-^-for posterity-^-

a friend of a friend said that it would be a good idea. a long, relaxing boat ride. they got half of it right.

my alarm was set for six thirty in the morning and i was excited. this friend of a friend was going to pick me up at seven. i woke up to loud thumping at six. the friend of a friend, mr. moi, decided that we should go out to eat breakfast early. i woke-up, showered, changed and was out the door in a matter of minutes. my hair hadn’t dried when my coffee arrived.

the sun had just broken out across the sky. everything it reflected on was fresh and new.

our boat was docked along side a large concrete wall at the edge of one of the parks here. it looked like a large hotdog: six feet across and about twenty feet long. it was made of unvarnished wood and the belly was hollow. it normally carried loads of sand up and down the river but today it was to carry human cargo. our boat was powered by a large engine placed to the left of the rudder. it was connected by a large shaft to a small propeller which could be raised and lowered at will. the “captain” would control the height of the propeller with his foot and the rudder with his arm. the engine made a terribly loud noise and we all got accustomed to shouting. the back of the boat was a large shell where the “captian” sat. he sat on a large wooden box above a small hammock.

our “captain” was a small, stout man who didn’t say much. his face was very red for the morning and he staggered as if drunk. his left eye jutted towards his nose and was abnormally blood-shot. it looked like it was hurt badly and, when nothing interesting was happening, i found myself casually staring at it. he wore a peach colored bucket hat and a loose fitting shirt. he chain smoked.

the boat was waiting for me an mr. moi early. we stood around and soon enough the rest of the troop formed. it was an adult english class. there were ten of us in all: four women, five men and one small boy. the boy was the son of one of the ladies and he kept trying to subtly attract my attention. they carried a variety of food and drinks aboard the boat and we were ready to push off.

the boat was stuck. no one could move it and, worse than that, no one had any idea what to do. these were not country folks. they all had nice, cushy jobs and no one really understood boating. our “captain” didn’t have any opinions so we sat glued to the mud bottom. the boat sat at a bank in the river and the current pushed it towards a concrete wall. we were trapped on all accounts.

we asked a small boat docked next to ours if he would help us. he obliged and tied a rope to his boat and set off. the boat still didn’t budge and his small dingy was also forced against the concrete wall by the current. by this point, three of the men had undressed and were in the water pushing, swimming and cursing. there was another larger boat casually floating down the river that we flagged down. the husband and wife team quickly came over to us and tied a rope to our sad ship. they pulled and tugged but, soon enough, they were pressed up against the concrete wall too. it was quite a sad sight. i had been up for about three hours at this point and was ready to go back home.

the smaller boat tied a rope to the larger boat and pulled it away from the concrete wall. now both boats were tugging at ours but to no avail. it seemed as if our boat was destined to die and decompose right there. maybe it could become a restaurant but never would it sail again.

the large boat had a good idea. it got up a good head of steam and sputtered and putted away from us. the rope was about to become taut when the smaller boat realized that it was still connected to the larger boat. the rope connecting the smaller boat to the larger boat tightened and the captain of that dingy quickly dived overboard. the small boat thudded into the side of the larger boat just as the rope became taut and our boat was pulled free from the mud. by this point there was a crowd and they cheered.

so, we were off. we chugged and putted up the river and the women grilled all sorts of meat in the hull. the men sat next to the engine and yelled at each other and laughed. we were heading to some island and everyone kept talking about finding some corn. they said that they would like to grill some fresh corn and that we were heading into the countryside. i didn’t know what to expect and just looked wide-eyed at all that was around me.

what do you see traveling up one of the nine dragons? the mekong river separates into nine tributaries and they are called the nine dragons. you see a great number of boats and people fishing. you see large nets connected to the land that are lifted high out of the water. they sparkle in the morning light and fish flop helplessly.

we arrived at some random farmer’s field. we had passed a great number of fields that all looked very similar in my opinion but this was the one that we would stop at. mr. moi got out and went to see if we could have a picnic.

the farmer obliged and we set off for the nearest shade tree to set up camp. the girls had cooked up a number of wonderful foods and we were all quite hungry. the field was hoed into thin, high rows. the dirt was wonderful: somehow it was a perfect combination of clay and sand. it was firm under your feet and yet would crumble when you touched it. it seemed as if anything would grow there. i felt like i was growing just standing there. i felt so wonderfully alive.

two farmers came over to watch us eat. they sat off at a distance for a bit but that would not do. we invited them over and they sat quietly as only farmers can. the older one was maybe fifty years old and wore a tired, white hat. he didn’t say anything and looked at me peacefully. the younger one reminded me of what my mother’s father must have been like when he was younger. he looked at me thoughtfully and sincerely. he had the peace and patience that are required to grow good crops. years and years of waiting for food to ripen. this gentle man had learned to wait and watch and i could plainly see it in his eyes. the earth not only gives us food, it also gives us the wonderful temperament of a farmer.

we ate and talked and i was tired. it was already four in the afternoon and my arms were as red as fall leaves. we headed back and returned to a setting sun. the day was beautiful but long. i can’t adequately express how happy i am to be here.