Waking up in a familiar place, Aulac Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, was comforting – enjoying the delicious buffet breakfast one last time. The smell of the food is enough to make you stay there. We checked out and hopped on the rainbow bus for the last time, staring our new adventure. The plane trip of 1 hour to Da Nang was very interesting, with turbulent patches making the short trip exciting. Once we stepped out of the airport there was a sudden relief felt throughout the group. The rush of cool air was very refreshing as it was challenging with the hot weather. Driving to Hoi An was good to see the different sides of Vietnam. We witnessed huge waves tumbling down onto the shore as we drove on an old war runway. We passed some American War bases and it was interesting to see how the war affected another area of Vietnam.
As we arrived at our beautiful resort-style hotel with a calm feel to it, we experienced our first taste of the wet season in Vietnam. The pounding of the rain was so hard and loud it was like someone was hitting a massive drum. We put our raincoats on and headed out to the magnificent streets of Hoi An. They’re filled with bustling shop fronts, diverse people including lots of tourists (which is a first) and tailor shop after tailor shop. Some of us entered a recommended tailor and picked out a design to get made. They brought out dozens of design books and the choices were overwhelming. Once we had decided upon the garment, we were let free to roam the streets and enjoy some well earned freedom.
For dinner, we enjoyed an anticipated cooking class from an experienced chef. She taught us how to make some traditional Vietnamese food including marinated chicken, fried spring rolls and green paw paw salad. The aromas of all the different spices and ingredients made out tummies rumble with excitement. It was interesting to see another side to Vietnam and experience a change in environment and scenery.
Jessie and Ella
