A rainy day in Chao Doc
Visiting floating fish farms on the Mekong River
It had been raining all day. Once I arrived in Chao Doc from Can Tho, I checked into the hotel and saw some people in the lobby huddled over their tour book. Although they grumbled about rainy weather costing them days of their vacation, they were not otherwise inclined to visit, so I left them there. I went down to the river and got a boatsman to take me out on the enormous Mekong River to see what was there. I knew about the floating markets but I wanted to visit the floating fish farms. The rain added to the mystery of this place, with all the menacing-looking boats anchored in places out on the river, and people quietly slipping by in their canoes into the mist.
Watching them feed the fish was quite an experience. The hundreds of fish thrashed so much to get the food, the water looked to be boiling, and it felt like I could walk across them. In spite of the rain, I found this little excursion to be amazing and just what I needed. There was plenty of time to dry off once back in my room.
Next morning, I got a fast boat up the Mekong to Phnom Penh, and who would be on board but my grumpy fellow travelers from the hotel lobby. Now that they were more relaxed and inclined to visit, we found that we had lots in common – being sketch artists, having sons in architecture school. I sensed they were a bit embarrassed by their behavior the previous day.
The original ink sketch
I drew this using pen and ink, and later added the watercolor. Sketching on site can be tricky business, especially when it is raining and you’re in a small boat!
SketchTravel
