Day 8 - Hoi An

I'm up at the crack of 6 and as I lay in bed, looking out to the palm trees and the sea beyond, I can see that the weather has not improved for a sunrise shot. But I have other fish to fry... literally... as I have to be at the Morning Glory restaurant in Hoi An by 8:30am for Ms Vy's Cooking Class. I'm really looking forward to this as I've become addicted to Vietnamese food. So fresh and different... it's a taste sensation!

The traffic on the way to town is a lot less than yesterday but there are school kids on bikes and villages we pass by are already busy. The countryside at this time of morning is just fabulous... I want the cabbie to stop but no time. Maybe I'll hire a bike and ride out here taking my time to photograph everything. I don't think we'll have time though, we head back to KL on Tuesday.

The streets in the old town are almost deserted, except for a few dogs and the odd fruit seller. A far cry from the busy crowded streets of Sunday and the charm of the town just piles up as I wander about watching the people come and go.

Right on 8:30 a pretty young lady appears at the front of the Morning Glory and half a dozen people who have been mingling around gather together... this will be my class. A retired English couple from the East End of London (he with a very broad Cockney accent), a young Australian couple from the Eastern Suburbs, a young Vietnamese lass, (from Cabramatta of all places!), a lovely French girl Caroline and yours truly.

My rusty schoolboy French passes muster and she and I chatter as we head towards the markets at the other end of town. The streets might have been deserted compared to Sunday, but the markets certainly weren't! It was absolute bedlam as the fruit, herb, meat and fish sellers went about their business. In Malaysia they would call this a wet market with all the fresh produce ready and on display. 

 

Our guide tells us that the restaurant buyers get here at 4am to get the freshest produce. As the day progresses, the produce becomes cheaper as it is not as fresh. We all look aghast when we reach the meat section... every type of meat, chicken, pork and whatever else is right out there with no covering and no refrigeration. Our health inspectors back home would close the place down in 30 seconds! But, and we all found this really interesting, we saw maybe 2 flies the whole time... and I think they were only there because they got lost on the way to the town dump!

The fish section was equally amazing with the fish all spread out, both whole and in pieces, with prawns, squid and other seafood all available for sale. Out guide spends about 10 minutes at each section pointing out what is what and what to look for when buying it back home. The Cockney couple can't believe the range of fruit on display and didn't know what most things were... things we take for granted back home.

After an hour we wander back to the Morning Glory and head upstairs where benches are laid out with gas stoves and all the implements of construction. Our teacher is one of the ladies who has been working with Ms Vy for 17 years. She gives us a talk about how important cooking skills are for young Vietnamese girls and that it is the number 1 priority when she gets married. Mothers tell their daughters... “You good cook and husband will never go out from home!” Now I know why there are 80 million Vietnamese...!

Several groups are now together making about 30 in the class and we don our aprons and begin cooking the first of 5 dishes we will prepare today. The ingredients are all laid out and with some guidance from the assistants when required, we all manage to create our masterpieces and enjoy eating them. The class lasts 4 hours and I came away confident that I could replicate the dishes back home. Frankly, I was stunned at how easy and tasty the dishes are and the course cemented my new found love for this style of food. At the completion of the course, Ms Vy thanks everyone and personally signs her cookery book for those who want them. Altogether an amazing experience and one I can highly recommend.

Back on the street and I wander around the river and get some more shots without the crowds, then head back to the hotel where Liz has been lazing in the sun and relaxing. It has turned into a bright, warm sunny day and the beach in front of our room looks amazing as it stretches away 40kms to the north. The sea haze makes it difficult to see the islands off the coast but I can just imagine them on a clear morning with the sun coming up behind them. Maybe next time.

We decide to head to town and have dinner at The Cargo Bar, another restaurant owned by Ms Vy. Her cooking schools have been so successful she owns 4 restaurants and one hotel in Hoi An. We are led to the upstairs dining area which is open and looks out on the river with the lights of the town sparkling in the still water... only broken by the occasional boat taking tourists for a night view of the river and town.

Oh by the way, did I mention that out the back of our villa is a small enclosed private garden with tropical plants and an outside shower. Liz was going to sit in the sun while she read her book but decided against it when she spied a green snake slither across the grass!

We end another day in this beautiful old town after taking a few hundred shots of the lights and buildings along the riverside. A group of local street performers put on a show in the square by the old bridge. It's all very magical you have to pinch yourself to make sure you are not in some fairytale! We are both very sad at the thought we'll be leaving Hoi An tomorrow.