Our Homestay Experience

Before coming to Vietnam, I had read that homestays are an accommodation option in parts of the country.   Homestays were pioneered in the Mekong Delta where it has long been possible to stay with local families.  In my opinion, there is no better way to get a taste of local culture and feel a little less like a tourist!

Our homestay family lived on an island - May Island.  We had to take a small ferry to get to it and then walk about 10 minutes through a coconut farm to the main road on which they lived.

5 yr old backpacking superstar .... she's been bit by the adventure travel bug☺!

not another tourist in sight!

By the time we reached the main road, a little girl on a bicycle was already watching for us and eager to show us the way to our hosts'  home.  Mr. & Mrs. Khai were waiting for us on the front porch of their modest home - built out of concrete - so it was one of the nicer places on the block.  It was just the two of them in their house - they have two children, but both are grown and have families of their own and live about an hour away.  Neither of our hosts spoke much English but they warmly welcomed their foreign guests just the same.  Our guide Minh stayed with us and was able to translate for us ☺

Some of the inquisitive children from neighboring homes were over to meet us and before we even set our bags down in our room, Max and Stella were off and running with their new found friends.  LOVE that!!!!!

Our room had 2 double beds with mosquito nets draped over them, a door to the outside and only an embroidered sheer curtain separating our room from the Khai's main living room/bedroom.  Our window - a hole in the concrete with metal bars - looked out on a small canal and was the gateway for many uninvited guests like geckos (well, if you ask me, they were more like small iguanas) and mosquitos!

After settling in, we enjoyed some conversation together with the Khai's (thanks to our guide) over some cold bottled water and fresh fruit.  Some time later, we were invited to help prepare dinner.  Hanh (Mrs. Kai) had me chopping pork and veggies like gourd, sweet potatoes, celery and carrots.  She already had a pot of soup started and was frying up some chicken as well.  She showed us how to assemble spring rolls and then we deep fried them.  Mmmmmm ... they were some of the best spring rolls we've had yet!  In total, we prepared about 6 tasty vietnamese dishes together . . .  here's hoping I can recreate some of these recipes at home!

we knew they were kindred spirits when they brought out 2 Pepsi's for us at dinner

I was definitely having one of those "this is why I travel moments" when we all sat down together to a home-cooked meal that I had the privilege of helping prepare.  After dinner I offered to help with the dishes.  Hanh led me outside where she filled some large bowls with tap water and added a little soap.  There we sat on the ground, on the banks of the canal, washing and rinsing the pots, bowls and chopsticks we had used.

I couldn't help but wonder what Hanh would think of our dishwasher at home

Later in the evening, Minh took us for a walk to see if we could catch a few fireflies!!!  The neighbor girls joined us as we walked down the road in complete and total darkness like you haven't experienced unless you've camped in the middle of the wilderness.  We saw quite a few fireflies flying around us and Minh was able to catch a couple for the kids, which we kept in little plastic bags before we set them free again.  What a cool experience for all of us!!!!!

" ...‘cause I’d get a thousand hugs

from ten thousand lightning bugs

as they tried to teach me how to dance" ♫

"fireflies", by Adam Young, Owl City 

Before bedtime, we sat outside at a neighbor's home, relaxing in some hammocks and sharing some drinks.  It was the perfect end to a perfect day!

 the Khai's home at night

We were awoken in the morning by a rooster just outside our window.  Lucky for the rooster, it was about the time we needed to get up anyway! The Khai's were already up - probably had done a half a days work already to beat the heat and were out on the road buying what they needed for the day from the "supercart" which comes around daily with fresh produce and meat.

After a morning of touring around the island and some surrounding waterways, we returned to our homestay for a delicious lunch and rest before we would have to say goodbye.   When we arrived this time, they introduced us to another member of their family, whom the kids immediately fell in love with and named 'Pickles'. 

When it was time to go the kids didn't want to leave and actually, Jeff and I wished we could have stayed a little while longer as well.  The Khai's were such welcoming, hospitable, lovely people - my heart felt sad that we had just a short time together.  Hanh fell in love with Max and Stella and, although we think she was joking, without a hint of sarcasm, asked if she could keep them!  We didn't even give the kids the option - after all the quality time with 'Pickles', delicious food and being totally doted on, they would have applied for permanent visitor status!! She packed up a bag of goodies for us to take on the next leg of our journey which included heaps of bananas, because she knew that the kids especially loved them!

"To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is 

to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, 

to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted."  

 Bill Bryson

Update on Max: It is the end of day three and he seems to be coming around.  He still hasn't moved far from his bed, but he's been able to drink some water, juice and even eat a little bit of bread and rice today.  I hope that when the Gravol wears off, he will still keep everything inside.  Three cheers for Cartoon Network on our hotel t.v.!!!!