Hoi An draws to a close

It's our last night in Hoi An as we leave for Hanoi tomorrow (just in time for the bounce to kick off the Grand Final - it'll all be over by the time we hit the hotel). The weather yesterday and today have been in stark contrast to our first couple of days here, and today was actually sunny all day. We haven't, however, managed to get to the beach but since a lot of them have actually washed away with the stormy weather of late, we don't feel as if we've missed that much.

The view from our balcony across rice paddies

Today was a special day as we all enrolled in a cooking school. It ended up being six hours in duration, and included a boat trip to the market to buy our fresh ingredients (and by fresh, I mean really fresh, not Safeway fresh), a tour of one of the biggest restaurants in Hoi An and a taste of exotic fare such as snails, jellyfish and braised offal. Following this, we moved upstairs where we made the most amazing four course lunch. We began with a spicy clam soup, followed by a chicken and pomello salad, then barbequed catfish stir fried, and finished with flambe banana with rum. Without doubt, one of the best meals I've eaten in a long time, and all made by us. Our chef, Bo, was great and such a nice guy. There were twelve of us doing the course and, coincidentally, all Aussies.

Boats waiting at the morning markets

Our catfish, which we used to barbecue for one of our dishes.

Some of the herbs we purchased.

We've really enjoyed our stay in Hoi An, in fact, we'd be happy to stay another week. Our hotel is amazing and everyone makes you feel so welcome. Lots of Australians, and many are yobbos, but it's good to be reminded of back home with an opportunity to talk footy, etc.

These cooks were toasting sesame and shallots.

Gotta love those stir fried frogs.

Is that Luke Nguyen, nope it's yours truly.

Our clam soup with lemongrass and coriander.

My next post will be from Hanoi, unless I can convince Alison and the hotel management to extend our stay (not likely). Tomorrow is also our last full day with Matt and Imie, as they fly out of Hanoi for home on Sunday. All in all, it's been great spending time with them and we've loved having their company with us over shared meals, games of pool, and lots of new experiences. We wish they could continue on with us, but work beckons them home.