🙂 Fantastic Cooking class, Beach, Tailor made clothes. River. Fruity outfits!
🙁 Rain!
We were up super early for breakfast and collected at 08h00 by Water Wheel (Tra Que) – the ONLY place to go for an authentic experience which starts with a cycle to the market to source local ingredients. We decided to wear our fruity outfits! Charlotte was kindly transported by taxi with our bags as she was in too much pain to cycle. 🙁
We arrived at the market with our adorable guide – interesting items including pigs heads, chicken feet, trotters etc… we made our purchases …
The markets are just so colourful and interesting! A photographers paradise as so many vibrant sites to capture – loved it.
This is what makes Vietnam so special – the gentle friendliness of the people and the vibrancy of the markets…
We hopped on our bicycles to cycle the few kilometres into the countryside which was just as awe inspiring as the market – a hot water buffalo was having a rest on the side of the road!
On arrival our first activity was to visit the water buffalo – a very patient beast who allowed me to ride him and stand on him … never thought I’d do this! Paul was a little more nervous! lol. Poor Charlotte was still in too much pain to have a ride…
The basket boats that dot the waters from the southern coast all the way up to Danang have become iconic to Vietnam. The origin of these coracles is unclear, but many believe they were born out of ingenuity during the French colonial era. As the story goes, when the French levied taxes on boats in Vietnam, fishermen couldn’t afford to pay them – so they designed circular woven “baskets” that just so happened to also function as boats. The basket boats quickly became popular up and down the coast thanks to both their tax-free status and their impressive engineering.
Our next task was to plow the land and sow some seeds!
Next task was to make rice paper … looks easier than it is!
Cooking class was fast approaching but first it was time for a foot massage – bliss…
It was time to get down to business – COOKING! SUCH Fun!
A bit of healthy competition!
This was an absolutely excellent day out – the people were so gentle and lovely, the food fantastic – a MUST do when in Hoi-An!!
We took a taxi back to An Bang Beach which is where we were staying. Our homestay would have been brilliant except for the fact that they were building a high rise right on front of us which was noisy and obscured the perfect sea views so would not recommend staying here – feel really sorry for the owners as they were lovely and did great food – but without the sea views it has no selling point. When we walked around we found many reasonably priced little boutique hotels right on the beach front with swimming pools – Booking.com would be a good starting point.
We walked down the lane to the beach to catch the last of the day’s rays. All the vendors arrive on the beach and sell more delicious food! It was festival season and the beach was very busy.
Headed back for a nap until 18h00 and then had showers and freshened up and took a taxi into Hoi-An. We had searched everywhere for a dressmaker for Charlotte but no one could do a 24 hour turnaround so we headed back to Kimmy’s and asked them – and the answer was yes! We found a stunning fabric and set the wheels in motions…
We secured a vendor to take us on the river with our lantern …but no sooner did we head off and then the heavens opened – it was torrential! We took cover under the bridge for the duration of the boat trip …! There was thunder and lightening – very dramatic!
The rain had been torrential! We waded through the water and found a place to have a quick meal before heading back to our homestay and bed!
We were up early and enjoyed a breakfast of omelettes and iced coffee. We were collected at 07h30 and started our day tour at the ruins at My Son Sanctuary … really impressive … was like a mini Cambodian Angkor Watt. The conservation area covers 1158 hectares. You can see the bullet holes from when the area was under siege in the American War.
It was excruciatingly hot – 40C – unbearable.
We headed back to Ho-An to complete our City Tour there. The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An is a beautiful example of the Japanese architecture of the period. Connecting Tran Phu St with Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, the Japanese Covered bridge was constructed in the 1590s by the Japanese community of Hoi An, in order to create a link with the Chinese quarters across the stream. Over the centuries the ornamentation of the bridge has remained relatively faithful to the original Japanese design. Its simplicity contrasts greatly with the Vietnamese and Chinese penchant for wild decoration. At one en dis the Monkey (My Birth Sign) and the other end is the Dog (Paul’s birth sign!).
We also visited a Merchant’s House which was very interesting. Tan Ky Old House was built in 1741. It is the place where 7 generations of Le family have lived. The name “Tan Ky” was used by Mr. Le Tan Ky (the second generation). At that time, this house was used to trade agricultural products. The front of the house is Nguyen Thai Hoc street while the back is Bach Dang street facing Hoai river. At that time, Hoi An was still a busy international trading port with many Japanese, Chinese and Western merchant ships. Therefore, the location of the house is convenient for trading goods.
As always…just wandering around was a joy in itself with all the wonderful smells and sights..
Watching the Hoi-An world go by…
We headed back to the beach for a couple of hours of relaxation
We needed to go back into town to collect our clothes…. we had seen the Bai Choi everywhere so decided to join in the fun! We even managed to get two flags!
After Bingo we collected our tailor made clothes – Hoorah!
We woke up early and did a walk on the beach for sunrise – what a lovely time of day – so peaceful… Yoga, walk and a swim…divine…
Go to: Saigon
Go Back to: Vietnam
Go Back to: Danang via Hia Ann Pass
