Motorbike Ride Through Rural Villages in Hoi An
My Attempt at Making a Rice Cracker
The best experience so far in Vietnam was going on a motorbike ride through rural villages.
My husband and I took a half day tour with Vespa Adventures in Hoi An. We were picked up from our villa and taken to meet up with the other riders at the Vespa Tours office/cafe. While sipping on a cold glass of tea, the tour itinerary was briefed; The afternoon was going to be filled with food and cultural adventure.
We took off on the backs of the motorbikes and the first stop was a local fish market by the river, about 20 minutes away from the center of Hoi An. Small ships and boats floating lazily and the smell of fish and fresh produce welcomed us on arrival. The market was lively with the locals shopping for fish, fresh produce, flowers, tofu and other daily necessities.
The next stop was made where a lady made rice crackers at her home. She let us try our hand at making them. It required some skills to make them perfectly round (which mine were not) and take them off the hot griddle over the charcoal fire. I got to sample one and it was crispy and savory with black sesame seeds.
Rice Crackers Drying in the Sun
On we went through little villages and arrived at a house where an elderly couple made reed mats. It takes a long time to make just one; It is intricate in pattern and colors.
After leaving their house we rode through stretches of rice fields and stopped at a produce farm for a bowl of freshly cooked Quang Nam noodles, smoked eggplants and fruits. It was the best bowl of noodles I've ever had; the vegetable and herbs served with the noodles were so fresh and the noodle sauce with quail eggs and pork was flavored just right. The freshly picked eggplants were roasted over a charcoal fire which added the smokey deliciousness.
The last stop was at a rice wine brewery. It was intriguing to learn how the rice wine was made from fermenting rice. Some of it was mixed with herbs and snakes for medicinal purposes. I tried it in a small amount; It was quite strong and tasted like a stronger version of vodka.
