Although our main purpose in Can Tho was to see Mekong Delta’s rural side, I welcomed the chance to have a glimpse of the town’s urban area during a short night stroll.

We arrive in Can Tho just before sunset after spending a day exploring the river system and canals near Ben Tre some 3 hours away (I’ll write about this soon).

Though the rains have stopped I did not held my breathe for sunset, as the sky is still a dull shade of gray. After setting our stuff in our room, my wife and I went out to find a place to eat. I had other intentions of course – to shoot.

It was blue hour by the time we went out – perfect, what’s not was that I found out that my tripod, which I had never taken out of its bag ever since we landed in Saigon, was cracked at the center column where you attach the head - its barely usable! So much for handling fragile items, thank you Cebu Pacific!

Finding dinner was bumped off the top of the list with finding a ”super glue”. A hardware store (we found one nearby) shopkeeper listed intently for several minutes while I explained the problem animatedly with elaborate hand gestures, then smiled sheepishly and said “No English”, breath stinking with beer. Agitation was turning into frustration.

Next we tried a supermarket, surely they have some form of glue or epoxy, but of course we got the usual “No”. We had no choice but to check every aisle. Found one, bought several tubes, but discovered my tripod problem is not easily fixed. I resigned to the fact that I won’t be shooting much that night.


We walked along one of the major streets of Can Tho, looking for a place to eat. The streets are similar to Saigon’s: line with food stalls and hawkers, overflowing with motorcycles and scooters (Can Tho is Mekong Delta’s unofficial capital and is also a “university town”). Crossing the street always requires patience, courage, some quick thinking with matching quick feet.


We passed by several brightly lighted stalls selling moon cakes, bought a sample after agreeing we are not being ripped off with the price, though my wife still thinks its expensive for 55,000 dong (about 2.5 USD) a piece. I told her its because it has “stuff” in it. We were famished and we consumed one in record time.


Language is always a barrier in ordering food. We bypassed several food stalls after quickly surveying what the others are eating: mostly seafood stuff, some soup, and grilled meat, and deciding we won’t be able to effectively communicate what we want to eat. In the end we decided to go for the safest bet: pho.


We found a stall manned by a young man who was more interested on talking on his mobile than getting our order (I’m sure he is talking to a girl). He smiled while we described what we want and then went to preparing our pho. I wanted beef while my wife wanted chicken. After a few minutes we got our noodles: mine with chicken and pork while my wife got pork with her pho. Pho is pho so we did not complain. He must have seen us eyeing with curiosity what the others are ordering for he kept on bringing us freebies. “No charge”, he said. After dinner we had several glasses of free cha.


The next morning I woke up at 4AM, picked up my tripod – doused the crack with several tubes of super glue the previous night, and head out to shoot sunrise in one of Hậu River’s tributaries (Hau is also known as Bassac River. It starts in Phnom Penh, Cambodia). I had to wake up someone to open the front door. It’s pretty common in Vietnam for hotels to lock their front doors after midnight.


The streets are alive already. I passed by a balloon arc announcing an international trade fair. This is the new Vietnam: socialism is giving way to capitalism. Business is booming, especially in cities like Saigon, and more people want to make more money. The years of the trade embargo are but a distant memory.

I found good spot facing the east on the bridge along Nguyen Trai. A group of drunks nearby, who were probably drinking since the previous night, were eyeing me with curiosity. Several motorists stopped, asked me if I was “media”. I showed them several of my shots, they nodded approvingly, perhaps just to be polite, then went on their way.


Sunrise was dismal and the constant buckling of the bridge as huge trucks pass by did not help some of my shots at all. But I enjoyed watching the blue colors of dawn playing tug of war with the rust color of the river.


On the way back to the hotel I stopped by a stall selling coffee and tea. Aside from pho, coffee and tea are also universal in Vietnam. People start their day with either or all of these three. Somehow I managed to order iced coffee (ca phe da). I could not understand how much to pay so I just showed the lady selling coffee my wallet. She picked out a 2000 dong bill. She could have picked out more bills, I was willing to pay more, but she didn't.

