This morning was a tour of Gieng Island, first by sampan, then by foot and motorcycle cart.  The first stop was at a workshop where a man actually makes sampans and canoes.  He is shaping wood with a small fire (in the background) and getting ready to do some caulking.  Then the carts took us on to a Catholic church where Hai knew the Franciscan friar.  The carts continued on to a family orchard where the best mangoes were bagged with bags that were labelled “Made in Taiwan”.  You never really know!

In the afternoon, Hai gave a lecture about “Facts about Vietnam after 1975”, and we had a cooking demonstration by the chef, Pheakdey, of two dishes.  The first dish, Coconut Fish Curry Parcels, was creating a boat of banana leaves and placing an egg, fish, and a coconut mixture inside – and then microwaving it.  While that was cooking, we assembled a Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad with a sesame oil dressing.  After dinner, the movie in the lounge was “The Quiet American”.

Cheryl