Hoi An - Day 2

Day two in Hoi An was time for oodles of noodles. G Adventures has partnered with Streets - an organization that supports disadvantaged youth through vocational training in the service industry. They house around 40 teens from age 19-22 and train them in cooking, serving, English and the restaurant industry for 18 months. Their graduates are highly sought after by upscale hotels and often support their families and recommend their siblings for the program. 

We had a basic rice noodle crash course and learned about 6 types of Vietnamese noodles. Then it was time to try making our own noodles. I am great at making noodles... Under the guidance of a professional with readymade batter and specialized equipment. 

Steaming rice noodles

While we puttered around with the noodles, the student chefs whipped up Mi Quang for everyone. It was deliciously full of vegetables, pork, shrimp, and quail eggs. Nom!

With a free afternoon ahead, we visited the Japanese bridge and Chinese common house mentioned in my prior post. Also, more shopping. 

We toured the Traditional Folk Museum to learn about crafts, trades and arts. 

Silk worm cocoons and weaving

Grinding pharmaceuticals

Clay whistles - animals from the Chinese zodiac

Later, we visited the Traditional Arts and Culture Centre for a music and dancing demonstration. 

I was a big fan. HA!

And we learned about a local game kind of like bingo. An MC sings an intro song before pulling a wooden stick with a symbol from a wooden container. She'll then sing the song corresponding to the symbol. The people in the audience holding the same symbol win a prize. 

After leaving the culture center, we crossed the An Hoi bridge and found a market street. 

Buying a few souvenirs before we headed back to the hotel for a guided walk to the street food stalls. 

As it had been raining in the evening, there weren't many open but we pulled up some chairs and had a few dishes. More notably, we sat right by the river and a small swarm of rats. Eek! Okay, I'm not usually afraid of any animals but these squeaking giant bastards were too close for comfort. And most people do not enjoy swarms of things!

Can you see the rats? NEITHER COULD I!

So we relocated after our snacks for some happy hour buckets at a upper level bar on the riverside.