Further along I stopped by a woman selling colored sticky rice wrapped in thin pancake and rice paper. An old man asked me something in Vietnamese. Somehow I understood the question for he replied “Ahh” when I told him I am a Filipino. He smiled and waved when I said I have to go.

In retrospect I find Can Tho a friendlier place than Saigon.

A quick stop in the public market along the Mekong River presented an opportunity to check out the street scenes in Vinh Long and maybe buy some local fruits .

The town is the capital of the province of the same name and is still largely rural. Most visiting the Mekong Delta simply passes through this town on the way to Can Tho, or do a quick restroom stop.

"Thirty minutes, then we go", our Vietnamese guide reminded. While some of us were eager to get down, probably for different reasons, he seemed largely uninterested, he probably passed through this town a thousand times.

too young?

While my companions wandered around, I kept to one side of the street, distancing myself from the market crowd. Its a good way to observe and not intimidate people when taking photos. On the other side a young policeman, too young in my opinion, kept a watchful eye. He probably is more bored than our tour guide.

rambutan lady

A friend who visited Vietnam before had this to say: "same same, but different". The scene is oddly familiar, but like the one I'm used to in Manila's Divisoria or Chinatown area. Everything seemed the same, from the good being hawked to the regular fruits and veggies. But the conical straw hats, the crazy stream of motorcycles, bikes, and scooters, and the signage I can't read tells me I'm in a different place.

dragon fruits and guava

My wife took fancy on some dragon fruits and grenadine - uncommon fruits in the Philippines. A fellow tourist, a Vietnamese now living in Paris, bought quite a few dragon fruits, remarking how expensive these are back in France. He helped us haggle for a kilo of grenadine and dragon fruits, reminding us always that its a common practice in Vietnam.

quiet conversations

We went inside the main building looking for some face masks that are quite common among the commuters here.  Inside are more stuff, a variety of merchandise from powdered soaps to brooms. Judging from the looks others in our group, this must have been an interesting sight, something new. I swore I did not feel like a foreigner in this place.

beans

The Mekong Delta region is one of the fruit and vegetable baskets of Vietnam, and its quite evident here. They say if you want to know more about a place, then go to its market.

veggies

afternoon snacks

One the way back to the bus I came across an interesting item: a big motorbike with a soldier's helmet hung over one end of its handle bar. I have not seen that much reminder of the old war in the country side and even in Saigon (expect probably in the War Museum in Saigon, if one wants to be reminded).

Joe's ride

They say that the Vietnamese did not choose to forget about the war, but more like they know nothing good can come out of dwelling in the past. They are not vindictive and do not display animosity towards the "Joes" who once leveled their country side (especially in the north). I could almost hear someone say to an American: "Hey you dropped tons of bombs, napalmed our forest, left countless land mines in our fields, and poisoned us with Agent Orange, but its all in the past. Now lets drink chả and cà phê đá".

Although we only stayed in Saigon on the last part of our visit to Vietnam, I thought I’d start my series of posts with some of the recognizable icons (places and buildings) that are usually associated with Ho Chi Minh.

We arrived in Saigon (from Can Tho) on a rainy evening. After a few days, I’ve confirmed that there are generally two seasons here just like in the Philippines: the wet and the wetter seasons.


We stayed in one of the inns in De Tham in the backpackers’ area (in District 1). This is a convenient location: near the tour agencies where you can get guides and tour packages, the bus stations (heading north to Hanoi or southeast to Cambodia or Mekong Delta), and near the Saigon “attractions”. In fact the one we chose is right beside a tour agency’s office, so no need for a taxi.

After dropping our bags in our room, we decided to do the touristy thing to do: shop and explore Saigon’s night-scape. Of course my wife insisted we pass by the night market at Ben Thanh first.


Sure enough it was just a short walk from De Tham along Pham Ngu Lao.


