Sadec and Caibe
This morning a hard core group of 6 enthusiasts participated in the last Tai Chi class with Solida from the spa and the versatile Mr. Voant, the assistant cruise director. After breakfast we embarked smaller boats, or sampans, to visit Binh Thanh Island. It was low tide; fishing traps were visible above the water and boats were stuck in the fertile mud.
Binh Tanh Island, with a population of 3,000 inhabitants, was a popular place to live during the Vietnam War, away from the turbulence and bombing.
At a local temple, we met a lady and a gentleman, both in their seventies, who shared with us details about their lives. The lady runs a sage grass mat wholesale operation, but in her spare time she is one of the caretakers of the temple. She moved with her family to the island when she was two years old and has lived there ever since.
The island has a kindergarten, elementary and secondary school, but students will have to leave Binh Thanh Island if they want to attend high school. Most villagers, as far as we can see, are occupied with the weaving of sage grass mats, which involves two people. Sage grass has a very distinct, fragrant smell.
Before lunch we are treated to an interesting introduction and overview of Vietnamese literature since 1986 by Nguyen Qui Duc, who has personally met most of the authors and has translated some of their work.
In the afternoon we were ready for our visit by sampan to the lively floating market of Cai Be. We passed the prominent Roman Catholic Church and made a stop to visit an old wooden house built in 1838, recently restored with the aid of the Japanese government. Our second stop gave us an insight into the various uses of rice: to be made into pop rice candy, rice paste to make “rice paper” used in salad rolls and of course, rice wine, which can be flavoured with herbs, fruits or a cobra – for medicinal purposes, of course. Next time you have a backache you know what to drink….
Happy Hour was upon us and the whole crew was presented and acknowledged for their cheerful service, making our stay on the Jahan so pleasant. Dancing around the pool on the Terrace Deck, staff and guests celebrated their final night together on the ship. We had one final presentation – a slide show after dinner – of pictures taken by a staff member of our excursions and life on the ship. It was a nice touch to receive a copy of the disc with these images at check-out time.
