Day Three, Life on the Farm.
We got up the next morning and had breakfast. Actually Thu got up at dawn, me and Robert slept in until six. There's something about being on a farm that makes you want to get up early. The family just went ga ga over Robert. I just couldn't get over how popular he was. There are normally about 10 people who live on this farm, but a bunch of other people stopped by to visit. They gawked at the fat American husband, and then went over to coo over Robert. Well, the women cooed, the guys just hung around and chatted.
I got a tour of the farm. Thu's home is a farm, where they raise pigs, fish, chickens and ducks. They also have some fruit trees with bananas, mangos and something called "Mit". It's all very medieval, they wouldn't last a split second against a modern agro corporation farm. Most of Vietnam's population lives on farms like these, so the import of food is carefully regulated. This keeps the food prices are kept artificially high.
This farm sits on about an acre of land, that's roughly rectangular. Facing the river is the front yard and the house. Behind the house is the bathroom, dining area and kitchen. There's another yard where the chickens and ducks are kept. After that are the pig pens, the male is a huge bastard, at least 6 feet nose to rear. In the back is a large pond, where they raise fish. Behind the property are many acres of rice patties. On either side of the property are small artificial streams, that are used to drain and fill the rice patties.
The whole system of rivers and streams has an artificial feel to them. They're just too damm straight and regular to be natural. I wonder how old they are. Could be hundreds, even thousands of years.
Thu spent the a lot of time video taping everything. She wanted a full documentary of her home.
I had brought with me an old Game Boy, just in case. Thank god I did. I spent a lot of time playing the damm thing, while Thu was hanging out with her family and friends. Thu convinced me to stay for another day, since we got in so late the night before. That evening some of the chickens were sacrificed for dinner. They tasted great. |
June 22, 2004Showing 1-12 of 12357 visitsAlbum by Steven W Dugger |