The streets along one side of Ben Thanh market is lined stalls selling mostly souvenir stuff. The street is shared with motorist as well. How’s that for dangerous shopping!


I don’t really see the attraction to this night market. For one, there are more choices if you visit Ben Thanh area at day time. Secondly, the prices are not even lower at the night market - it’s the opposite in fact, probably because more tourists visit the night market (as daytime is reserved for tours).


There food stalls as well, perfect for a bowl of hot pho that will surely re-energize a tired shopper. You can't seem to walk a few meters here without coming across someone selling street food.


The universal rule in bargain shopping in Saigon is to haggle, but make sure you buy the item once you get the seller to agree with your desired price. It’s also interesting to note that items are priced not just based on their value but also partly your capacity to pay (as perceived by the seller), so look poor. I also found out that if you stand long enough in front of a stall, someone will soon drag you by the arm into the stall and try to sell you stuff. Talk about aggressive selling!


After buying a few stuff, we decided to head to some of the iconic buildings as I’m sure they’ll be dramatically lighted at night time. We decided to hire motorcycles to take us around. The buildings are actually within walking distance (everything is, if you have the time and energy to walk) but 3+ hours of traveling by bus has drained us a bit.


Our first stop was the Saigon Opera House (Municipal Theatre) in the chic part of the city. The guides often refer to this as a fine example of French Colonial architecture in Vietnam, although it pales in comparison to its Hanoi counterpart – at least according to some guide books. It looked magnificent nevertheless.


In this part of the city you can actually see a bit more cars, quite a rarity.


Next we went to see the Notre Dame Cathedral in Dong Khoi Street. The façade was not lighted directly but I can see beautiful red brick façade. There was a crowd doing novena in front of the church that time. Built by the French in the late 1800s, the Cathedral continues to be one of the most recognizable symbols of Catholicism in Vietnam.


On the way back to Ben Thanh market we made a quick stopover at the most photographed building in Saigon: Ho Chi Minh City Hall or Hôtel de Ville de Saigon. It was the City Hall under the French but now it’s officially the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee building.


In front of this gothic parody of the Hotel de Ville in Paris is a small park with the statue of Ho Chi Minh.

The highlight of the evening was when, after the tour, one of the motorcycle drivers (who appeared helpful earlier) insisted we pay double the agreed fare. Classic rip off! It just confirms what I read about how “tricky” getting around Saigon is. You are not safe even if you take the taxi. They have even elevated the tampering of taxi meters to an art.


The next day we “developed” a new countermeasure to overpricing: give the seller a piercing look when you think you are being ripped off and you’ll immediately get a discount. It works btw, at least with the lady selling baguette. We went back to Ben Thanh market, my wife was “curious” about what’s inside while I wanted to shoot the facade.


Next we headed to the City Hall, this time we walked. The small park, which I did not noticed much the previous night, was beautiful. I also wanted to see the basilica again in daylight so we proceeded there after taking a few posterity snaps of the City hall.


The Notre Dame Cathedral was also grand in the full sun. Several couples in wedding suits and dresses were having their pictures taken all around the church.


There was a time in Oct 2005 when someone reported that the statue shed tears, prompting a huge crowd to gather and disrupted the traffic.


We met two motorcycle drivers who wanted to prove that not everyone in Saigon are scums bent to rip you off. They offered us a tour of some of the pagodas in Cholon (Saigon’s China town, will write a separate post on it) and while it’s a bit far they did not charge us much.

They even gave us some good luck charms from one of the pagodas. They reasoned if you do what’s right then everybody’s happy. Tourists are happy, you are happy, and your family will be blessed with good luck.


The Cholon tour was capped by a visit to Binh Tay Market (what's a day without shopping). Our driver said most of those selling stuff in Ben Thanh actually get their goods here. I also noticed the absence of tourists in the area, except for us and probably a few who blended in too well.

