After breakfast, I decided to go for a bike ride. Our hotel is spread out along a peninsula that is all beach front on one side. I was pretty sure that we were almost at the end of the road. I started out toward the end and found out quickly that I was right. I was a bit concerned about dealing with traffic since there seems to be crazy behavior of cars and trucks but there were only occasional motor bikes passing me. I noticed a parallel path that seemed to be a bike path. I crossed over to it. I passed racks of drying fish. As I went further along I reached what appeared to be a fishing village. The paved path disappeared so I turned around. As I pedaled back towards the hotel, a young boy and his father caught up with me. They were riding a motorbike. They wanted to practice their English. We moved along at my pace for a while as we talked. They seemed very pleased to have a conversation. They thanked me and drove off. People here are very friendly.
Today is the first day that is sunny, breezy and clear. I walked down to the beach to watch the fishing boats travel back and forth just beyond the breaking surf. It is also the first day that the offshore islands are visible without smog. The nice weather is a treat. I know it will be cold when I return home.
I took a short afternoon bike ride before getting ready for the cooking class. It was a bit difficult to figure out the address for the taxi since the location was a walking road without car access but the hotel front desk helped us describe how to get there by taxi. We arrived exactly on time.
Eight people were set up for class. We made a variety of dishes and a sauce which was a sweet spicy one used for mixing with foods to be cooked as well as a dipping sauce. It seemed easy. We were given lots of prepped items that needed to be mixed. We also chopped things for rolled up rice pancakes and ground a few things into paste with a mortar and pestle. Then we cooked over small gas stoves like camp stoves. It all seemed very easy and was delicious in the end. The chef had prepared a broth for Pho which is pronounced like Fur. I have tried making the broth. It’s got a few spices I hadn’t added that make it much more flavorful than my attempt. I probably won’t make it but I have the recipe just in case.
After dinner, it took several attempts to book a taxi back to our hotel. The experience is similar to frustration with Uber rides that don’t show. We finally got back to our hotel and got a glass of wine while we discussed our day plan for tomorrow. It will be long and very scenic as well as interesting.
The Adventures of Anne 