Floating Market and Noodle Factory

We got up at 5 AM to go to the Cai Rang Floating Market.  This market is meant for local businesses, not tourists (unless you want 10 kgs of pumpkin).  The vendors would display what they sell on tall poles on their boat so you can easily see from afar.  It used to be much more economical to transport goods by boat up and down the Mekong River, but with better roads and transportation options, the floating market is now only a small fraction in size of what it used to be.  It looked like there are almost as many tourist boats (albeit mostly empty) as vendors now. 

For breakfast, our boat cozied up next to a food vendor who magically conjured up delicious bowls of hu tieu (Cambodian noodle soup) from an old rickety bobbing blue boat.  

The food was delicious - flavorful pork broth, assorted meats including chewy fish cakes, and perfectly al dente noodles!  Apparently his family has been making and serving hu tieu in the floating market for over 30 years.  They have clearly perfected it.  

Unfortunately for Oren and me, the bobbing of our boat was too much for us to handle so we couldn't eat much.  Oren ended up getting a banh mi from another boat food vendor and it was abysmal by any standard, but especially in comparison to Banh Mi Huynh Hoa.  Not even Eric wanted to finish it.  Whoa.

We went to a rice paper and noodle factory that uses colouring made from dragonfruit, butterfly pea flower, pandan, some leaf that makes things purple, and turmeric.  Small factories like these are a dying breed that have been replaced by modern factories with high output. 

 

I think we went through some small canal but I was asleep on Eric's shoulder.  We also stopped by a coconut candy factory.  One stop that I regret not being alert for was when we visited a family who lived on a boat (actually four boats tethered together).  The family kept a few ducks and a frog for food (except the frog is now a pet... the kids couldn't bear to eat it).  They have three girls and a very cute pet dog.  They couldn't afford to send the eldest to high school so she helps with the family business by tying up the tour boats, helping tourists on and off the boats, and serving fruit to tourists as we glimpse into their lives.