Sunday, March 31After a nice sleep in and breakfast we renting our mode of transportation for the days - a bicycle! And headed to the famous (yet more expensive, says the locals) Yaly tailors. Maria who works at our hotel came with us as she was curious and as a Vietnamese woman can't go in there on her own, only as a tour guide for tourists.
It's amazingly efficient there. I brought 3 tops and one dress with me to duplicate. My personal assistant would show me the materials I could chose based on my clothes and I would have make a rather quick decision. And when those pieces of cloth were picked out. I was measure this way and that. I saw one other dress in a "catalogue" the "catalogues" were huge albums with plastic pages where someone has inserted hundreds and hundreds of magazine pictures of clothing - there are books for dresses, sundress, suits, pants, etc. And these seamstresses can just look at a piece of clothing and re-create it and/or say that will not look good on you. It's truly amazing!
We then biked around the town and had lunch at Cargo - one of the many restaurants that was recommended by many.
I can't really remember what we did in the afternoon. But we went to MangoRooms for dinner and then met Nancy and Ken Ishii, and Nysha and Aman for a mini CIS reunion for dessert at Cargo. Three grade 2 teachers and three grade 4 teachers (Lauren teaches 4th)! Don't worry we didn't talk about work!
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| CIS reunion - Aman, Nysha, me, Nancy, Ken |
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| South China Sea |
Monday, April 1
After breakfast, Lauren and I got on our bikes and biked to the beach, not far at all 15 mins. someone at our hotel gave us some good advice of where to park our bikes for free and then where to get a beach chair and umbrella. The beach sand was nice and the water was surprisingly warm, though a tad dirty. But that didn't stop me, I was in it twice! The waves were quite big and the undertow strong.
We stayed there for about 4 hours and just as we were leaving, Nancy and Ken arrived.
We went for our first fitting, Nancy had warned us that when she had done this before they usually make the pieces larger. Mine weren't larger but they were mostly a little too tight in the arm/shoulder area.
The black dress, they made was great....so I asked them to show me other materials and decided to make a burgandy one - good for "winter" in Singapore!
Then I asked if they could make me a pair of khaki linen pants. Honestly, I could have gone on and on.
Then we went touring the streets again and found this shoe place called Friendly which was recommended by "Valerie and Tyson" this couple we met in our hotel in Hanoi! And we just kept seeing them everywhere we went here in Hoi An! So I went into this really small shoe store and couldn't figure out what Tyson was raving about. But then the ladies got plastic chairs for Lauren and I to sit on... still I was confused. And then the catalogues came out... just like Yaly. But if you couldn't find anything in those, you could look on the internet. It was another incredible place. You could find a shoe and and say I want it in this color and I want this and that.... and supposedly they can make it for you. They had swatches for leather, half leather and not leather.
Once all was decided based on the magazine pictures I chose and the swatches cut and clipped on, they measured both my feet and on Wednesday I will go for my shoe fitting! 4 pair of shoes for $95 USD made exactly how I want it for my feet! I can't wait to see them.
I know, you are probably asking the same question - how am I going to fit this in my suitcase...good question... but they have really inexpensive suitcases here too!!!!
Then we biked to a wine bar called The White Marble for a drink and then were meeting the CIS gang in front of Cargo to go to dinner. We went to some Vietnamese restaurant where I tried many of the local dishes I was advised to try... cao lau, white rose, fried wontons, country pancakes and sticky rice - it was a set menu with all those things for a whooping $5.70!
Then we biked home. Long day!
After breakfast, Lauren and I got on our bikes and biked to the beach, not far at all 15 mins. someone at our hotel gave us some good advice of where to park our bikes for free and then where to get a beach chair and umbrella. The beach sand was nice and the water was surprisingly warm, though a tad dirty. But that didn't stop me, I was in it twice! The waves were quite big and the undertow strong.
We stayed there for about 4 hours and just as we were leaving, Nancy and Ken arrived.
We went for our first fitting, Nancy had warned us that when she had done this before they usually make the pieces larger. Mine weren't larger but they were mostly a little too tight in the arm/shoulder area.
The black dress, they made was great....so I asked them to show me other materials and decided to make a burgandy one - good for "winter" in Singapore!
Then I asked if they could make me a pair of khaki linen pants. Honestly, I could have gone on and on.
Then we went touring the streets again and found this shoe place called Friendly which was recommended by "Valerie and Tyson" this couple we met in our hotel in Hanoi! And we just kept seeing them everywhere we went here in Hoi An! So I went into this really small shoe store and couldn't figure out what Tyson was raving about. But then the ladies got plastic chairs for Lauren and I to sit on... still I was confused. And then the catalogues came out... just like Yaly. But if you couldn't find anything in those, you could look on the internet. It was another incredible place. You could find a shoe and and say I want it in this color and I want this and that.... and supposedly they can make it for you. They had swatches for leather, half leather and not leather.
