Floating Market

Five thirty start, still dark. Good job Tuan’s boat is just across the road. Picnic basket with hot tea and coffee as we chugged down the river towards the market. Most of the true trading had already been done (around 4 am) — wholesale bartering of large quantities to middlemen who then sold on to the land markets. So although this was mostly for visitors to see, this is a way of life for these boat people … everything is done on board — cooking, washing, eating. There were a LOT of tourist boats zooming up and down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J1ead2Rsn4&t=378s (please be patient and wait out the 2 adverts at the beginning … it’s worth it)

We left and headed for the land market to purchase food for tonight’s dinner. Curiously, we turned and nosed into what looked like dense river vegetation, but suddenly a tiny dock became visible … and after clambering out a whole marketplace revealed itself. No-one walked, they all perambulated with their scooters and you had to have eyes everywhere to avoid being run over. Stall upon stall of the freshest fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, chickens, cloth, household goods … streets of it. Absolutely magnificent. https://youtu.be/6ikG76a8_WM

Tuan had his favourites … vegetables here, fruit there … shellfish two streets over … this was best for frogs (stunned and ‘dispatched’ right in front of you – definitely fresh). You had to watch where you walked, and the smells and aromas were distinctly … interesting <grin>

With his shopping bag bulging with chicken, rat, frog, beef and bream … plus a rainbow of vegetables, soursop for smoothies, and some freshly baked French bread buns … we went to find the boat. No longer at the small dock, as the tide had turned and the river was now too shallow, it had moved further along into deeper water, but this entailed an interesting maneuver of climbing through one of the already moored boats so that we could reach ours! Nobody seemed to mind.

It was now 7:30 ish and breakfast time so we pulled alongside a Pho boat doing a fine trade. Tables were produced and steaming bowls of soup and noodles were handed across to be slurped with great enjoyment … the fresh rolls stuffed with barbecued meat and dunked into the delicious broth. What a meal!

Home for a rest and a snooze … perhaps a swim … and dinner with all of our morning spoils. Even the rat was good!