We arrived in Hoi An at 5.30am....a bit too early for the hotel as it turns out so we went for an early morning walk around town while we waited for the rooms to be ready. Couldn't tell you what we saw, I think I was still asleep! I can sum up what Hoi An means to me in one word - SHOPPING! I had the most amazing winter coats made.....wool, silk lining, made to measure, all done overnight & all for $35US. Add to that the dress, jumpsuit, skirt, pants & shorts & I spent less than $200 - including the postage to send the stuff home that I don't wanna lug around for the next 11 months!
Oh, I nearly forgot....we also discovered the most amazing chocolate mousse cake I've had in my life...Tam Tam Cafe, you rock my world!
Photo: Mmmmmmmmmmmousse Cake
While we were in Hoi An, we also got to see some of the Liberation Day celebrations. The Thu Bon River runs through the middle of Hoi An & it was the main location for the celebrations. Floating all along the river they had giant lanterns & dragons, lit up from the inside. Everywhere there were children playing traditional games & there was a really festive vibe in the air.
Next morning, despite a very civilised departure time of 10am, I nearly managed to miss the bus cos I was having my last outfit finished...oops! A 4 hour bus ride along the same route taken by the boys from Top Gear, took us to Hue. Stunning scenery but a little windy for those of us who might occasionally suffer from motion sickness!
Photo: As seen on Top Gear Vietnam Special
Hue was the scene of one of the most fun things we have done so far. A local cooking class at a restaurant down the road from the hotel called Missy Roo's. Turns out it's owned by an Aussie woman & the manager (who runs the classes) confessed his love for her...even though she shacked up with his best mate!! Anyway, the class started off with a trip to the local market. It was a real highlight being able to mingle & shop with the locals & to be buying the ingredients we would later be cooking with.
Photo: Anyone for duck?
We cooked fresh spring rolls, fried spring rolls, seafood pancakes, beef noodle soup & peanut sauce.....it was all freakin delicious!! As our teacher said "You eat your own product"....we had so much food that we had to get some of it packed up to take away! We can't wait to get home & test out our new Vietnamese cooking skills.
When we finished stuffing our faces, we dragged ourselves about 4kms out of town to the Thien Mu Pagoda situated on the banks of the Perfume River. It is a really picturesque spot with a giant Pagoda & many other small statues scattered around the grounds. The weirdest part was seen through the back fence - a massive, overgrown cemetary with cows grazing in it!
Photo: You'd think we'd be all Pagoda'd out by now!
Photo: Mooooooo!
Our visit to Hue ended on a slightly sour note. Our tour leader misread our train tickets & we ended up missing the overnight train Hanoi. This left a night bus as our only option....only we didn't catch an ordinary bus.....no, we caught a coach with no reclining seats, no toilet on board & no toilet breaks......for 14 hours!!! What a nightmare...but we managed to make it to Hanoi in one piece & that's where it starts to get really interesting!
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