The Floating Market - 29 September

We were out of the hotel at 7:00 this morning to visit the floating market. We walked to the river front which was only a block away and we all got onto one large boat. It took us ½ hour to get to the floating market area. Fortunately, it was still early enough in the morning that the market was still busy. It was such a unique and incredible sight that words are failing me. I think the best way to share the experience is with the photos that I took.

Approaching the Market - this was the view of just a small fraction of the boats selling produce as we approached the floating market. It stretched for about a 1/4 mile down the river. It was fascinating to see all the activity around the boats.

Boats with produce - these are the farmers' boats loaded down with fruits and vegetables ready to be sold to locals coming up to them in smaller boats.

Showing their merchandise – the farmers used tall poles to show to everyone what they were selling. They usually had one product that they were selling but would put several samples on the pole to show people. Some boats did have more than one item that they were selling and had their poles loaded down with produce.

Dragon fruit - this was a farmer selling dragon fruit to a buyer. It was a fascinating fruit and very colorful. I haven't tried it yet though so I don't know how it tastes.

Selling drinks to the tourist boats - a mother and her little boy brought their boat up to ours to sell everyone soft drinks and water. She would hand us the drinks and collect the money which she gave to her son. He looked a little baffled by all of us.

Cabbage galore - farmers preparing cabbage for the person in the boat. They would take off the outer layers and make a few chops and then toss it to the buyer in the boat. It was a very efficient process.

It was fascinating to watch yet I couldn’t help wonder how these people felt about all the tourists circling around them snapping photos. Can you imagine having a group show up in your grocery store taking pictures of you as you shop for food? Tung assured me that they don’t mind the attention but you have to wonder.

After returning to the dock in Can Tho we took a quick visit to a Temple that was totally unremarkable but we spent a few minutes admiring it before getting back on the bus for a three minute ride back to the hotel. We then had 2 hours to spend before lunch. I walked around the town a little bit but didn't really see anything that inspired me. Instead, I spent the two hours in the hotel writing notes for my blog and having fun channel surfing again.

At noon, we loaded our luggage on the bus and waved it goodbye as we went back into the hotel restaurant for lunch. We were doing the same thing we did yesterday with the ferry and rickshaws to save time. The bus was leaving early in order to meet us in time on the other side.

We then had lunch which consisted of deep fried shrimp paste, fish (with the head still attached), more shrimp, another seafood dish, and one measly little pot of beef. I contented myself with a spoonful of beef, lots of rice and a beer. My nutritional needs are definitely suffering in this country since I don't like seafood.

After lunch, Tung had arranged for the rickshaws to be waiting for us and, again, we loaded onto them and barreled through the streets of Can Tho being stared at by everyone! We had a slow poke driver this time so it wasn't quite so much fun but still a wonderful experience. We arrived at the ferry, stood in line with 1000 of our closest Vietnamese friends and then got on the ferry. On the other side, we gratefully found our bus waiting for us with the air conditioning on which is such a huge blessing in this country. The heat and humidity is oppressive!

We had a four hour bus ride back to the ship with one happy stop along the way. We got back to the ship at 6:00 and said goodbye to Tung. He had been a wonderful tour guide for us and we had a great time.

I had dinner on the ship and avoided the fish they were serving. I spent the remainder of the evening writing blogs and postcards while enjoying some wine in my cabin. An excellent way to conclude my day in Vietnam.