|
|
 |
| |
|
| |
 Photo
essay:
Vietnam Bicycle Tour: Cultural Collage of the South
|
| |
|
Dong Xoai – Buon Ma Thout (160km by van) (elev 580m).
Scenic van trip into the highlands.
Points of interest: Ethnographic Museum (there are over a dozen
ethnic groups in the district) |
|
| |
|
Buon Ma Thout was the first major city captured
and held by the Vietcong during the war with America. It turned the tide of the
war. This is commemorated by a monument at the traffic circle in the
center of town. |
 |
| |
 |
Rush hour in Boun Ma Thout is a
river of two-wheeled vehicles, some with motors and the quieter and cleaner ones
without! |
 |
| |
 |
The reality that the country is becoming
increasingly motorized is reflected the fact that there are twenty motorcycle
shops for every bicycle shop, but here (right) are three bicycle shops in a row.
There are still a few smiling bicyclists to be found around town. |
 |
| |
|
Buon Ma Thout has a compact commercial district
and a good size covered market. Both offer interesting "window shopping."
Rarely are you looking though a window because most shops are fully open in
front and there are no windows in the covered market. |
 |
| |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
 Around the
market: vegetables (eggplant, squash, onions, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce,
cauliflower), fruits (dragon fruit, Durian, pineapple, apple, lychee, rumbutan,
grapes, lime, orange), flowers, eggs, meat, fish and more. |
 |
| |
|
This home appliance store (left) specializes in
"Alaska" brand freezers. LG (a Korean company) store selling TVs and other
household appliances (right). |
 |
| |
 |
To the right is a photo of a shop
specializes in Buddhist shrines. |
|
| |
|
Boun Ma Thout has a number of places to eat "al
fresco". Their home-style cooking offers some of the best tasting food for
the price in town. |
 |
| |
 |
 Adults
tend to eat breakfast in restaurants and student tend to eat at the fresh air
vendors. Note the size of the stolls -- common around Vietnam, they are a
challenge for Westerners to fold themselves into. |
 |
| |
 |
One of my favorite features of town
is the fresh fruit juice (smoothie) stands (right). |
 |
| |
|
One of the more tranquil locations
in Boun Ma Thout is the Buddhist temple grounds, which like so many temples
includes a courtyard of bonsai trees.. |
 |
| |
|
At dusk the woman on the right went around the
placing incenses and saying prayers at the Buddha, pavilions and other statues
and shines on the temple grounds. |
 |
| |
|
The Cao Dia religion is concentrated
in the plains around the Mekong Delta but there are followers of the religion
dispersed more widely. There is the temple in Boun Ma Thout. |
 |
| |
|
A funeral procession makes it solemn
way through the neighborhood. |
 |
| |
|
| |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 Please
contact us if you would like to be added to
Ibike's mailing list or have questions, comments, corrections or criticism. (Also, please let us know how you learned about us and
found this site.) Privacy policy.
IBF Homepage
Ibike Programs
Ibike Schedule
Search
"Hosted by
DreamHost - earth friendly web hosting"
Created by David Mozer
Copyright ©1993-2022 Ibike LLC. All rights reserved.
|
Around the
market: vegetables (eggplant, squash, onions, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce,
cauliflower), fruits (dragon fruit, Durian, pineapple, apple, lychee, rumbutan,
grapes, lime, orange), flowers, eggs, meat, fish and more.
Adults
tend to eat breakfast in restaurants and student tend to eat at the fresh air
vendors. Note the size of the stolls -- common around Vietnam, they are a
challenge for Westerners to fold themselves into.
