Viet Nam

                                  Stilt houses

Some of the lady’s fancy duds

Pig for rent 

                  Duck farm

Local fisherman

Crossed the border on the Mekong in the morning.  Getting through immigration involved a sampan from Immigration coming out to the boat, leaving with a backpack full of everyones’ passports, then returning 20 minutes later with the passports stamped and returning to immigration with a bottle of whisky.  Very efficient.  We pulled in to Chau Doc where we went to the “wet market”.  This is where people traditionally go for their daily shopping.  It is covered with awnings so low that most of our party had to duck their heads.  The floor is wet from all the tubs of semi-live fish thrashing around.
Tons (literally) of produce, meat and fish.  There were even skinned mice, ready to cook - uh, no.  There were street vendors selling rotisserie chicken with the heads and feet still on, coffee and flowers.  We went to a modern grocery store where the “young people” shop which was very much
like a WalMart with prices that were not that dissimilar to the States.  Viet Nam had a population of 40 million in 1975 and now it’s over 90 million, so in general, the population is young.
In the afternoon, we took a long sampan ride down a side canal where people live in stilt houses, farm fish and ducks and fish the river.  Then we in a small town where they have a temple to a lady statue that supposedly was found there many years ago.  They have enshrined her in a temple where they bring offerings of flowers, food and incense.  The top offering is a whole roasted pig and since many
families cannot afford it, they rent it for a period of time.  We were not allowed to take photos of her, but she is pretty chunky and has many jeweled robes for various holidays. It is brutally hot and the local beer tastes so good.

                                                      Chickens

                                                        Noodles

                                                           Bananas

In the Market

                             Chris has to duck

                             Semi-live Fish

                                                  Mice - it’s what’s for dinner