Water Buffalos and Fishing (Day 8)

Day 8 - January 16, 2011

What a day! This morning I woke up excited for what lay ahead. I went to breakfast and had bacon and a croissant, the usual. I could get used to these two staple items at each hotel. I liked the bacon better at this hotel because it is cooked a little more. However, it seems to be greasier.

We left the hotel for a day of more adventures. We walked a few blocks and picked up bikes. After getting the bikes, we biked to some nearby gardens to see the locals at work. It was so interesting to see them working in the fields. We met an older lady, 70 years old, who was working in the fields. We got to help her water the crops. It was so neat, and different, to use the watering cans on a yoke! I was surprised at how much coordination was required to be able to balance the water cans and water the crops at the same time.

Next, we biked further into the country. We came across a man with a water buffalo. We were allowed to take a short ride on the water buffalo. At first I was unsure whether this was safe or not, but in the end I decided that I would probably never have the opportunity to ride a water buffalo again. I waited my turn until I could ride the water buffalo. I hopped on and held on for dear life as the man walked the water buffalo up and down a path a few feet. He then decided that it would be fun if he took the water buffalo into the nearby water. I was convinced that I was going to fall off of the buffalo and into the water, however I managed to stay on. Earlier the guide had told us that buffalo waste was seen as good luck in the Vietnamese culture, specifically stepping in it. Another girl on our trip had stepped in a pleasant pie just a few moments before. As I posed for pictures on the water buffalo, I heard laughter from my peers. I then realized that the water buffalo was indeed relieving himself. The guide as well as the entire group was hysterically laughing. The fact that it was caught in a picture made it even funnier. I am hoping that although this was quite disgusting that it means I will have very good luck in the future.

After that adventure, we rode our bikes only further out into the country. We rode past many water buffalo feeding and walking around the many crops. The next place we stopped was a rice farm. We were able to see how the locals harvested rice. Some of my classmates got to experience helping the farmer. From afar, it looked quite hard, as you have to wade around in mud and water knee high. I can only imagine what their backs must feel like at the end of the day!

Next, we rode our bikes out of the country and along the strip of hotels and businesses that lined the beach. Although today had also been a rainy day it was still neat to see the beautiful shoreline. We rode our bikes until we reached a boat, which was to take us on our next adventure. The boat was lined with seats for every person. We stayed with the same guide that had taken us to explore the farming side of Vietnam earlier. He took us to a small island where we got off the boat. About 8 locals were there and taught us how to hold and cast huge fishing nets. It was actually quite difficult to get the nets to spread far and open up. None of us caught anything, however it was still fun. I followed one of the locals who motioned for a group of people to follow him. I was the only one who seemed to follow him the entire way. He led me into the nearby trees about 4 feet. I saw a bamboo structure. He climbed to the top and motioned for me to climb also. I did so, thinking that my classmates were behind me. After getting on the top, I noticed a wheel sort of device that the man started to push and spin with his feet. He motioned for me to try and I began so. He quickly hopped down and motioned for me to keep going. After a short time, I noticed that in the water bamboo rods began to rise up. After more time the rods clearly, had fishing net attached to them? Some of my classmates were in round bamboo boats and helped the local fisherman empty the fish out of the net. It was so cool that I got to wheel the net out of the water with my feet! It was definitely an ‘old school’ way to fish, but very interesting to see.

I was so excited for the next adventure the tour had in store. We boarded the boat again and began heading toward a smaller cove area with many bamboo plants sticking out of the water. We were quickly loaded into small round bamboo boats. There was a local in each one and one classmate sat on either side of the local. They had a paddle. I was in a small boat with another girl, our local loved to sing. We sang songs with her the entire time. She taught us a song about Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam and she also sang the Olay song, however she made up her own remix for this one. She had crafted us rings, bracelets and stick people out of bamboo leaves. After decorating us, we began to ride in the rice boats around the channels. Our local loved to rock the boat back and forth. I was convinced we were going to tip over, however luckily we didn’t. After riding in the rice boats for a while we stopped to hear our tour guide tell us the significance in the place we were located. He told us that soldiers during the war would bury themselves under the mud in the channel and would breathe through bamboo. He mentioned that there used to be many land minds but most had been deactivated. It was so interesting to learn about history and be in the same spot feeling like the soldiers must have felt. After enjoying our time and giving a shot at trying to paddle the boats, ourselves we headed back to the big boat, where lunch was waiting. The tour guide’s mother cooked lunch and everything was different, but delicious.

During lunch, I started to talk to the tour guide. He spoke of how he started his business because he realized that his father’s fishing business was not doing well. He understood that tourism was where they could make money. He admitted that the first few years were rough but now he has a steady 5,000 clients a year. He employed the locals that we interacted with all day long, many of them being his neighbors. He gave them jobs and paid them for helping out with the tour. He spoke English very well and I enjoyed the tour so much!

We headed back to the hotel to freshen up. We had the afternoon free. I went into town with two other girls to explore tailor shops. Many people in our group were interested in having clothing made. We secured a very nice shop to have one of the girls’ dresses made. Her dress was intricate and it was the only tailor that understood her design. The other girl and I were able to find a tailor who understood our simple designs and who was a little bit cheaper. I was measured and ordered clothing, which I was to pick up the next day. I ordered two dressy tops and a formal dress, along with a dress shirt for John. I had some of the guys (who I also brought to the shop) help me with his measurements. Needless to say, I used a combination of a couple of guys to achieve measurements closest to John’s. I sure hope it fits when he returns home from Spain! For my 2 dress tops and formal dress, along with his dress shirt cost $85. I found this to be an exceptionally good deal considering that all the clothes were made from scratch and were tailor made. I couldn’t wait to see them and try them on, as I had designed all my clothes and picked out the colors. After exploring the tailor shops, I was very surprised at the English that each person knew and understood. It was also evident that they had experience. I couldn’t help but wonder how they were able to get the clothes made in a day! I came to the conclusion that they must have shops nearby where they have workers who make it for them. I also found that they were willing to haggle with me some. I was excited to refresh my haggling skills.

Next, we headed to dinner with the group. I decided I wanted a quesadilla. I was surprised that when my food came the sour cream was drizzled on top like chocolate, and the chicken inside was spicy. I couldn’t help but laugh at a different culture’s idea of Mexican food. I guess every culture thinks differently!

I headed to get a massage with the girls after dinner. We went to Hoi An day spa. It was so nice. I had an aromatherapy massage for 70 minutes for $!5. I felt so relaxed afterwards. The massage place was very clean as well and the mesus’ were able to speak very good English and were considerate. I looked up the spa on Facebook before we went and was impressed with the reviews and pictures. It was even better in person.

After a fantastic relaxing massage, we headed back to the hotel, where I quickly fell asleep.