Once all was decided based on the magazine pictures I chose and the swatches cut and clipped on, they measured both my feet and on Wednesday I will go for my shoe fitting! 4 pair of shoes for $95 USD made exactly how I want it for my feet! I can't wait to see them.
I know, you are probably asking the same question - how am I going to fit this in my suitcase...good question... but they have really inexpensive suitcases here too!!!!
Then we biked to a wine bar called The White Marble for a drink and then were meeting the CIS gang in front of Cargo to go to dinner. We went to some Vietnamese restaurant where I tried many of the local dishes I was advised to try... cao lau, white rose, fried wontons, country pancakes and sticky rice - it was a set menu with all those things for a whooping $5.70!
Then we biked home. Long day!
Tuesday, April 2
Was up early this morning to meet the Heaven and Earth Bicycle Tour for our 2.5 hour bike tour through town to the country side. We stopped at the only place who make cao lau noodles, which is a famous dish here in Hoi An. This family business is the only one who makes it and after 3 generations, there is a concern as no one wants to continue the job as it is hard work. The process includes soaking rice, straining the water, cooking it ontop of a wood burning stove, putting it in a machine to do make it doughy, rolling it out, cutting it by hand into strips, laying them on banana leaves and selling it.
Was up early this morning to meet the Heaven and Earth Bicycle Tour for our 2.5 hour bike tour through town to the country side. We stopped at the only place who make cao lau noodles, which is a famous dish here in Hoi An. This family business is the only one who makes it and after 3 generations, there is a concern as no one wants to continue the job as it is hard work. The process includes soaking rice, straining the water, cooking it ontop of a wood burning stove, putting it in a machine to do make it doughy, rolling it out, cutting it by hand into strips, laying them on banana leaves and selling it.
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| these hats do keep the sun off ya! |
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| watering the herbs! |
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| making cao lau |
Then we went to another person's house to see and learn about how bean sprouts are grown. This a little easier process - rinse the bean seeds in a special water - from mountain spring, put it in riverbed sand in large clay pots in layers and in 3 days the sprouts are grown - rinse the sand off and viola fresh, organic bean sprouts!
Then we went to a herb garden and tasted different herbs fresh the garden, such as, lemon basil, anasi basil, garlic chives, spring onions. We took a hand at watering the plants like the locals which is basically 2 large watering cans attached to a string which is attached to wooden bar that goes across your shoulder blades and you collect the water and then water the plants. (photos coming)
We continued through rice paddies and fields of lotuses and water buffalo until the end. What a hot day today.
We had a break for some Vietnamese ice coffee with sweetened condensed milk! It's good! And then wandered to the historical part of town across the Japanese bridge. The whole town is a UNESCO site influenced by the French. 2 story buildings some painted yellow, some wood ones. So many clothing stores it's truly addicting and overwhelming. Same, same but different!
We had our second (but not last) fittings for our clothes at Yaly. My khaki linen pants were not ready yet. However in the end I will have had 3 dresses made, 4 tops, 1 pair of pants and got 2 skirts in Hanoi. And 4 pairs of shoes!
April 3
Last day - and another beautiful day - yes hot and humid but sunny and blue skies! We were picked up at our hotel about 8 by the owner of this cooking class we were taking the company is called.....
We picked up a few others and met everyone at the market. Like many other cooking
We picked up a few others and met everyone at the market. Like many other cooking
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| at the market |
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| boat ride through water coconut forest |
Then we got on a boat and went for a 45 minute river cruise passed fisherman villages to where the river meets the sea. And got into small typical long boats that a woman paddled us through a water coconut forest. Afterwards we had a short stop at a rustic villager's house to learn and take our hand at husking rice and making rice milk the traditional methods. Wow, it's a lot of hard work!
Next door, we went to the open-air cooking school. We made 1. Goi Cuon - fresh spring rolls with chicken and shrimp and a tangy peanut dipping sauce.
2. Banh Xeo - Sizzling Vietnamese crepes filled with port and shrimp, bean sprouts and other greens and a traditional dipping sauce of fish sauce, garlic, chili, lime and sugar.
3. Bun Bo Nam Bo - Herb salad with saute beef and rice vermicelli, topped with roasted peanuts and warm beef jus viaigrette.
4. Pho Bo Ha Noi - Beef rice noodle soup infused with beef bones, cinnamon, ginger and star anise.
I think I could definitely make #3 again. And of course I got a recipe book too.
Once we return to our hotel, we got on our bikes and biked into town to go for my shoe fitting. They were all good except the left foot for 2 of the shoes as my left foot is larger than my right. So I will swing by there on my way to dinner tonight.
Unfortunately after 2 more fittings I was unable to get the silver shoes because the toe strap was just too tight and since the material was faux leather there wasn't much room to stretch. So I got my money back for those. But my other 3 pairs as good.
Good night Vietnam! Like the Vietnamese say "see you tomorrow".
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