Sometimes you enter a place that enchants you and you don't want to leave. This floating market was such a place for me. Fresh produce of all kinds floats around and beside you as you bob along in your own hired boat. There is so much going on here that you can barely take it all in as you float amongst the vendors. Some are anchored and some are mobile depending on the size of the boat. You can see samples of both in the photo. There are also small boats skirting around selling hot food (we had breakfast there) and others selling beverages to the buyers and vendors alike. This trip was arranged by a WUSC representative Nhung Luu from Hanoi, and we took two young Vietnamese people with us who generously agreed to act as model/volunteers for the day. I don't think any of them had been to the market before and they seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.
As volunteers we can get caught up in work quite a bit but it's really important to make time to engage with the culture outside of the workplace. There are experiences waiting that should not be missed. They broaden our understanding of the people which in turn helps us work with them as volunteers.