I woke up super early this morning, probably because I am hungry, I realize I havent eaten much the previous day. I find my way to the toilets located some 10 meters from my bungalow. I have to walk through the garden, following the few tiles and high grass. It is still very dark in the garden and somewhat gloomy. I stumble upon a small terrace where there seems to be a small open air museum of some sort, a collection consisting of preserved birds, snakes, snails. Is that a king cobra in that jar?
I emerge a second time from my bungalow, this time I am staaarving. I decide to walk back to that intriguing dead zoo. I meet the owner, he explains to me that it used to be his hobby. Children and teens from the cities often come to see his collection.
I order my breakfast, pork on rice and a traditional Vietnamese coffee. The owners of the resort are so adorable! The coffee is delicious, best coffee I have ever drunk. It is naturally sweet and very dark and has a strong vanilla like flavor. I like my coffee like I do my metal, BLACK. ;)
We first stop to a garden, not just a garden, a historical place where bunkers and tunnels were built during the war. It is interesting how the Vietnamese manage to turn everything into beautiful gardens, sometimes hiding the sad and ugly part of history.
Duy is delighted to find trai man fruit in one of the trees, and offer me to taste it. It looks like a tiny red pear but tastes like a bitter apple.
We ride into the court of the newly built university, where I see a dozen of student practicing some sort of a group dance in the shadow of the building. It seems to be a private university, altought I am unsure of that. We ride past a sign, Duy stops and asks me if I like chocolate. I sure do! The sign being in Vietnamese I don't realize that he in fact is bringing me to a cocoa farm. For a few thousand Dongs I get to taste and a private visit of the farm. I get a deliciously fresh iced chocolate drink, taste cocoa nibs and butter. I even fall in love with a liquor made of the fermented beans. The owner is adorable, he shows us around and explain the whole process of making the different products. I sadly lost all the videos I took of the farm and of the owner going through the process of making chocolate...
We spend quite a while at the farm, what a LOVELY place. The owner tells me that he worked with the us military back in the days. I purchase a block of cocoa butter, that I will later on be forced to leave at the HCMC airport.
Duy and I head back to the resort to rest for a while. I have lunch in the company of a snake looking at me while zigzagging through the banana leaves of the roof. It looks at me opening it's mouth and showing me it's long fangs. Once again I scare myself at how relaxed I am facing this "potentially" harmful reptile, meh I will just move a bit on my left. Duy joins me, and as soon I let him know that there was a small snake, took a long bamboo stick and hit the roof real hard to scared it off. I think I'm a Parselmouth, indeed like Harry Potter I attract snakes and can easily communicate with them. How sweet!
I meet a French couple, they just arrived at the resort. They are obnouxious and arogant towards Duy, treating him like a third world idiot... I swear I would sometimes love to punch people I bearly know.
After lunch, Duy and I head back for more adventures around Can Tho. We ride to a temple, it is extremely hot, I feel bad but seeing my guide so enthusiastic about showing me his home I cannot but drink plenty of water and keep on smiling. Duy tells me that he is a christian and that he doesn't know much about Buddhism.
I quickly tour around the temple, taking pictures. It is hot beyond comfort and my mood hits the bottom. I joke to my guide about how miserable I feel about the heat today, apparently I am not the only one suffering! Next stop a small garden, not too interesting. I am running low on cash, which prevents me from visiting a fruit farm. I don't mind, I am ready to head back to the resort. We stop at an ATM, and ask Duy how much salary does he usually get per day. A Vietnamese day salary is not even as much money as a minimum wage makes in the western world. I give him 200 000, hoping that it won't poison his mind and make him become a greedy man taking advantage of tourists. Ah money...
After chilling in my bungalow for a while, I decide to stroll around the neighbourhood with my dslr. I greet my neighbour, a young British girl that just arrived in Can Tho. We will visit the floating market together in the morning.
I walk around the small concrete path. I come accross locals sitting in their garden, open living rooms and riding their motorbikes. I greet each and evryone of them "Xin Chàu!" and to my surprise I almost always get a hello back with a beautiful smile. I will even have a conversation with an old granny, her speaking Vietnamese and I English. I'm not sure what she told me but I dare hope she was friendly...? Or maybe my shorts were too short for her taste who knows haha.
Accomodation: Mai Vien Resort