Best part of the visit to Binh Tay, apart from the incredible bargains, was the several glasses of free ice tea from complete strangers. Everywhere we went folks mistake my wife for a Vietnamese who married a Filipino. She does look like a local especially with that conical hat on, and sound like one too with her few mastered phrases (all of which had something to do with shopping). Our guide said her accent is good. I, on the other hand, was a dead give away with the flags on my shirt, camera, tripod, and backpack.

Looking for an alternative destination in Lake Sebu? Try the refreshingly cold cascades of Traangkini. Most would surely head first to the 2nd Falls for the zip line in Lake Sebu, but if you are looking for a quiet place to cool down, the cascades of Traangkini is the perfect place.

raw beauty

The place got its name from the T'boli word "tdaan-kini" which loosely translated means an intersection of two streams, one which is hot ("kini"). According to the locals, the hot stream remains warm even on a cold night. Traangkini is one of the major water sources of Lake Seloton.

wildflowers

The cascades however are further upstream on the cold stream. Although most outsiders thought Traangkini (or Traan-kini) is a name of a waterfalls, its actually a series of small cascades, some just 4-5 feet tall. There is also no specific spot, and the current "Traangkini" is further upstream of the previous swimming spot. It "moves" as new more beautiful nooks are discovered upstream.

Traangkini is just a short habal-habal ride from the poblacion. However its best to get drivers who actually live near the sitio as the road conditions change on a daily basis, especially during the rainy season. If you ask around the habal habal drivers you'll get conflicting answers as to how bad the current road is.

fields of green

Along the way you'll pass by verdant rice fields and scenery a bit different from the lake side views.

home on the range

The habal-habal will not be able to take you right to the cascades. There is a bit of a hike, about 20-30 minutes depending on how fit you are. This hike will surely make you long for the cold waters that awaits you in Traangkini.

cool and refreshing

The South Cotabato government is actively promoting Lake Sebu as a tourist destination, and spots like Traangkini are likely to be "highlighted". I was talking to some of the elders the last time I was there and there was a mention that the provincial government is already considering "developing" Traangkini by building a road that will lead you right to the river. A staff of the tourism office had been there a previously "taking measurements" around the place.

I just hope that the government's idea of "development" does not involve building concrete tables around the place and creating swimming pools. Sometimes by developing the place we destroy the very reason people hike or go there.

By just looking at the portrait, one cannot imagine that this beautiful young T'boli lady is one of the masters of an art that has been handed down from mother to daughter for ages.

This art I've mentioned is the weaving of the T'nalak cloth, one of the hallmarks of the rich culture of the T'boli tribe of southern Mindanao. The weaving is exclusive to the women of the tribe and it takes years of practice before one can learn the whole tedious process and more years, and probably lots of inspiration, before a unique design can be attributed to a weaver. But by the age of 12, Divina already started weaving and producing complex designs.


I met Divina 2 years ago when I documented the T'nalak weaving process for one of UN's agencies. I had the privilege of shooting her and other "dreamweavers" - a group of T'boli women featured in a book entitled "Dreamweavers" by Neal M. Oshima. Divina is the youngest of the group.

Lake Sebu's T'nalak weavers are nicknamed "dreamweavers" because the patterns they use in the weaving are supposed to be inspired by their dreams. Its a complex process involving close to 10 steps.


This recent set of photos were taken in Man family's weaving hut in Lamkua, one of Lake Sebu's highland sitios (quite a motorcycle ride). Divina's sister Elena and mom Yab are also master weavers (and both were also featured in the book). Yab is considered one of the icons of T'nalak weaving, with more than 100 designs to her name.


Divina is one of the faces of the new generation of weavers, keeping this tradition alive for future generations. Even in the face of mass produced low quality T'nalak (the ones usually sold to tourists in Lake Sebu), she and other young master weavers adhere to traditional ways of producing T'nalak. Its a tedious process (which I hope to feature soon), but the output is priceless art: an imprint of the dreams of the T'boli people.