Mekong Fruit Stop
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Wed 27 Dec 2017 23:17
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Mekong Fruit Stop with Singing
and Honey
  We leave out tour boat and climb down
into the paddle power of a husband and wife team. We
turn left off the main river and head up a skinny
tributary.
   Until yesterday the river was up two
metres as a result of the latest typhoon, the riverbank was
messy in part. Our twenty minute ride saw pouring rain (useful when your
anorak is on the coach.....) and a traffic jam at one
of the stopping places.
  Riverside
dwellings along the way.
  A big girl
who had taken shelter from the storm. A footbridge,
we thought, rather fancy.
  We enjoy the
ride and stop with clambering to get
ashore.
   Jackfruits
and many other fruit bearers as we walk through this large plantation, strange
to see a few flowers and a pretty hibiscus out of
place amongst the huge durians and bananas. We arrive at a market for tourists and are seated to sample “tropical
fruits with some singing”.
   Fruits,
not unusual to us but delicious none the same. The
singing was pleasant but a bit warbly. The final
lady was extremely passionate but could have been singing about her
shopping list for all we understood.
  Lovely
colours as we pass a market stall en route to our tasting.
  We sit, a lady puts some honey in a cup, some pollen, hot water and a squeeze of
lime juice. Very tasty, our server lost interest when she knew we didn’t want to
purchase five jars of royal jelly with one free. We tried to placate her by
buying a bag of honeyed-dried bananas and some nut brittle. Off once again by
bigger tour boat passing diddy bee
hives.
    No sooner than we had got going than the water pumped failed. Our
skipper let us wallow as he took floorboards up, a
scratch of the head, a quick turn with a screwdriver and a trusty clonk with a
hammer and brown water began spurting out. Off we
went once more.
   Header tank settled. Boom box blaring and a very happy Bear enjoying himself
immensely.
  Crossing the
Mekong River.
ALL IN ALL A JOLLY
STOP
AMAZINGLY TIDY CONSIDERING THE WATER LEVELS OF
YESTERDAY
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