soccer, trucks beside their working parents (school being out for 2 weeks to prevent the spread of Coronavirus).
Yards of homes filled with fruit trees, drying rice and chickens.
Homes of the poor, the farmers and the rich all a variation on the theme: open, multi-purpose living area, outdoor kitchen and toilet and bathing area.
Conversations with entrepreneurs, children, guides and students all of whom express how important education is, how family members care for their elders, who live in the same home (if there is a top floor, their room is on top, as they are revered above the younger generations).
Red Communist party flags with yellow hammer and sickle and red Vietnam flags with yellow stars adorning government buildings and streets to celebrate 90 years of Communist Party (February 3, 1930)
Floating market where the seller attaches a piece of what is being sold to a pole on his boat and
coffee shop is a small boat that comes to you.
Can Tho – a vibrant small city of 1.6 million, filled with the optimism and excitement of the youth who live there and attend the region’s university
Next stop, Mauritius.
So, no Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and no India. Needless to say everyone on board, including the captain is really on an emotional and logistical roller coaster.
Concern about contagion with Coronavirus has created craziness on the seas.
Although we were ahead of it by avoiding China and spending 2 weeks in Vietnam, the concern is that if we go to Malaysia and India or anywhere in the area, someone will contract it in THAT country, and then our ability to be accepted in future ports because we were in THAT country will be effected. As a result, we are headed to the safest places that have open docking berths….Seychelles has been added (French teacher Sally rejoices here!) and our stay has been extended in Mauritius and Capetown. Remain flexible, go with the flow of the universe and pursue the obstacle, embrace the challenge, and be open to opportunity.
Mekong Delta
Rushing brown water as we motored through the rivers
Stiller green water as we were rowed through canals
Water hyacinths are gathered and secured at the shores, safeguarding against erosion, and attracting the tons of plastic debris.
Net fishermen, pole fishermen, trap fishermen.
Dredging the bottom of the delta for clay and sand to use in pottery and cement, changing the contours of the bottom, the current and habitats for the fish.
Family run businesses line the tow path:
Coconut candy, Vietnamese rice krispy squares, rice spring roll wrappers, rice liqueur, tofu – all made by hand in giant woks over rice husk fires.
Mushrooms grown in greenhouse bags, while mulberries, Vietnamese cilantro, mint and morning glories grow in 3-foot wide rows separated by irrigation ditch. Everything planted, watered, picked by hand and transported by scooter to the river for delivery to the wholesale floating market.
Planters, bricks and Easter Island statues made by hand and fired in a kiln the size of a small garage bay, heated by rice husk fires.
Pottery products “Made in Vietnam” exported to Easter Island to sell as souvenirs.
Bike rides on one-speed, rickety bicycles on canal towpaths, sharing the one lane path/road with scooters and pedestrians.
Children playing ball, soccer, trucks beside their working parents (school being out for 2 weeks to prevent the spread of Coronavirus).
Yards of homes filled with fruit trees, drying rice and chickens.
Homes of the poor, the farmers and the rich all a variation on the theme: open, multi-purpose living area, outdoor kitchen and toilet and bathing area.
Conversations with entrepreneurs, children, guides and students all of whom express how important education is, how family members care for their elders, who live in the same home (if there is a top floor, their room is on top, as they are revered above the younger generations).
Red Communist party flags with yellow hammer and sickle and red Vietnam flags with yellow stars adorning government buildings and streets to celebrate 90 years of Communist Party (February 3, 1930)
Floating market where the seller attaches a piece of what is being sold to a pole on his boat and
coffee shop is a small boat that comes to you.
Can Tho – a vibrant small city of 1.6 million, filled with the optimism and excitement of the youth who live there and attend the region’s university
Next stop, Mauritius.