Day 16 - Cái Bè (Mekong Delta Region)

Today we had a very early start and my mother and I woke up thinking we were back on the tour again! We had set the alarm for 5am but didn't get out of bed until at least 5:3o. By 6:15, we were on my uncle's tour bus and heading towards the Mekong Delta, specifically the district of Cái Bè. I've been hearing for days from my mother about what Cai Be was like when she was a child and the last time she was there, she went with my father to introduce him to the family.

Cai Be is a river-side town that is very very rural. My grandmother and her 10 siblings grew up. Of all the Luong siblings, only my grandmother and her older sister are still alive. This is a side of my family that I have never known before and am only meeting for the first time, so this was a bit of an adventure for me. From Saigon, we drove through Cho Lon (direct translation is Big Market), where my mother says a lot of Chinese people settled in Vietnam. I could tell because every single store there had both Chinese and Vietnamese characters and when we stopped for breakfast at a noodle shop, the servers were all speaking Chinese!

After breakfast, the car ride was about 2 hours long and I was passed out the entire time so I have no idea what it looks like from Saigon to Cai Be! When we got to the bridge leading into Cai Be, my mother woke me up and said, "This is the bridge where the bus used to stop and we'd have to walk a mile to get in!" I could tell my mother was a little apprehensive all morning so I asked her if she was all right and she said that she is really afraid of the "monkey bridge." I had never heard of this term before and when she explained it to me, I was more than excited to see it! That's when my uncle yelled out that the road now goes right into neighbourhood and we would only need to walk a few meters to the house - no more monkey bridge!

I didn't expect to be in such a rural setting - and to be right by the river also. My great-grandparents' property is huge and it is surrounded by hundreds of fruit trees. There are longans, oranges, limes, pomelos, mango, starfruit, jackfruit, and bananas - just to name a few. On the way in, we picked bunches of longans from neighbouring trees and feasted on them as we walked.

About 40 people were already at the house cooking up a storm in anticipation for our arrival. I couldn't believe how fast everyone had gotten together - it was only 9am in the morning! When we got there, there was already a feast prepared for us - banh xeo, congee, roasted duck, roasted pork, fresh greens and fresh bread. I wasn't able to feast in the usual way because 1) it was still 9am and 2) I was afraid that if I ate too much, there would be no proper bathroom facilities to use! After brunch, my cousins and I decided to take a walk into the orchard of fruit trees. I felt like I was venturing into a jungle because there were trees and ants everywhere! We had a great time just walking along the trail - even though the fruit wasn't ripe enough to pick yet.

The most delicious thing I ate today was the fresh jackfruit that was prepared for us after brunch. It had been sitting in a fridge all morning so it was nice and cool. I've never had fresh jackfruit before because it always comes in a can or frozen in Canada. The fruit is usually served in syrup over ice. However, as soon as the fresh jackfruit hit my mouth, I was in LOVE... this could easily become one of my favourite fruit! It was perfectly ripe as well.

We left Cai Be shortly after lunchtime because we planned on being back in Saigon for 4pm to beat the traffic. I was sad to go because all that preparation had gone in to only a few hours of fun. My great-aunt was sad to see us go as well and she cried as she told me to take care of myself. We all took turns putting money in her pockets because we were told she likes to take a mile hike everyday to go buy lottery tickets. :) I was mostly grateful for the experience and to have my cousins there to entertain me and take me out into the jungle. haha

My mother had a fun day too - although she was mostly nervous because it had been so long since she'd been to her grandparents' home. She was worried about the journey there because she obviously doesn't have the 26 year-old energy that she used to and because she remembers being so overwhelmed by the visits when she was younger. Although, in conversations today with my great-uncle's widow, we found out that my mother was actually born in Cai Be at the house! She was confused at first because she said, "But all of my paperwork says I was born in Thu Duc." That's when the widow told her that my grandmother actually gave birth to her in Cai Be and when they took her in to the actual hospital, they decided to make the trek into Thu Duc to get the paperwork written up. So this place that she has been so afraid to revisit is actually her birthplace!

This entire trip is coming to an end in only two days and I'm overwhelmed at the thought of what we've gone through in the past 16 days. My mother says that while I will be happy to be returning to my husband, she is feeling a little bittersweet. While she misses her life and family in Canada, she knows that she will miss her family and friends in Vietnam - it was almost easier to have left for so long and not come back at all than to come back and realize what she's been missing all of these years. I can tell that her mind is working overtime as she tries to think of a way to visit more often. She now realizes why my grandparents are eager to sit through the 20+ hour plane ride to get back "home" to Vietnam.

