On Saturday, I travelled from Mui Ne to HCMC by bus. It had double decker seating, air conditioning and WiFi. Very comfortable and clean!
I got to HCMC around noon, checked into my hotel and quickly signed up for a cooking tour. I was picked up by a cyclo driver who gave me a tour of the main downtown sites before dropping me at Ben Thanh Market. I was met there by Dory (her chosen English name), a chef, who gave me a very interesting tour of the spices, fruits and vegetables at the market, showing me many unfamiliar items. One of the strangest was probably Birds nest, which is solidified bird siliva, which is used to make soup. It's very expensive but there is a cheaper version with bird feathers still in it that you need to pick out. I will remember to not order any birds nest soup!
After our tour of the market, Dory took me on her motorbike through HCMC crazy traffic to the cooking school. For some reason, there were no other students. So I got a private lesson in fruit and vegetable carving, making spring rolls, Vietnamese savoury pancakes and chicken pho. It was very hands on and I got to eat everything I made. They also presented me with a booklet outlining how everything was made so that I could reproduce it at home.
Below are a few photos from the afternoon:
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