Thursday, Feb. 26

,Slept in until 8:00!

We went down for breakfast and started with a plate of bananas and fried sticky rice patties that are only eaten during TET.

I decided to order one of the Hoi An specialties - Cau Lau 

We hung around the room this morning relaxing.  Around 11:30 we walked towards the Saigon Spa.  Bruce had a 90 min Vietnamese massage while I had a pedicure as well as a 60 min Vietnamese massage with hot stones.

Nail polish display

After the massage we walked towards the clothing and shoe market. 

We stopped at the gallery where I was admiring a painting, and found one just the right size.  $48 had to have it!

I really wanted this one - but too big!

We picked up two pairs of shoes for me and one pair for Bruce - we now have all of them.

Then we went to the clothing market.  We almost have all of our clothing so only one more time to go to pick up the rest.

She is really little, honest!

Ten bags of clothing so far...... Hate to open them to show....... But lots, they turned out great!

Then weighted down with bags we went to pick up my purse.  The girl couldn't believe how many bags...and said no worries, she would deliver them on her motorbike for us!  So, we went out for dinner.

We ate at another Riverside restaurant.  We had the banana flower salad first.  Then we shared grilled prawns and Indonesian fried rice.  For dessert homemade coconut ice cream and fresh fruit.

Banana leaf salad

Even two little baked potatoes

Indonesian fried rice with pork skewers

Time to walk home

Love all the little lanterns

We got home and our bags had been delivered.  When we got to our room we had a nice plate of fruit waiting for us.

Dragon fruit and passion fruit

Our towels change shape every day.

Time to rest and play Scrabble and have a glass of wine.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Today is cooking school day!  We booked with Golden Lotus Cooking school. Linh, the instructor, also owns a restaurant in Hoi An.  The day began with a trip to the market. This course is organized by everyone choosing a dish to make.  Then you make enough for the members in the class and share it. I chose Vietnamese pancakes, Bruce chose bbq pork ribs, and the Irish couple had not chose. ,so, after hearing me talk about banana flower salad, Linh decided that would be one of the other dishes along with beef in satay sauce and grilled chicken.

So at the market we needed to buy the ingredients for the above dishes.

The banana flower

The pink bowl has the banana flower cut fine and that is how we bought it- ready to use

Lemon grass - crush it with a mallet and then chop fine

Bruce will his shopping bag and conical hat

Discussed the smaller the chili the hotter

Veggies from back home

Greens- leaves of all kinds

One of the inside market stalls- here to buy peanuts

All different kinds of fresh noodles

Selling limes

So many kinds of herbs....

Flowers everywhere

Bruce teasing a lady

Eggs- chicken, duck, quail .... They have them all

Fishy

Chicken

Rose Apple, mandarins, the dark green ones are oranges

Aloe Vera and passion fruit

Bruce trying tamarind- sweet like candy

Linh's house

Cutting the ribs apart

Getting ready to massage the marinade into the meat

Frying shrimp after shelling them

Ingredients needed for banana flower salad

This is the banana flower

Mint for salad

Banana flower salad with prawn crackers

Making kimchi - Vietnamese style for Vietnamese pancake

Cabbage, carrot, red chili petter along with fish sauce, sugar, salt

Slicing baboo sticks... Then put strips of chicken between - easy for grilling

Making Vietnamese pancake

Add oil, put in small pieces of pork and shrimp, cook, add one scoop of rice flour pancake mix with green onions,  allow to cook a little, add bean sprouts, cook for two minutes with lid on, take lid off and cook until edges are brown, fold in half and let drain on banana leaf

Putting chicken on skewers

A lemongrass whisk

Grilling chicken

Eating

Ribs and beef with satay sauce

Watermelon for dessert

After cooking class we got dropped off at the cloth market.  We went to our tailor shop and started trying on the clothes we had ordered.  A few alterations are necessary and I also had to order some more.... So we will go back tomorrow afternoon.

Then we went over to the shoe place.  Three of the five pairs that I ordered are perfect.  One pair was too big and one not ready yet. Bruce's were a little too big...lso we will go back tomorrow.

Then we stopped at the jewellery store and decided to put the six diamonds I had in my locket  into Bruce's ring, as well as they fixed my black Diamond ring (again).  I had it fixed in Chiang Mai but obviously not well.  This lady didn't even charge me to put in the black diamond that was missing.

Then we started walking home but decided to stop at this restaurant, Brothers, we saw last night. We ordered a rum and coke. Bruce ordered calamari and I ordered fresh prawn spring roll.  I also ordered home made coconut ice cream. It was very good.  

Another 15 minutes and we are home.  A big day! Motels look like elephants today, yesterday they were rabbits.