We were up early for a 6:30 departure to visit the Cai Rang floating market, the largest floating market in the Mekong delta. Breakfast was on the top floof of the hotel, but was nothing special. After the two block walk to the waterfront and a short walk between two buildings, we arrived at our small boat and its woman driver. We started our putt-putt journey down the river near the shore so we could see the riverside activity. After about 45 minutes we arrived at the market which we were told is a wholesale market, purchases limited to 10 kg or greater. There were a number of fairly large river boats docked, but not very much activity compared to yesterday's market which was much more vibrant. The name of the market Cai Rang has something to do with crocodiles. There are no longer any crocodiles in the Mekong and their past presence explains why all the boats have two big red eyes painted on the front, to scare the crocodiles. After circling around the market, we went down one of the small canals nearby and we were one of several small boats docked at the rice noodle factory, a small family run visit. The process involves grinding the rice into a powder, then mixing it with water and tapioca, I think. This mixture is spread in a flat circular pan and heated to make it rice paper. A cloth wrapped around a stick is used as a roller to remove the rice paper from the heated pan and move it to a bamboo pallet where it is laid to dry. These pallets are moved outside to allow for drying. Once dry, the rice papers are cut into thin noodles and packaged. As I didn't understand the whole process when we first walked in, but did see this dog having a nice sleep in the factory, it came to me later that the dog was sleeping on top of the piled up bamboo pallets used for drying. So much for food hygiene.

We departed from the rice noodle factory and went back through the floating market. Because we had left so early in the morning, there were relatively few tourists/tourist boats in the market when we were. However, now we saw all sorts of tourist boats approaching the market. Most were larger covered boats that probably seated 50-60 people. Veronique and I both started laughing when we saw one of these boats approaching ( and only one like this) with all of the passengers wearing bright orange life jackets. Safe or not, no one else on the Mekong had a life jacket on. Then we saw a few of the really high end luxury sampans.

We took a walk through the market on land. Veronique bought this small clay planter about 12" x 12" which the guide had to carry through the market. I wasn't quite sure how she would get it back to France, but she seemed to think it would fit in her backpack. We continued our walk, stopped for coffee, and then back to the boat. We next visited the rice packaging plant. At this company all of the things I had seen done by hand in the small village outside Hue were now automated. The bags containing the rice to be processed were from countries all over the world, even Iraq. Several things were remarkable about this visit. 1) Nothing was happening in the factory; apparently the machine to dehusk the rice was broken. So, all the workers were sitting on the floor playing cards. 2) If I thought the issue with the dog on the bamboo pallets was problematic, that was nothing compared to this place. Veronique walked behind the machines into a tangle of cobwebs that would put any Halloween haunted house I have seen to shame. It was unbelievable. The whole place is open air with absolutely nothing suggesting any kind of cleanliness concern at all - a food hygienist's nightmare (actually that could be said for all of Vietnam.) Once back in the boat, we returned to the Can Tho waterfront. We walked back to the hotel where Veronique and I said our good-byes. She would be taking the bus back to HCM City. I retrieved my bags and took a taxi to the Can Tho airport, a relatively new airport that probably has six flights in and out each day.

On the flight, I met the first Californians I think I have run into on this trip. The couple behind me were from Aspen and their traveling companions across the aisle were from Malibu. They mentioned their hotel which is, I think, the most expensive on Phu Quoc island. They all seemed relatively disinterested in talking with me, so it was a quiet 40 minute air ride in a propeller plane. What was impressive from the air was the extent of the rice fields below. The Mekong delta is the main rice-growing region for Vietnam, which, after Thailand, is the world's second largest exporter of rice.

I was met at the airport by a driver from the hotel and after a fifteen minute drive arrived. The hotel reached by a very bumpy ¼ mile road off the main road consists of individual bungalows in a garden setting. Set back from the ocean is the lobby and dining area, but there is a beautiful beach with coconut palms and beach loungers. Several Vietnamese woman have their beach massage "salon" set up at the edge. I took a walk down the beach and some of the other resorts have bars and restaurants on the beach. Amigos, Mexican themed, was promoting live music and a beach barbecue later that night.

Although I was starting to feel a little better, this seemed like the perfect place to be. I spent a couple of hours on the beach, saw a beautiful sunset, and later walked down the road and ate dinner at Le Deauville overlooking the beach. I decided to give white Vietnamese wine a try, no better than the red. I thought that was the only available wine by the glass, but the restaurant owner, a French woman, who circulated while I was eating told me there was also a Chilean wine. Since I had already drunk much of my not so good Vietnamese wine, I decided to just stick with what I had. My entrée was a really delicious shrimp in tamarind sauce. I treated myself to flan for dessert and the restaurant owner treated me to a glass of rum with lemon. All in all, quite a nice dinner in a lovely setting.