In The Pouring Rain, We Loved It!
Even in the pouring rain, we had a terrific time here. We were picked up at our Hoi An hotel by bicycle & biked through the Old Quarter of Hoi An until, poof, we were out in the countryside (& poof, that's when the pouring rain started!). We were given big ponchos, non las & sandals, which made the rain more of an adventure than an obstacle &, thereafter, paddled out onto the river in one of the "uncle's" round basket boats, learned about the fishing/snailing (can it be called that?), water coconuts (made a wedding ring from coconut leaf), & got to paddle a bit. We chose not to ride the "family's" water buffalo being that it was raining so hard & instead took a wonderful tasting tour through the herb gardens (still in the rain) & got to sample Thai basil, coriander, cilantro, hot peppers plants, mint & more. We also got to help one of the "uncles" prepared the soil for planting spinach seedlings & watched as he watered the garden with the coolest double-watering-cans-on-a-pole. Back @ the Water Wheel, we got heavenly neck, shoulder & foot massages by two "cousins" (So nice!) & then learned about how to grind rice flour & rice paper-making over a special oven. Because we had learned so much about herbs & rice paper, we began our fun & yummy cooking class, using these ingredients & knowledge. We prepared a 3 Friends dish (shrimp, carrot, coriander & mint rolled in a ring of scallion), also cooked rice paper pancakes & more, until we sat down for our just-prepared lunch, which was SO fresh & so wonderful. Dessert & after-lunch conversation with the owner of the Water Wheel, Mrs. Thuong, were equally enjoyable & added such a personal touch to a very wet, but thoroughly perfect day here. (At the end, we biked back to our hotel in yes, the pouring rain)
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