On Day 4 we took a small tender boat to the little town of Cai Be and the larger, more prosperous seeming, Sa Dec. In Cai Be we saw a sweet little French Gothic Cathedral and then visited a rice paper factory (the kind you use to make summer rolls or spring rolls). The process is a lot like making a crepe and just as deceptively simple on first glance. One of our companions had a go (not too successful).
We also watched women making coconut candy. The kids just stay by the side while the women are working. You can see that methods of occupying them are similar to the ones employed in the states.
Over on the side a fellow was making popped rice using superheated black sand which then gets sifted out. In order to waste nothing, the hulls are burned to heat the sand resulting in a smoky flavor in the final product.
