Day 2 was half the time as day one but just as much fun!
There is no better way to wake up than a relaxing ride around the area on the back of an elephant! I was so excited to get to ride an elephant. It was slow and not very exciting but I loved every minute of it!
Our elephant had a mind of his own. He would stop for snacks constantly! We area we saw was beautiful and peaceful.
Maybe these are the "long house people." I think they are...I am getting my minority groups mixed up. Sorry. Either way. This is another ethnic minority group. They live with one family in each house, sometimes including extended family. Every house is built on stilts and all the animals live under the house.
Here is a little kid sitting at the back entrance. We were told that only the men get to use the front entrance and that woman and children entered the home from the back.
There is no sex education (maybe in the schools) and no birth control. Our guide told us the people believe in big families...and by big he meant around 12-15 children. He said this is the reason people are so poor and that they cycle of poverty is never broken.
Here is another "factory." Where bricks are made. This is the firing house.
Here is "one stop" creation shop. There is the clay and the machine that forms the bricks. There were thousands of bricks stacked around the house drying out. They must dry for 3 days before going into the firing house.
Another business is creating cement pots. This young boy is only 16 year old. His job was to form the pots. it was interesting to watch. He just moved that piece around and around until the clay had the perfect shape. (there is sand underneath to form the inside of the pot). He was able to make each pot in about 10 minutes.
This was once a beautiful church. It was bombed and ruined during the Vietnam War. Our guides did not have the greatest things to say about Americans (as they thought we were from Canada). It was an eerie sight.
Our day ended with another wonderful hike to see more waterfalls. These falls were not tall like Elephant falls but wide.
The hike was beautiful. We were the only people on trail most of the time which was wonderful.
First of many falls:
I loved it!
To get to the second set of falls we had to cross two bridges. We felt they were from a movie. The first one was ok but the second one would sway back and forth as we walked. I thought of the movie Shrek while walking and was saying things like "I want to turn back...I know that half the bridge is safe!" (no one found me funny but I laughed!)
But the view at the other side was beautiful!
On the hike back, Courtney made a friend. This is a Vietnamese High School kid. His English was pretty good. We exchanged emails and I still get emails from him every once in a while!
When we got back, our drivers were playing Chinese Chess. We were trying to learn but never totally figured it out. I would still like to learn!
One last farm before we catch the bus! This is a black pepper farm! This was the best pepper I have ever tasted! You can tell by the house that pepper is where the money is! However it is a hard business to start because you cannot sell your crop for 5 years!
Saying good-byes!
Having some Vietnamese coffee while waiting for the bus!
This is how you brew Vietnamese coffee:
The little cup at the bottom has condensed milk in it. The coffee is like syrup and so strong. It was like drinking cough syrup!
There is no better way to wake up than a relaxing ride around the area on the back of an elephant! I was so excited to get to ride an elephant. It was slow and not very exciting but I loved every minute of it!
Our elephant had a mind of his own. He would stop for snacks constantly! We area we saw was beautiful and peaceful.
Maybe these are the "long house people." I think they are...I am getting my minority groups mixed up. Sorry. Either way. This is another ethnic minority group. They live with one family in each house, sometimes including extended family. Every house is built on stilts and all the animals live under the house.
Here is a little kid sitting at the back entrance. We were told that only the men get to use the front entrance and that woman and children entered the home from the back.
There is no sex education (maybe in the schools) and no birth control. Our guide told us the people believe in big families...and by big he meant around 12-15 children. He said this is the reason people are so poor and that they cycle of poverty is never broken.
Here is another "factory." Where bricks are made. This is the firing house.
Here is "one stop" creation shop. There is the clay and the machine that forms the bricks. There were thousands of bricks stacked around the house drying out. They must dry for 3 days before going into the firing house.
Another business is creating cement pots. This young boy is only 16 year old. His job was to form the pots. it was interesting to watch. He just moved that piece around and around until the clay had the perfect shape. (there is sand underneath to form the inside of the pot). He was able to make each pot in about 10 minutes.
This was once a beautiful church. It was bombed and ruined during the Vietnam War. Our guides did not have the greatest things to say about Americans (as they thought we were from Canada). It was an eerie sight.
Our day ended with another wonderful hike to see more waterfalls. These falls were not tall like Elephant falls but wide.
The hike was beautiful. We were the only people on trail most of the time which was wonderful.
First of many falls:
I loved it!
To get to the second set of falls we had to cross two bridges. We felt they were from a movie. The first one was ok but the second one would sway back and forth as we walked. I thought of the movie Shrek while walking and was saying things like "I want to turn back...I know that half the bridge is safe!" (no one found me funny but I laughed!)
But the view at the other side was beautiful!
On the hike back, Courtney made a friend. This is a Vietnamese High School kid. His English was pretty good. We exchanged emails and I still get emails from him every once in a while!
When we got back, our drivers were playing Chinese Chess. We were trying to learn but never totally figured it out. I would still like to learn!
One last farm before we catch the bus! This is a black pepper farm! This was the best pepper I have ever tasted! You can tell by the house that pepper is where the money is! However it is a hard business to start because you cannot sell your crop for 5 years!
Saying good-byes!
Having some Vietnamese coffee while waiting for the bus!
This is how you brew Vietnamese coffee:
The little cup at the bottom has condensed milk in it. The coffee is like syrup and so strong. It was like drinking cough syrup!
No comments:
Post a Comment