What a contrast to yesterday. I didn't go outside the homestay gate and the group rested, played games, cooked, ate and talked. With knowing Tien for a long time it wasn't like being in a holiday place but more like home. Her dad plodded around with his walking stick with four legs to it or tried to move around in his wheelchair; with only one good arm it wasn't easy. Mother would often go over and give him a massage.
Phuoc roamed around the planted areas, picking green leaves which he'd use in the soups or to fry. He said country folk did this all the time and so every soup tasted differently. For breakfast we had a huge bowl of noodle soup with veg and various kinds of meat in it; I said it included lunch.
I've decided why the pitcher plant survives in the dry season - when I went for a morning walk my feet were wet with the heavy due and there was fog in the morning. It was a nice scene seeing the mist rising from the pond. The fields would be a nightmare to walk through because the soil is simple dug up and then trees are planted; no effort is made to smooth out the soil and so the ground is nothing but large lumps of soil. The colour is strange too - compared to Canadian soils it looks quite anaemic with hardly any colour. On the other hand, it seems to be able to grow anything so it must be all right. I was impressed with the families poultry; the cockerels were huge and very majestic. They have a number of dogs that were very friendly and playful.
I had an early breakfast because the youth were having a one hour yoga class run by Tuan Anh who is heavily into this sort of thing. He constantly posts pictures on Facebook with him balancing on one leg with the other one up in the air.
During my spare time I drifted from my bed, to the swing, to the hammock, to the chairs. Compared to yesterday it was a blessed relief. After lunch there was a lot of whispering and then everyone disappeared upstairs leaving one lady in her hammock. Suddenly loud music started and she was shocked to see everyone coming down the stairs with Phuoc carrying a beautifully decorated birthday cake. Someone had playfully put candles saying "52". Her wish was for a partner this year. It's interesting that almost all my young Vietnamese friends are single whereas in Cambodia they are busily getting married and producing children. Maybe it's a hormonal difference!!
Lunch was the usual Asian meal with various fried dishes including a fried fish in a tomato sauce and soup. We also had fried bits of pork fat. Loony said no Western lady would touch them and the Vietnamese said, "We love them and look how slim we are!"
I wandered into the kitchen and saw an electric machine rumbling away with brown, round marble-sized objects jiggling around. They turned out to be macadamia nuts that were being roasted in their shells. When I turned around I saw the 5 year old girl, who stays there when her mother is cooking, chucking handfuls of the nuts into the pond. I quickly got someone to stop her as they are expensive in Vietnam.
In the afternoon I joined the group for what Tuan Anh called Face Yoga exercises that are guaranteed to make us look younger. First of all we were supposed to hold our mobiles (which I didn't have with me) and look down into it. He said that was what they'd look like when they were older - I've already realised I'm there already so I didn't need to look. For almost an hour he had us doing various muscle stretching exercises to get rid of lines etc. I learned that we have 11 lines between our eyebrows when we frown. At one point we had to yell "Wow" and make our mouths as wide as possible. I showed the group the painting "Scream" by Munch, which looked exactly like the group's facial expression. After each exercise the ladies would look into their phones to see if it had made any difference.
I was sorry to leave the place but the bus came at 8.30pm and off we went. We were on a small bus and we could hear hens screeching on the front seat. We transferred to a large sleeper bus and, as usual, I was on the front 'bed'. This time two old dears sat by me and they started talking. In Vietnam, if you speak quietly you are being devious and dishonest, and so everyone shouts. At 9pm, when it's just 20cms from my ear I felt as if my head was vibrating. I was pleased that I'd packed eye shades so I was able to shut out the lights and try to sleep. This is one of those times when I want time to fly.
