June 13

June 13, 2000

Today is Tuesday, and we went to the Mekgon Delta. In a 1996, Toyota Cressida.

Took a short boat ride from a small town, Cantho, to go to a rice paper factory and a rice and corn puff factory. Each was smaller in size than a one-car garage. They added cane sugar, coconut, coconut milk, ginger and peanuts to make little cakes called Rice Chrispies in the U. S.

We then went in the same boat to a floating market where about 25 foot boats sold watermelons, pineapples, pumpkins, turnips parsnips etc wholesale. Each of the boats specialized in one vegetable. They hung the vegetable on a pole-like antenna to tell what they were selling. They grew the vegetables themselves.

We saw a huge pile of rice husks, which they use to cook with.

We had lunch at a fruit "lantation" on a creek off the Mekong River. Had a whole fried fish, called elephant ear fish, and huge shrimp along with chicken and rice, so up and schreded chicken. Three dogs and some chickens joined us.

By boat still we then went a place that had a lot of orchids and bonsai plants. We then went to a place called Van Lin and got our car and driver again. We went over a high suspension bridge on our way back to Saigon. The Austrailians put up $5,000,000. Of their money to help build the bridge.

Written by: Jack