The only unfortunate thing about Can Tho is that in order to get to the river, we had to walk past a woman selling durian (smells like ass). On one occasion we walked through a park on the river to avoid the durian seller, only to see a rat run across the path and freaking Phyllis out. It was much smaller than the rats one might see along the Mississippi River, but she hates all rats equally. It must be stated that as a child, I had a very sweet, domesticated, pet rat. Yes, a rat. Not a hamster or a mouse, a rat; I liked him very much!! Thus, I am not predisposed to hating rats and think there is actually no difference between squirrels, which most people find cute, or hamsters or chipmunks or rats.
On the first morning Phyllis went in search of coffee. Just when we want a Starbucks, there is none to be found; maybe because they're not allowed in Vietnam. I insisted that she would not find coffee 'to go', but after only 20 minutes, she returned triumphant.
P- I stopped in one place that appeared to be a type of coffee/breakfast shop, but one spoke English. I did everything I could to indicate that I wanted a cup of coffee..................I held out my hand like a saucer, and held my fingers like I was holding a coffee cup, then I pretended to drink and said “coffee”, but the waitress just stared at me like I had 3 eyes, and some of the customers laughed. I gave up and went back onto the street. I walked passed a market and was watching a woman cut the heads off of live, little fish, with a scissors, when I saw a coffee cart. I pointed, held up 2 fingers and watched as she poured a little condensed milk into a plastic cup, add a little thick, black coffee, then hot water. It cost only 18,000 for 2 (about 95 cents).
G- I am so proud of you!! Thank you so much for bringing me coffee.
We lounged, drank our coffee, then walked to, and along the river. We ate lunch at Mekong Cafe, walked to a statue of Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh, ruler of Vietnam after the war), sat on a bench and watched the river traffic and pedestrians go past, and drank a few beers at a 2nd story cafe where the owner found us to be quite amusing and let us take pictures in her conical hat. We sat for several hours at her cafe watching several boats being loaded with cargo, presumably to be taken up or down the river.
G- This is really amazing. Everything is done by hand.
P- Well the cargo boats aren't very big and not the kind that could be loaded with a crane.
G- What crane? There are no cranes around here. Maybe further down the river where the real ships are loaded.
P- I love the way that everything is brought down the ramp on a motorcycle or on someone's back.
P- Yes, and small refrigerators, tires, stacks of plastic chairs and tables.......
G- You mean fine dining furniture?
P- Fine dining if you're a kindergartener. Look at that guy carrying 8 cases of beer on his back! I'm enjoying this breeze too.
G- Yes, this is great! I like just sitting here and watching a slice of everyday life. It really is smarter to carry that beer on his back rather than trying to hold it in front of himself. It puts the weight on his legs rather than his back.
We returned to our hotel to cool off and take a nap, then went back to the river for dinner. The riverfront had been transformed with “restaurants” (food being cooked on mobile grills, under canopies, with plastic (adult sized) tables and chairs along the railing). We ordered grilled boar meat and a hot pot. The grill was actually brought to our table and sat atop a typical burner, a terracotta pot filled with hot charcoals. The meat had been marinated and was brought on a plate with okra. Of course Phyl did the grilling. The boar meat was amazingly tender and we really loved the okra which we had never before eaten grilled. We were extremely careful not to bump the plastic table leg as neither of us wanted to end up with hot coals in our laps.
P- You’ve got to be shittin' me!!!!
G- I know that I did not just watch that woman throw all of the garbage into the river. No wonder the rivers are full of trash.
A western man and woman sat at another table watching our faces and our reactions. He laughed when he caught my eye. I shook my head, mouth still hanging open.
Michael – We'll just let the river carry away our garbage.
P – It's unbelievable!!
G- No problem, it'll just end up in that big Pacific garbage patch. I'm really confused by this complete lack of regard for their environment. Why did she throw the trash in the river but carry away the biodegradable food items that actually could have been thrown into the river?
Michel – They don't get it. In the states she would be strung up by all of the people sitting around us, but here, no one cares. I've never learned to understand the thinking.
Edit – He lived in China for 16 years so he's use to it.
P- It's terrible.
G- I'm mortified.
We finished eating our dinner and then joined the couple, Michael & Edit for a drink. She is Hungarian & Michael is American, but they live in Paris and are trying to move to Shanghai, China. Michael reminded us of Michelle because he hadn't gotten his run in that morning and was going for a run after dinner. We enjoyed speaking to them, were, of course, envious that they lived in Paris, and hope to visit them if we pass through Paris on our sweep of Europe at the end of our trip.
Back in our room, Phyl took the first bath she had taken since Lombok, Indonesia, several months ago.
Of course there was still no shower curtain, so I sat in the tub, holding the sprayer over my head, happy not to be getting the bathroom floor wet. Tiny pleasures!
