Is Nate Alive? Yes: Hoi An

I arrived in Hoi An a couple days ago after riding the train from Sapa, with a half day stop in Hanoi. Hoi An is a little town in Central Vietnam that used to serve as a main trading post. The mix of influences has led to some pretty cool architecture, mainly Chinese, and a very scenic downtown.

It's been raining pretty steadily since I got here and beyond sightseeing there isn't too much to do. I mainly came here to take cooking classes, but my difficulty in actually getting to attend one has continued. So far the following has happened in my efforts to take classes both here and in Thailand:
• Thailand, Attempt 1: Skipped due to hangover from being out until 3:30 a.m the morning of the class
• Thailand, Attempt 2: Instructor never met me at the skytrain station due to him mixing up the dates
• Thailand, Attempt 3: Great success! Actually made it to one
• Vietnam, Attempt 1: Restaurant who had said they were having one the previous night reneged because I was the only person who wanted to take it. 4 other restaurants also were not holding them that day
• Vietnam, Attempt 2: Paid for class pushed back a day due to very heavy rain
• Vietnam, Attempt 3: Great class!

I took a day long class today that included a tour of a farm, a visit to a market and then the class itself at this restaurant down the river from downtown Hoi An. It was great. I now know how to make pho from scratch (including the rice noodles), clay pot fish, a Vietnamese salad and a shrimp in banana leaves. I doubt I will ever make the salad again as a main ingredient is banana flower which I seriously doubt I’ll be able to find in the US, but the three other dishes are definitely doable. The pho in particular, maybe minus the rice noodles as the results there didn’t differ enough from commercial made ones to go to the considerable extra effort.

Here are pics from the last couple of days: