Homestay on the Mekong

04.01.2017

I deposited my laundry at the laundromat, 3 kg for $3, but it would take 24 hours. I went back to the Xplore Asia office and asked if there was another person coming on the tour today. He said no, so I went back to the hotel to wait out the heat. As I was lying there sweating, the tour guy showed up and told me he found Son, a Vietnamese American lawyer, who would be going on the homestay and kayaking tour with me. He had decided to leave early, so I didn't have to wait, and we could both go on a cheaper adventure. Turns out they were frantically looking for me, even though I clearly wrote my email down the night before and even though I had been there promptly at 9:30 to check in with them. Son later told me he had sent an email the night before, but the tour guide didn't bother to check it.

Anyway, we were off as soon as Son arrived. More than an hour later, we were at our homestay on stilts, sweating in the heat and wandering around on dusty roads towards the river, when suddenly the mighty Mekong appeared, brilliant blue with emerald green flooded forest islands in the middle. We sat down in the shade, and drank the rest of our water which had been streaming from our pores.

On the way back, our tour guide found us and drove us back, three full grown adults smooshed together on a motorcycle driving down mud roads. Good thing it was only a short distance.

There was nothing else to do until dinner, and we met two German women dirt biking around. There was no room at our place, so we sent them down the road to the more beautiful place.

We had some rice wine with dinner of fish soup, eggs and rice. For dessert, Mr. Hen (our guide) tried to give my fruit back to me and tell me it was grown there in the homestay. No, these are mine, that I brought from the city. Why are you lying to me, Mr. Hen? and we laughed.

Son and I walked down the road, the other way this time, and found a silky sandy beach. We sat down and watched some people night fishing, who seemed to be coming closer to us. I tried to freak Son out and he flipped it back on me, so then I was scared they were all in a kidnapping plot together, and then we went back to laze around in hammocks until it was late.

Mekong