We left our homestay around 9:00 AM after a short walk and giving our best to the host family. Once back out on the road the air felt good as it was starting to get hot. We traveled on mostly blacktop roads but ended up on an interstate highway for a bit. Due to a mudslide the shortcut to our destination was closed so we had to take the long way around. This trip ended up being around 120 miles.
We stopped for lunch and had a nice chat about my guides childhood. He told me they were very poor and his Mother would add corn (not sweet corn) into the stir fry so that they would get full. They also had a small wood carved fish that they would dip into sauce and then suck the sauce off pretending to be eating the fish. The Vietnamese have come a long way!
Mid afternoon we stopped for a Tiger beer break. My guide informed me we should push harder as he wanted to make sure we made it in time to take a boat ride on a lake before dusk.
As we traveled the road become rougher and more narrow turning into dirt and even mud in places. It was as if we were off roading. As we past through the villages the small children would yell “hello”. They are so cute and innocent. My guide was wearing a gopro camera on his helment and we were on motorcross type bikes – not the standard scooter bikes that most folks have. In their eyes we were the cool guys.
Once we reached the lake we took the sleek Asia type boat with the loud chugging motor on the back out and enjoyed a very serene ride. The beauty of he lake was incredible and the shoreline was lined with banana trees. There were many fisherman on the lake. As dusk set in we ventured on to our homestay.
These folks were farmers and were very gracious. We sat on he floor and enjoyed a home cooked Vietnamese meal. There were four generations represented. I asked the grandfather if he fought in the US / Vietnamese war. Using my guide as the interpreter – his answer was yes. So here I am having dinner with a Vietnamese war soldier who years ago was in combat with US soldiers. I decided to change the subject and I think by the look on his face he was glad I did. He had been married to his wife for 50 years so I asked him what was the secrect. He held up his shot glass of moonshine and said “moonshine”! It was a funny moment and his wife looked a bit embarrassed. After a couple of shots of moonshine it was time for bed. Once in bed there was a roar of frogs like I have never heard before. It was like they were all in unison and sounded like the symphony. My bed was a piece of hard foam about three inches thick. The bath room had a shower head sticking out of the wall which sprayed on the toliet and everwhere else. I had one very small towel. This is not the Ritz! Lights out.
Doug's Travels 