Our second trip is up north from Long Xuyên - in the further up district, bordering Cambodia, called An Phu district.
For two nights, we slept in a hotel in Chau Pau, which is a lovely news because the hotel was clean, tidy, and we all got our own space. We also had less distance to cover, so we got to visit a bit the very touristic center of Chau Pau (one of the few areas where tourists are allowed to spend the night). We even got to try some cake at a local bakery! Not as good as the Kmer buns though.
On the way to the rice fields, we crossed an area that clearly showed some differences, more visible to my ignorant eyes than the Kmer part: it turned out that there is an arabic minority in this area, highlighted by colorfully dressed people walking in the streets.
Crossing a bamboo bridge is not as fun as it may sound. Or else, it might be if you are an agile and light Vietnamese, or if you are an unafraid (tall and strong) Englishman... but not if you are me. I did not enjoy it, not even once! Often the sides are equipped with side-rails that are supposed to help you keep the equilibrium and such, but as you might notice from the picture below, they do not support any weight.
I still look at this, and many other pictures, and think "how did I get through this one?".
One of the many bamboo bridges I had to cross, not once without fear.
The roof of the entrance of a fancy hotel in Chau Pau.
(Side note: during the trip in An Phu, I notice for the first time that there are quite a lot of volleyball nets - I will notice many more around the province during the trip - and that the young players are actually very good!)
I got to get on this scale, with the delight of the workers that very likely made bets on my weight, and were amazed by how big I was! It was the highlight of the day :)
Comments