Majestic Mekong

After days of visiting Grandma and the many relatives in Chau Doc village, we managed to squeeze in an impromptu boat ride on the Mekong River. And what a treat it was. Even though the boat looked quite weathered and none of us had life vests on, we didn't think twice about our safety.

For 2 hours, we were mesmerised by the majesty of the river and fascinated by the people who live, play and work on the river. We glimpsed the many homes floating on the river with the floorboards cut out to enable the catching of the basa (cat) fish. We saw the popular salted fish drying on the shores of the river. We viewed the beauty of the rice fields and we saw colourfull boats carrying rice and wheat grains.

Besides the houseboats, there are many floating houses on the Mekong which also act as fish reservoirs. The floats are empty metal drums. Like many homes in Chau Doc, many of the floating homes appear to be runned down and in need of repairs.

Houses along the river are built on very tall stilts in attempt to protect itself from floodwaters during the heavy, rainy monsoon season.

But perhaps the best part of the afternoon was when we stopped for 30 minutes to have a swim in the Mekong. My dad was like a big kid- ducking his head in and out of the water to find clams, rocks and even the odd piece of wood. We couldn't get him out of the water.

Absorbing the experience....