Mekong River

After a 2-hr car trip we boarded our little boat to cross the Mekong River to our home for the next 3 nights, the Mekong Lodge.





Lunch on arrival was quite spectacular with this elephant fish.


These guys went for a bike tour


and Rosie and I met them later for a punt ride through narrow residential canals



or on another occasion just walking around our neighbourhood.


Cooking class before dinner.


Carrot decorating was harder than it looked.


Our guide took us up the river to see the floating market where locals buy and sell their produce straight off their boats. They have a sample of what they're selling attached to a pole on the boat so buyers can tell from a distance.

We also toured a fish farm on the river where some poor guy had the unenviable job of throwing whole dead fish plus bran flour into a very loud mincing machine and chucking the resulting mess to the live fish to eat.



Then on to a family brick-making business where the kiln was heated with great piles of rice husks and bricks stayed in there round the clock for 15 days.



These two cuties were running around at the brick factory and were keen to high-five us - they were a bit coy for the camera, though.



Another family business we visited was making a solid form of sugar from cane which they purchase from elsewhere and ship in on the river. They used to grow their own cane but it became more profitable to grow fruit.















Rosie and Sophie vied for the hammock on the boat - Sophie had the first go.



We had lunch at a 'homestay' built on stilts above the edge of the river.





Rosie finally got her go in the hammock.


On our last day at the Mekong Lodge, we moved into the newer part where all the rooms have their own little warm pool on the verandah - very relaxing.




A peaceful sunset across the river with a lone boatman with amazing balance!




Rosie participated in another cooking class to make up for not being able to do the bike rides.