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I have made a bit of a backside of this blog. From Hue and the DMZ we went to Hoi An and from there to Nha Trang and from there to Mui Ne and from there to Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon. I'm so irregular in writing that I have lots to catch up at any one time and I end up writing it out of sequence or under the wrong place name. Durh! Anyway. The description of Hue and the DMZ is under the Mui Ne description. So there. Any way from Hue we went to Hoi An...
Hoi An at one time in the 1800s was a major port for Vietnam. Vessels went from there all over the world. It was such a big port that it developed quarters where merchants from all over the world would melt in to communities of there country folk. The town has changed little structurally since those times and you can sometimes see traditional Vietnamese, Chinese or Japanese houses in the same street or hear a Portugese street name. The buildings are rarely more than two storeys high and most roads do not allow cars down them. It is very picturesque. Plus there is a ban on soliciting in the street so we experienced much less hassle from the hawkers, cyclos and moto drivers than we usually have to endure. We enjoyed the Japanese bridge, traditional houses and open air concert and what few other physical attractions we could but mostly we were there to learn to cook and to buy tailor made clothes at very cheap prices. Me, I got 2 suits that I hope will land me an excellent job when I return irrespective of the fact that the shoulders don't quite fall properly. But hey, after three fittings and being dissatisfied each time, there is only so much material left for them to alter, and its such lovely material too. Laura also invested time and effort in getting some very nice pieces on which I acted as fashion advisor and I must say she looks stunning.
We had been to a famous restraunt, so famous that its name escapes me, and had its famous fish in banana leaf. It was delicious so we elected to go back there for a cooking course. Nam is the chef, and I wish him all the success in the world. He gently guided and cajoled us to slit fish,crush lemongrass, stirfry with chopsticks, roll springrolls and all manner of other skills that we have swore we will replicate for all and sundry when we return to Blighty. The finished meal was fantastic, if I do say so myself. There was even jealous comments from other dinners as we tucked in. We slightly overcooked the wontons but we weren't complaining as the sweet and sour sauce we had learned to cook using only tomatoes and pineapple was delicious. Now we begin our quest for beach time and our first stop was Nha Trang.
Chris
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