After our boat transfer, from the tiny boat back to teh toursit boat, we were taken to the flosting markets on the river. This is the where the locals go to purchase the fruit and veggies for selling on the streets. There were loads of boats filled with pineapples and potatoes all for selling to the locals. Our new tour guide pulled us up right next to one of the pineapple boats where this family was living to purchases pineapples to eat. It was great, the guy would carve it for you and give to it to you just like a lollipop. 
After eating a big breakfast, I didn't want any fresh pineapple, but the guy was quite skilled at it, so you couldn't help but watch them. They live their enitre lives on the boat.
After the we left the floating markets, they took us to the rice noodle factory. This family makes rice noodles and work everyday until the rainy season to make the rice noodles for production. They pour the liquid on the which is a flat gridle that looks like what you's use to make pancakes or crepes. They leave it on there for 2 to 3 minutes and it come off the in the pancake shape and is placed onto the drying rack.
The guy is taking the rice noodle off the hot burner and placing it onto the drying rack..Once the rack was full it is plaved into the sun for 4 hours to dry before it's put through the grinder to make the rice noodles.
One bag of rice can cost about 7,000 Dong
The rice ashes from the stove are even used as a fertilizer in the rice field and sold to the local farmers for 30,000 Dong(20,000= 1USD). They seemed to use everything they produced. The family works for the enitre day, no one is paid wages, and they work until the rainy season starts. During the rainy season, the factory is used for...cock fighting. It's a source of local gambling and I guess every farm has prizes cocks...for fighting and all the men gather together, gamble and watch the cock fight...(Michael Vick would like that..;)
At our next destionation, we again..more prizes roosters used in the cock fighting.
This farm grew fresh mangos, pineapple and dragonfruit.
Wow...this was quite a second day, we had to say good bye again to everyone not continuing and make our way down to the Cave pagoda as the last stop. After a few long days, I wasn't really interested in seeing it, but I quickly changed my mind after arriving. That's not the spirit..is it? :) The pagoda was built into the side of the mountain and you could see all the way to Cambodia. We ventured up the side of the mountain to the cave pagoda. There were several monks walking around and it did feels like something out of a Samurai movie. They were in the middle of building a living quateres for the female monks too.
Inside the caves we were able to see the Buddhas, and much to my surprise the cave were normally lit, but due to the power
outage in town it was completely dark inside the cave. A monk was walking around setting up candles for us to see inside the cave. It was a good ambience, very peaceful and quiet. This particular monk had a glint of happiness in his eyes as he walked around lighting our way.
These are thw twevles faces of Buddha...it was a little surprising to see one tha smaller statues that Buddha was wearing sunglasses...a bit modern right..:)
After our long long day, we landed in Chau Doc where we would wake up the next day to take the speed boat to Cambodia.We arrived to our supposedly 3 star hotel which had no power...so no A/C...I wandered around town for a little while tired and feeling dirty...just wanting a nice shower and to cool off. The hotel staff had a generator that they were refusing to turn on...which was a bit crap of them. There were bugs all over the place...I spent that night tucked inside the silk sleeping bag...eww...but i guess it's alll part of the experience...even the bad bits...:)
Tomorrow...Cambodia..:)
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