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The Delta TourWe took a three day delta tour and it was about the best experience on our whole five month trip. The people were freindly, interesting, lively and funny. Even the whiteys on our tour. Unlike the warm and friendly Thai people, the vietnamese have a way of getting in there and making you laugh and share. They are as interested in telling you about their lives as they are in finding out about yours. And they love to giggle, for the most part. I mean, the communists don't giggle. But the people of the south sure do. Many of my vietnamese friends who live in California also giggle. I think it is a nice cultural gift. Oh, by the way, many of these pictures suck. sorry. I fixed them up in photoshop as best I could. But there's only so much I could do. Anyway, the national dress is called an Ao Ya and is worn at ceremonies and by girls in shcool. This is what it looked like on our way to the delta. Notice the girl in the near background. That's an Ao Ya.
Actually, this shot was from the bus. Earlier we had been in the midst of a tremendous swarm of these white clad school children. This picture is the tail end of hive. Once in the delta, we were warned about wandering about. In Vietnam, mines are not sources of gold or other minerals. Much of the housing is really modest. We saw it at it's worst. The delta had been flooded a month ago and this is what dried out looked like:
Most of the boats on the delta are now gasoline powered. However you can still see the old-style, romantic (I think) row-boats of yore: Many of this style boat were like 7-11 stores inside where you could get some soda or soup. Near cambodia we saw a couple of temples, This one was completely trippy. The glowing ring behind the buddah's head was revolving and sparkling. I can picture myself a monk in the delta, high on the hallucinations of my religeon. It certainly beats much of their reality. The story behind this old man's picture is heartwarming. We were walking alon and this old guy stops us and makes us wait while he picks up this bicycle and watering can and then just stands there waiting for us to take his picture.
And, because you've all been so good, I'll show you what the children of the delta get to do: Since school is not free, children must work to buy into the system in communist Vietnam. As they progress, the classes become more expensive. Once you've learned how to read it is usually time to start working in the field full time. But the children are friendly and their parents encourage them to wave. These chaps got a little out of hand, though Once I was spotted as a big white guy who was willing to be playful, the kids came out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Cute ones, though. Soon there were so many jumping on me I had to crouch down and let them jump on or my back would have broaken under the load. It was so fucking cute I couldn't tell them to stop - even when the tugged at my leg and arm hair. They couldn't believe what a big hairy monkey I was. And then more came... I really love Vietnam. And the best part of it was the people. |