January 20, 2016

Where Islanded Last Night

Last night we stayed with a Vietnamese family in their home (#homestay). They live in a small island on the Mekong Delta so we rode a tiny boat to reach it.   The boat ride was peaceful despite the apparent fight between Nguyen and me pictured below. 

Here you can see the family's home. The older woman (Tu) grew up here, but now her son, his wife, and their two small daughters also live here. Plus a couple dogs that aren't theirs and tons of fruit trees. Not shown: in the photo below, Tu is palming my right butt check. 

We made dinner together in their traditional outdoor kitchen. The Mekong River water is approximately 4 feet behind the stove. The stove is basically a Sub-Zero, you adjust the heat moving small sticks from either side. 

Here is the small feast we prepared and consumed. My first Vietnamese omelette pancake is at the bottom. I'm sad to report not one plate was emptied.

The family was lovely, but my true friend was the stray dog/sort of their dog, Ki. She received lots of belly pets from me, and in return she did not give me rabies. 

Ki also loves the old lady Tu, even though Tu only pets her with her foot. Tu means "4" in Vietnamese and we were told many Mekong families call their children by their birth order. 

After a wonderful experience on the island, we left in the morning to make our way back to Saigon. River ferry transport switch shown below. 

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