A blissful few days in Hoi An!

Long time, no write! Hey guys! We just made it back to Hanoi late last night, after two delayed flights (ugh!) but we had the most relaxing and enjoyable time the past few days in Hoi An. We flew out of Hanoi on April 2nd and stayed in Danang for two days. The hotel was nice but there wasn't much to do there, besides get a sunburn on the beach - which I did. My calves, shins and ankles swelled up to a humorous size and made it uncomfortable to walk at times. I guess I can't go a trip without getting a bad sunburn!

I have to be honest that I was feeling a bit sad that we hadn't yet experienced the "Vietnam" I expected to at this point. But when we arrived at our hotel in Hoi An on Monday, that all changed. We stayed in a beautiful hotel that just enveloped us in a lovely, lackadaisical world...a world we had been looking for! We enjoyed delicious food, palm trees, lazy hours in hammocks...it was a wonderful few days that we wished could last longer.

  The first day, we biked around the town and took a stop off at the Tra Que Herb Village. The village is made up of about 40 households that live on these few acres and harvest herbs for the local cities and towns. We had a wonderfully nice guide that showed us around the garden. It sure made me and my brown thumbs jealous!

They said we had jobs if it doesn't work out at USAA!

The next day was our Thuan Tinh Island cooking tour, which I had been waiting for the whole trip! We were picked up by a guide that took us on a quick run through the local market with all sorts of seafood, live chickens, fruit, veggies and many other goodies being sold in several stands.

We then jumped on a boat and headed for the island. The first stop was a visit to a couple's home to visit with them and show us their home. This couple has been married for 67 years and they were so cute! The husband played some Vietnamese music for us on a homemade instrument and the wife showed us the two tools they use to shuck the rice and make rice milk. Lots of work!

(some pics are still posting sideways, sorry!)

Next we started cooking and it was a treat! We made fresh spring rolls, shrimp and pork pancakes, beef noodle soup and beef salad. We were so full when it was over! But I do have the recipes so we can enjoy our  special Vietnamese dishes at any time.

When the cooking tour finished, we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed a walk around Old Hoi An. We were sad to leave the next day as this was probably a highlight of the trip. But we did walk away with some very fond memories!