On Tuesday morning, we took a bus to Hoi An, a charming (and touristy) town about four hours south of Hue. Hoi An is an ancient port city where maritime traders met for commerce. Even though it left in the morning, the bus had reclining “sleeper” seats. We had lunch at Banh Mi Phuong, which was made famous when Anthony Bourdain declared it the best banh mi in the world on his travel show, No Reservations. The simple sandwiches (we tried the barbeque, chicken, egg, and cheese/vegetable ones) were all delicious, but the fresh baguette-style bread they were served on was the real highlight. We spent the afternoon walking around the town, stopping at a few temples and Hoi An’s Japanese Covered Bridge. On Wednesday, we took a cooking class on Thuan Tinh Island, which began with a trip to the local market to pick up ingredients including chicken, lemon basil, lemongrass, rice noodles, and pineapple. The food in the market all seemed very fresh, but the meat section was very confronting and a bit difficult to walk through (we later witnessed the actual slaughtering of chickens nearby). We then took a boat ride to the island, where we made fresh spring rolls, pan-fried rice pancakes with scallions (banh xeo), South Vietnamese beef noodle salad, and pho bo – beef noodle soup. We spent the afternoon walking, drinking coffee at 166 Tran Phu, and visiting the Precious Heritage Museum. The artist, Rehahn, travels to remote areas of Vietnam to photograph and document the traditions of Vietnam’s many ethnic minorities. We went to a rooftop restaurant for cocktails and Vietnamese food as the sun set, then got foot massages by the night market. They were considerably more enjoyable than the massage Marcy, Robert and I got several nights before in Hue, where we were punched and slapped for an hour in a dingy room of what looked like an insane asylum from a horror movie (Henry wisely stayed at the hotel). On our final full day in Hoi An, we took an eco-tour about local fishing and farming practices. We cycled a few miles to the river, and tried our hand at several methods of fishing, all unsuccessfully. We then visited a rice paddy, where we practiced plowing, planting, and processing rice. The next morning, we had breakfast and relaxed by the pool before heading to the airport for our flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
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September 2018
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