Cruising past the Chợ cá fish market at Phú Mỹ on the way to Tân Châu.
Substantial house along the river
The ship cruised about 90 km up the Mekong overnight and mooring in the river early in the morning near the town of Tan Chau which means new town.
When the town was created it was initially populated by people displaced during the successive wars and there was a merging of four main cultures; Vietnamese, Chinese, Khmer, and Muslim Malaysians.
The different cultures mainly keep to themselves, but there is apparently a common bond about living in this relatively newly established city. Interestingly, there is also a very large Gao Dai church, which, as we learned yesterday, is a combination of the philosophies of many religions, and believing in one supreme being - appropriated for a multicultural city.
We set off in sampans to visit the town where we landed and were met by a bevy of riders with their local version of a rickshaw (a bicycle, pulling a small two wheeled carriage). We boarded and were then taken to a silk-weaving factory which is a major form of production in the area. Most of the weaving looms originated in France, were transported to Britain, and then after the Second World War they were sent to Vietnam. They are, in fact, 19th century contraptions, originally steam driven, using punched paper rolls similar to a pianola, to weave the design into the silk fabric. Very mechanical and very noisy.
One of the owners showing silkworm food, cocoons and finished silk
One of the punched-card weaving machines
Silk being woven on electrified weaving machines
Next, it was back onto the rickshaws to be taken 15 minutes down the road to a mat-weaving factory. For some reason, my driver passed almost all of the other ones on the way there, including Frances, travelling much quicker. I realised at the end that he expected a tip for the "extra" service.
In the the mat factory, the mats are made by making by mechanical weaving, large, long lengths of very thin sun-dried water reeds, which have been split to an even thinner diameter, some of which are dyed different colours.
Woven mats are hugely popular in Vietnam, especially in the countryside, because they are much more practical in a dusty and humid environment than mattresses for sleeping on. Again, the factory had the appearance of a 19th century sweatshop.
Feeding the mat-weaving machine
Sewing edges onto small woven articles
Fertile soil for agriculture
Activities under the house
After visiting the weaving factories, we walked across "Green Island" (local name because of its fertility and abundant vegetation.
The island is flooded regularly and all houses on the island are built on concrete piers. In the dryer seasons the family spend most of the daylight ours under the houses, keeping cool.
We had a great opportunity to see and visit local farmers and their homes, something a little unexpected and probably may not continue as tourism increases.
Typical house
Another typical farm house
The upper living level
Family photo gallery
The kitchen
Cooking facilities
Typical Mekong canal
The sampan transport to Green Island
Frances on a bridge - We're not tin the Netherlands anymore
Oh no! Is that our sampan leaving?
We returned to the ship for lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing (and writing). The meals are excellent, not too large and quite tasty. Often a combination of Asian and Western foods. There was also a daily choice of a French red or white wine or beer.
Of course for the real gourmands, hamburgers, cheeseburgers and vege burgers with coleslaw and chips were available every day!
While we dined, the ship crossed into Cambodia and as forewarned, the internet quality dropped immediately.
