Day 38

Today we go buy trees to the countryside. The alarm clock rings at 6 am and I jump out of the bed, shower, get dressed and it’s done. Ready to go. Downstairs, Xuan and me wait for Carlos who went to pick up new friend Thomas, a German guy they met yesterday. As soon as they arrive we jump in the car and there we go…

During our trip we talk about interesting subjects like TV violence, democracy, dictatorship, garbage separation and people. We stop for breakfast at Mekong restaurant, the touristy place I’ve talked about before. We eat our prawn noodle soup and drink our cà phê sữa đá, walk around a bit and hop in the car.

water lilly

Miss Xuan

As it is still early we drive ‘till Xuan’s family temple and visit her sister. Xuan tells to Thomas the story about the temple and we eat jackfruit and drink coconut. At the temple they’re preparing food for a celebration and the first smell that I feel is carrot, it’s such an intense smell but goes well with the place we are.

I like to seat on the stairs of the temple and just hear: hear the calmness, the motors of the boats and bikes, just seat there and let me be taken to another place, to another era…

It’s time to go back to the road as we’re going to meet Chi Mi’s family and have lunch with them.

Chi Mi’s family leave in the same house for a couple of generations now and, beside Chi Mi, she has more 5 brothers with the youngest living with their parents and taking care of them. I think it’s important to say that Chi Mi’s mum has 80 years old but has the moves like Jagger. =)

We’re offered hot tea and I wander a little bit in search of nice photos.

It’s time for lunch and rice chicken soup and chicken salad with carrots and banana tree is served. Orange juice to drink and mango for dessert and we have Xuan telling us “let’s go let’s go”.

In fact we have to go meet a guy who sells all kinds of trees and it seems it’s a little bit far away. Chi Mi’s older brother come with us and we get back on the road. I confess I fall asleep a little bit after and only wake up when I hear Xuan saying: “Inês, look, Bò!” and that’s it, cows are near the road eating and minding their own business. The landscape is just truly amazing! Green enters in your eyes and doesn’t want to come out. There’s so many coconuts… this is really CocoLand! In the meantime, Xuan has been talking with the tree guy and I only hear her say to Carlos: “go straight, then pass the bridge, then you’ll find another bridge, pass the bridge, go straight” and like this for the next 20 bridges or so… finally, we don’t cross the last bridge…

the last bridge

The tree guy is waiting for us and when we arrive to his home, we’re offered fresh coconuts and their water is just really sweet. While Carlos and Xuan speak with the tree guy about the trees they want to take to Portugal, I wander a little bit more and I get really amazed by the colors flowers can have here. They’re so vivid that seems they can gain life and we can enter in another world.

 When the meeting is over we head back to HCMC. The traffic is just crazy and before entering the motorway we leave Chi Mi’s brother near the bus stop so he can go back to his place. It’s dark already and driving in these streets is like doing slalom.

In HCMC we leave Thomas in the tourist street and go for dinner. Do you know where? Of course, barbeque! My friends say hi and smile at me and dinner is really good, as always. Time to head back home, as we’re tired as hell.

I take a shower and jump to bed. I try to see if my parents are online so I can tell them about my day. No one’s on the other side so I just go to sleep.

Night night peeps!