The first day of our cycle tour saw us cycle around the ChuChi tunnels. A lazy 25km cycle in the morning and a tour if the tunnels.
It really is eye opening to feel the rock solid ground and appreciate how much hard labour went into building these tunnels.
Our day ended with a short ferry ride to an island and a pleasant late night stroll to our home stay, in the Mekong Delta region. As someone who has lived and loved in a developing country I was reassured by the smell of DEET and the safety net of my mosquito net. Not so much my fellow adventurers!
Our hosts were gracious, and generous. Our rooms had large beds, clean linen and well maintained mosquito nets. There was even fresh towels for us to utilise.
After the crew had devoured a seemingly never ending dinner and stumbled off to bed, our hostess ensured that we were secure with all the doors and windows shut. Only little geckos came to visit!
We woke up to find a very romantic breakfast waiting for us. With amazing Vietnamese coffee. Which I am in love with. Teeny tiny coffee, packs a brilliant caffeine punch!
One thing I regret was the limited time at our Homestay. Around 12 hours. There wasn’t enough time to sit and just relax, talk to the family and really engage with the community.
Here’s how to successfully participate in a Homestay situation.
1-Don’t be an ass! Especially when it comes to food. Generally speaking the host family will prepare special food and extra large amounts ! Don’t be afraid to try a bit of everything. Ask what the dish is and how it was cooked/prepared.
2- Don’t arrive super late if you want to get to know your host and family.
3- Short & sweet should be your moto. Especially when showering. It’s very unlikely that a Homestay family in a developing country will have access to town water and the ability to heat it. Remember that everything you use the host family won’t be able to use.
4- Enjoy yourself. The situation maybe unfamiliar to you but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying what is on offer. I love reading my book, laying bj bed under a mosquito net all by the romantic lights of my head torch.
5- Pay fairly. If you have been provided with drinks, food etc that is not included make sure you pay a fair price. Which maybe more than what the locals pay.
6- Leave foot prints, take only photos. This relates back to my point. 1. Don’t be an ass. Treat the home and hosts with respect, as you would want to be treated.
A few photos from our first day touring. More will be uploaded once we have edited them. The below are raw photos.
