road work : Delta day

light at top of brick kiln

Later we agreed today was the best. We traveled by rickshaw-truck, bike, motor boat and row boat in the Mekong delta. Got soaking wet in a flash downpour. Saw kids swimming in muddy waters. Chickens and dogs sleeping in thatched roof compounds. Walked carefully over the husks of coconuts piled in mounds at a local coconut factory (coconut is king of the delta). Rode along the rutted narrow road that zig-zagged through the hot jungle. Ate chom chom and mango. And crispy rice cake with Mrs. Sau Tuong, the wife of a former Viet Cong soldier who was supposed to join us but was working late somewhere. (We had our tea without him.) She showed us how she makes rice paper in beautiful fine discs, setting them on a bamboo frame to dry. Soon she'll retire as she's too old. How old I ask, hoping I'm not being rude. Born in the year of the snake, says our amazingly awesome guide Giao…during the war but no one kept track then…so she's about 50. There's so much about this day to describe. Too much. Lunch- a feast- 4 courses. Check it: grilled prawns and soup and a curry dish. More fruit and more fruit. The color of the water after the rain…like chocolate mousse. And the boats. Long low and most with striking almost Egyptian-looking eyes painted on their bows. We visited a brick factory. And a coconut factory, where every bit of this fruit gets used somehow. And a key wonder? No tourists! Other than us. One thing you are continually reminded of on a trip like this is that you are just passing through. You'll only catch the surface of a place. You visit the highlights and they are important. But there's so much you'll never see or experience. Not only in terms of natural wonders or museums or the bright lights of a city. But of the people. Today it seemed perhaps possibly we'd been given a deeper look. Or was it all part of the tour? I don't believe so. Was it about the rich wet beauty of the delta? The jungle-ripeness was in full bloom in a relentless humid hot wet heat. Or about our guide Giao (ignore previous spelling) and how she completely enriched the experience? Not only did she answer almost every wacky question put to her (by you know who) but she was generous with her information. Sharing stories about her culture -- the cuisine (rice paddy rats are a delicacy), the customs, social concerns as well as local. She knows the names of plants and Saigon's plans for cleaning up its canals and river. She pointed out photo ops and places to shop. She helped us to feel like more than tourists, almost like neighbors. When we arrived back at the hotel (after a 2-plus hour drive that was topped off by a downpour flooding some of Saigon's streets and low-slung shops), we rested, showered, ate and headed out for a last walk and some night market shopping. We felt a welcome in Ho Chi Minh city that we've not felt before. Even as the vendors shoved wallets and t-shirts in our faces, we were at ease. We smile and nod. No thank you but hello. There's no animosity. They seem to smile too as they move on to the next passerby.