the city of hoi an is my favorite yet. it may be the tourist trap of viet nam, but i love the bustling market, the tailor shops everywhere, and the combination of westerners and vietnamese that want to be near westerners (either to make money off them, or, rare as it is here, to be more like them).
yesterday was long long long, between the boat, the van, the plane, and 30 km of cycling in the rain. that was all before lunch! i also wandered the neverending market, toured a chinese temple to the water goddess, visited a house that has been in the same family for EIGHT generations, and got measured and picked out fabric for my new three piece suit.
last night we ate at mango mango, a popular restaurant on the river, with overly-flavorful food and overly-strong drinks.
this morning we had an incredible vietnamese cooking class. we made (and ate) incredible summer rolls, winter rolls, scallion pancakes, jicama-banana leaf salad, and the most delectable spiced chicken i've had in a very long time. we learned that bean sprouts are good for virility, and that, even though the vietnamese have come to admit brown rice is better for you, they still judge a meal's value by how white the rice is.
afterwards i stopped in a barbershop and had the most comprehensive face and head shave ever. he even shaved and cleaned my ears!
most of the group is out riding for the afternoon- i'm taking it off, to do more shopping, have a fitting for my suit, pick up laundry, and generally take a breather.
as much fun as i'm having, i'm definitely homesick!
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Don't waste any energy being homesick... It'll all be here when you get back. Sounds like you're having a great adventure. I can't wait to see the suit, and I look forward to having you cook scallion pancakes for me!
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