Path of the Giant: Soc Trang

On April 13th I gave my fourth and ultimate final exam for the second semester at CTU. As much as i enjoyed teaching, and learned from the expereince this year, i was very excited to be done! I took the weekend to pack up, say my goodbyes, eat a bunch of great local food, and teach a few more classes at the private night school i was working at. Since leaving Can Tho on April 19th, i have been travelling a lot in Vietnam, using HCMC as my home base! I first went to Soc Trang for a night, to visit my friends and fellow volunteers Elise and Michelle.

Soc Trang is a small town located about 60k south of Can Tho, and has a large Kmer community. Elise and Michelle have been teaching at Soc Trang College, and graciously hosted me in their faculty apartment. Soc Trang is both much smaller than Can Tho, and more isolated. I always get stares, laughs, and pointing walking down the street, but that attention doubled in Soc Trang. The people were friendly as always, and i felt very comfratble in Soc Trang. It's even more relaxed that Can Tho!

I rode into town on a sketchy local bus, that stops whenever someone wants to get on, and makes its way from city to city all day. After being picked up by Michelle, i got a quick tour of the town, then dropped my stuff of. After it cooled off a bit we went for a walk through a Khmer cemetary and to the famous Bat Pagoda. The pagoda is home to hundreds of fruit bats, some weighing up to four pounds, with a wing span of three feet. After seeing the Pagoda, its bats, and the beggar childred hanging out there, we walked to dinner in town. We had a dish of beef and onions you cook yourself over an open charcoal grill. After cooking, you wrap the beef in rice paper with various fresh veggies.

The next day i saw more of the town, bought some of Soc Trang's famous Banh Pia, had lunch at a local veggie place, and caught a bus back to Can Tho. Banh Pia is a sweet cake made with Durian, and famously pungent tropical fruit. You either love it or hate it! I couldn't stand the taste when i got to Vietnam, but it has since grown on me.

Since Soc Trang i have been up north to Hanoi and Sapa and down south to the beach town of Mui Ne. Tonight i board a plan to Frankfurt, Germany. I will be travelling for two weeks around Germany, visiting a few friends along the way, then spending a week in Paris with my parents and Jettie.

Look for more posts soon about my more recent travels!