Up for a quick swim, pack my lunch & then off to the bus station. 3rd times a charm. We've figured out what we want easily available & what seats to reserve so we're comfy for another 4 hour trip back to Can Tho…but this time to a 5* hotel. Here's a few sights & thoughts & things I want to remember as I get to see a second of the ordinary lives we pass…
-they are attempting to recycle & control the trash but trash is winning that war
-there's no westerners south of Can Tho
-more nice homes in Ca Mau
-haven't seen a woman in a hammock but lots of men
-many red flags with hammer & sickle reminding me of the hatred instilled in me of the communist
-it's ironic that a hot item here is a piggy bank as it seems the poor have little to save & the rich too much for a piggy bank,
-Asian conical hats are the hat of choice!
-Caodaism church: richly colorful temple with two towers, intricate designs covering the entire building. In the center is the Divine Eye. This religion believes in one God & is a mixture of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism & Roman Catholicism thus unity many religions with the hope of universal peace
-the lack of traffic rules in spite of the congested roads is mind boggling. So many close calls but as the saying goes: A near miss is as good as a mile
-few bicycles but gillions of motorbikes
In our luxury hotel in Can Tho we are paying about the same price as our rustic homestead before. Large room, pool & huge breakfast buffet for $35. The girls at the reception desk stand to greet us whenever we come or go. For dinner, Rog ordered snakefish & said it was delicious. I'm happy with my egg rolls. Our goal to see the floating market meant up early & get a Grab (like our Uber). Soon we were on a longtail propeller boat weaving between other boats either filled with vendors selling a wide variety of fresh products, serving meals or other tourist boats. It looked to me that most the vendors lived on their boats as laundry hung off the sides and hammocks & pots and pans hung under a roof. What a life! There was a massive fresh market on the wharf so we strolled through that. Again I am awed by the amount of fresh vegetables & fruits. Next stop was an ancient home currently lived in & maintained by the 6th generation. Someone must spend weeks painting the outside with contrasting color on all the designs carved into it. Inside rich heavy wooden furniture with marble inlays & shelves of unique statues, vases & other collectible. The house was used in the movie, The Lover in 1992. The home was surrounded by a garden with many unique plants blooming. My favorite part was a replicate of a mountain with tiny South Asian scenes tucked in the crevices. A huge fairy garden! Back to the hotel pool & our books to wait out the afternoon heat. At 4, we ventured out for dinner & to stroll the malecon and watch all the lights come on after 6. Bright neon LED strips covered all the bridges, buildings & some of the boats. Looked like a huge carnival.
