After several late nights with Thai and Tom, scootering, drinking Saigon beer, eating boiled peanuts on bridges and riding boats on the Mekong I was looking forward to a lie in.
At 8am there was a knock on my door. Opening it in my boxers, it was Thai and some random bloke. "Who is this?" I asked politely. "My agent," he replied, bearing a wall-to-wall smile. "I see." I must have looked confused.
Thai had done part-time modelling for 5 years for the man and he had a shoot organised for Saturday that required a western model. "Cool," I said, "has he found one?" Smiling some more and putting his arm around my shoulder I was beginning to get the drift.
My bus to Vinh long (another river town one hour away) was due to depart that morning, so, over breakfast of Bahn Mi (baguette filled with pork strips, spring onion, pasta, parsley and soy) I said I'd get back to the agent via e-mail before Saturday.
Now get the picture. I'm 5 foot 8" or something, 35 this year and don't look like Brad Pitt (although some do say Ben Stiller) That said, I have literally been a hit in Can Tho with more womanly interest in 4 days than a year in Britain. It is no exaggeration to say that girls here have crashed their scooters to stare at me. One girls head did a 360 degree turn as she passed me. Pale skin, and a boney nose appear very attractive it seems......I must stand out like an American on a London bus but with far more allure.
Pondering the catwalk, I jumped into the mini bus and sped towards Vinh Long.
First impressions of this rural township on the Mekong delta are, that it is one big market. Life here is as unwestern as a Siamese cat in Siam eating Siamese nooldles. (although this is Vietnam not Siam)
I am excited by the sheer diversity of the food all around me and the vibrant freshness. Lining every street and alleyway are mounds of mangosteens, reels of rambutans, collections of custard apples, legions of leaves, piles of peanuts, trays of tamarind, barrels of baguettes and big bowls of broth. Produce here is a "who's who," of tropical fruit and veg. In a short surveillance I observed beetroot, sweet potatoes, mooli, sugar cane, horned water chestnuts, bitter melon, chow chow, dudhi, okra and some roots, tubers and leaves I didn't recognise. Veg is interdispersed with drying foodstuffs like fish, tree bark (and other traditional remedies) and funghi. People in conical hats crouch low with their wares for hours. It looks bloody painful.
Transfixed, I ponder. "These people are so monetarily poor, yet so gastranomically rich."
Since arriving in the Mekong I have been overwhelmed by the strength of their food culture.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner never fail to delight.
They certainly give the Thais a run for their money although Cambodian dishes bear a close relationship. Indeed, the delta was once part of the Khmer kingdom.
In just 5 days exploring this important river system, I have eaten some memorable dishes.....
Lunch of Waterbuffalo in soupy noodles with crispy, crescent banana tree shoots, forced pork, bitter herbs, crunchy white beansprouts, salted soya bean paste and zippy chilli paste called "Bun Bo Hue," is one. A HUGE SLURPY, "WOW."
Dinner of Nem Miong (white noodles, thin cucumber, pickled carrot, roasted peanuts, skewered pork, chilli and fish sauce) is another. ASTONISHING.
I would describe them as light, wholesome, nutritious, comforting and leaving you wanting more.
The climate is so idyllic for such naturally growing plants although I have regrettably discovered that its also ideal for other, less friendly inhabitants.
Its the tropics, its the rainy season and its........MOSQUITO MANIA.
................and guess which English food is on their menu for breakfast, lunch and Dinner????
