So this turned out to be my favorite day so far.  It started with a sampan ride to the Cai Rang floating market, which is a wholesale market, primarily for fruits and vegetables, but also has fish and other items.  Then we walked through a nearby “wet” market with fish, meat, vegetables, and fruit for the locals.

Our next stop was an old rice noodle factory.  They used to produce large volumes of rice noodles, but now produce small volumes for tourists and some locals.  The rice is ground into a very fine powder and mixed with tapioca and boiled.  It’s spread over a thin sieve and steamed with a lid over it.  It’s rolled off the sieve with a roller and laid on a mat to dry in the sun for 3 days and finally cut into very fine noodles on a machine.  It almost feels like a fine rubber.

After lunch on the ship, we had another lecture by Joyce on “Southeast Asia before there were cities”.  Then we headed back out on the sampan for a walk and a cart ride through the village of Hoa An.  The first stop was where where a woman was making floor mats.  She had a loom that would let her make ten mats a day.  When she made them by hand, she could make only four a week.  Each weaver might have their own unique patterns.  Another stop was at the home of a woman who made conical hats out of bamboo.  She showed us the steps to make them while her two children played and watched TV.

Walking through the villages, we saw many fighting cocks.  The men love their fighting cocks, but gambling is not allowed (it’s a $200 fine, but it doesn’t slow them down).

My favorite part of the trip was visiting a community of 10 families who jointly maintained 22 hectares (54 acres) of flowering plants in a nursery that used to grow rice.  They make about $10,000 a year, but live a very easy going life, and the kids seem very happy and playful and sweet.  For those travelers hardy enough, there was a movie after dinner called “Two Brothers”.

Cheryl