Vietnam, June 2010.....exploring by sampans.

In the Mekong Delta with numerous inter-linked rivers, streams and canals...the traditional Vietnamese sampans is an important mode of water transport. Having come this far, our programme included being ferried on sampans to our next destination. We proceeded to the end of the hamlet jetty and found the sampans waiting for us.

Each sampan is manned by two persons...one at the bow and the other
at the stern. The oar or paddle is similar to those we have seen in S'pore.
Many of the paddlers were ladies.

Mrs Lim H H seated in her sampan waiting to move off.


The sampan moving from the main river into a smaller stream.
The current was quite strong and was going against our direction of
travel.

The others slowly and gently getting into their sampans at the jetty.


My sampan following the lead craft.

The current was so strong that I took the extra paddle to help

out.

We were traversing in a typical setting where many river ambushes

were carried out by both sides during the Vietnam War.

"Dayung Sampan, dayung dayung sampan".,..could be heard as

we slithered through the waters.
At journey's end, I was to experience a most excruciating and incredible pain. The

sampan I was in berthed by the side of the jetty. And as some of those in my boat

stood to get ready to get off, the sampan suddenly tilted to one side. Instinctively,

as I was still seated, in a purely reflex action, I counter-tilted to the other side placing

my left hand on the sampan's side for balance.

At that very moment, the next sampan came at speed ( very, very carlessly ) and

"banged" right onto my left hand fingers.

My fingers were completely sandwiched between 2 sampan brows. Electric shocks

went through my body! It was that painful. I thought my fingers were crushed.

Everyone around near me was quite shocked too.

I quickly dipped my injured hand into the river water to "cool" it.

The injury was quite bad...my 4th finger was beginning to turn blue-black in only

minutes. It swelled to twice its normal size.

Someone managed to get some ice from our next hamlet where we had a tea break.

Nothing further could be done as I wrapped my finger in cold ice.

[ About 5 weeks after this, and after I went to doctor, my entire finger nail came off .

I keep the shell of that finger nail as a "souvenir" of this trip ].
.

During the tea break, we had the villagers singing and performing

traditional songs to entertain us.


Special blend of their honey tea.