Last week we went on our Southern trip. This included Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), a floating village in Can Tho, and what else? Oh yeah, a huge island off the south coast of Vietnam, Phu Quoc (aka paradise). We spent about three days in each spot. By far the most adventurous part of the trip was on the island. There I found a jungle with vines I could swing from into a clear stream. I found secluded beaches with clear water and little fisheys that would scatter as you came close. And of course, there was the seafood, perhaps the best you can find in Vietnam.
We started the trip in Saigon and everyone one was very happy when we arrived. People understood us much easier and the food was everything we'd hoped for. Also, it was Halloween the day after we arrived, and so it was a party packed weekend complete with clubs and costumes. We all seemed to have a great time in Saigon and things were good. I met up with my cousin and we had lunch, and I was glad I had someone in Vietnam I could call my family.
The worst part of the trip was in Can Tho. We stayed in a river village which had an especially itchy breed of mosquito. It was interesting to see freshly caught fish smoked in a traditional twig pit, and also to visit an isolated Muslim community at their Mosque, but the trip soured when I lost my cell phone. After this, we came back to the river house for our last dinner. At first I thought it was quail, and began devouring the little charred carcasses we were served. I love jerkied meat. Right after I said, "This is the best chicken I've had in while," it was announced that we had been fed rat meat. Our teacher's assistant insisted that he thought we had known, but it was clear he had planned it from the start. I figured as much, and I have to say that the meat was pretty good. It was tender, juicy, and the skin grilled just right. To be fair, the meat was actually field mice that nest in the plains surrounding the river. A notch or two above the sewer rat, I'm sure.
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