It's been a bit of an emotional day for me and I know that we have much to do in the coming days...

Day 10 - Hue: Phong Nha

We had an early start to the day and were told that we would spend the majority of the day on the bus because it would take us three to four hours to get to Phong Nha or Ke Bang National Park. I've been exhausted every day because I have been taking advantage of the free WiFi in all of the hotels we've been staying at and watching Game of Thrones while blogging! I've watched the entire first season online and am finally on the season finale. LOL

Driving through Hue, I could see that it's not as developed as the rest of the country even though it used to be the capital of Vietnam. There is a lot of farmland and it still looks very under-developed. The people in Hue are still doing many things manually, which takes a lot of effort and time. The 150 kms to Phong Nha took us three hours of driving with a lunch stop in between.

When we got to the entrance of Phong Nha, it was clear that we would not regret the long drive. The mountainous park is home to many caves and grottos and we were told we would go deep into one of the largest caves on a riverboat that only seats 12 people at a time. These riverboats were by no means safe - they consisted of a cloth cover over low wooden beams and 12-14 loose plastic chairs and hand-sewn life jackets. Regardless, we jumped in an off we went down the Son River.

All along the riverside, we saw the way the people of the Bo Trach district use the river for their everyday living needs. We saw the way the river was shared amongst the people and their animals. In one section, we saw the water buffalo bathing; in another, we saw a woman doing her laundry; and further down, we saw little boys using a tree branch as a diving board and doing backflips into the water. As with many rivers, it is a source of life for all those who surround it.

In the backdrop of this river are the wonderful rock formations that are unique to this park. It reminded me a little of the rock formations in Ha Long Bay and I remember thinking that maybe it's OK that we didn't get to see it because I got to see something equally beautiful - there are so many beautiful sites all over Vietnam.

When we got to the Phong Nha cave, it was definitely breathtaking. The entrance looked small compared to the rock formations but when we entered, we quickly found out at the cave was enormous. It was once considered the largest cave in Phong Nha but there was another cave recently discovered in 2009 that is much larger (Son Duong). The cave itself was very dark and I couldn't get many pictures, but there were two points where we were given an opportunity to get out and climb. My mother stayed on the boat for the first stop because the cave floor was too steep and she spent the 30 minutes in the riverboat with the lady who was steering the boat.

There are 350 operating riverboats in Phong Nha, which means that each boat can only go about twice a week. They charge 200,000 dong (about $10CAD) for one boatride with 12 people. The lady was telling my mother that they survive on about $80/week during the summer and even less during the winter. She even told my mother that she has lived by the river her entire life, never making it into the biggest city nearby, which is only about 50km away. The river is her only source for survival.

When we got to the second stop, my mother's curiosity overcame her and she jumped out for the second stop. I'm glad she did because she got to see the cave and how large it was. She said that she had seen one in the US before and it was no where near as large as this one. She felt proud that Vietnam has such a place and said that she had absolutely no idea that these caves even existed in her own country!

We must have climbed about a hundred steep steps to get to the inner parts of the cave where there were different lights placed strategically to highlight some of the incredible limestone formations. My camera battery died and I was disappointed that I couldn't take more pictures but I did manage to get this shot from my BlackBerry!

Day 9 - Danang: Bà Nà Mountains

Today was an exhausting day...by far the most tiring I've had. It's also been the most challenging for my mother because she had to sit out on most of the activities today, unable to climb up to the top of a mountain and 100 stone steps.

Here are a couple of pictures of us going up the mountain:

When we got to the top of the mountain after the first cable car ride, we were told there that we need to go higher - to the very top on a second cable car ride! At this point, my mother said that she would wait because she knew that even at the landing of the second car, we had to do some further climbing about 2 more kms on foot. I went on my own and found the view breathtaking. Funny thing was, the temperature was about 25°C (77°F) and the locals were complaining about how cold it was! I guess when you're used to 48°C with the humidity, it feels a little cooler up in the mountain!

I took the second cable car back down and met my mother again only to find out that there was more climbing to do - this time, we would be taken up by minivan to the top of a side mountain where the Linh Ung Temple (Chùa Linh Ứng). There is a white, sitting Buddha at the top of the mountain that is about 27m tall! There is also one of the oldest wine cellars in Vietnam and when I was told I could pay extra for wine tasting, I jumped at the opportunity to taste some Vietnamese wine...only to realize later that it was still BEFORE noon!

The pagoda itself is fairly small but the sights up on this side mountain were beautiful and I managed to get a few wonderful photos. We spent about five hours at the Ba Na Hills Resort just exploring the mountainside. By the time we were done, we were famished and ready for lunch. :)