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| In the middle of Cairang floating market. |
We woke a little before 5 am, knowing that we had to be at the dock for 5:30 to catch our boat. Walking up to the meeting place, we were greeted by a friendly looking woman and her child. “Hello!” she said, and beckoned us to follow her. As the day progressed, we discovered that ‘hello’ was the extent of her English. She rowed the boat over to the dock and Brad and I climbed on. We glanced at the sky and saw the sun was beginning to rise. The colors were beautiful and the temperature was perfect. Our guide started the boat motor and we were off!
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| Newer buildings behind the shacks and houses on the river. |
We cruised down the river at a gentle pace, slow enough to take photos and fast enough to create a cooling breeze. Activity abounds all along the river. Houses and businesses line its edges, and even in the early morning people are awake and preparing for their days. One side of the river is mainly hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. The other side seems to be the residential area, with houses ranging from concrete to tin to thatch. Seeing the two blended together at some points was quite a curious sight.
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| Traffic signs along the Mekong. |
The river is a main thoroughfare in the city, and boats glide past one another with ease. Larger ones seem to have the right of way (as is the way on the roads as well). Should two smaller boats come close to one another, the driver will stick his or her hand out to one side to signal which direction the boat will take in order to avoid collision. The drivers are so experienced that they make maneuvering through the madness seem easy and ordinary (which to them, I’m sure it is). To ensure driver safety on the river, there are traffic signs posted, though I couldn’t make much sense of them.
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| The driver's daughter and their just purchased duck. |
After riding for a short while, we realized we were entering the ‘floating market.’ Dozens of salespersons fill their boats with a variety of goods and congregate on the river for swapping, bargaining, and sharing. We immediately bought some hot coffee as well as bananas and donuts for breakfast. Another boat passed us by offering tea and noodle soup. Our boat driver purchased a live duck for her family’s dinner. We passed boats filled with watermelons, some with bananas, and others with crabs. Many of the larger boats sold only one thing, and as a way of advertising the boat owner ties whatever good is being sold (watermelon, crab, etc) to a rod and posts it at the front of the boat.
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| The boat with everything! |
We rode on further to the larger floating market, Cairang Market. Here we found ourselves lost among numerous boats. It seemed one could find anything. One boat was full of clothes; another had plastic bags, toothbrushes, and other various household goods. Some were piled high with heads of cabbage and lettuce. I bought a small watermelon to enjoy later and simply gazed at everything else available.
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| The crabs on the rod act as an advertisement for shoppers. |
From the market, we headed back toward the dock, but our guide took us on a small detour. We rode through one of the smaller tributaries of the river and were able to see more houses and gardens along the way. Our boat driver let Brad and I take turns rowing the boat. It was much harder than it looked. We pulled over and hopped off the boat for a short walk and our young guide pointed out lemongrass, durian trees, and other flowers. She was really cute and enjoyed chasing the butterflies along the trail. We then came to a homestay/restaurant area where we bought coca-colas for our guides and enjoyed lychees, coffee, and tea for ourselves.
On the way back to the dock, the rain came. Luckily while we were enjoying our tea and coffee, the boat driver had put the top up to block the sun. We tied the sides down as the driver suited up in her rain gear and played with the daughter the entire ride back. It was an eventful and exciting day, due mostly in part to our wonderful guide and her adorable daughter. Score for Viet Nam!
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