Everybody had a goodnight's sleep, so we were ready for our bicycle tour after a decent breakfast. We prefer a 'path less travelled' the type of adventure to really understand communities we visit and their way of life, and our guide definitely delivered today.
However the first step was to get out of Hue city, through the traffic. Both parents were a tad terrified for the girls but both of them did a great job following the traffic and navigating the chaos on the roads.
Eventually we got into the country side and our first stop was at a local farmer's home, with the farmer's wife being our host. We got to drink a traditional lemongrass tea and learned about how they process rice.
Once the rice is harvested and dried, it gets sorted through an air blower. The blower separates rice, so that the whole grains are then taken and "beaten" out of their husks. It takes some skilful sifting to separate the rice grain from the husks. The rice if then ready to be eaten, however the farmers soak the rice in water overnight and then mill it by grinding it with water. The resulting paste can either be dried to make rice flour or used to make rice paper for the local spring rolls. Or mixed with egg to make rice pancakes, which we made for lunch.
After planting some corn and feeding the farm's chickens, we headed off again. This time our ride took us through dozens of rice paddies. The ride was a lot more peaceful and the girls really were in their element riding their bikes. Our next stop was in a local village where after a quick stop at a local café and a sugar cane drink we went on a little boat and went fishing. All of us were expecting to use some fishing rods to go fishing, but it turned out not to be the case. In the river we stretched out a little net that had floaters on top and sinkers on the bottom. Once in place we went round and round banging our boat with wooden oars to make as much noise as possible (the girls loved this part). The noise was meant to frighten the fish into the nets. And it was very successful as we caught 12 fish, 1 crab and 3 sticks! Luckily, we released all the fish and the crab back into the river.
Our last stop was a temple with a little restaurant/farm attached that served us an amazing selection of traditional dishes. It started with a rice pancake that we all had to make ourselves. You poured the batter out into an oily pan, cooked it a bit and then added vegetables and meat on one side. Then fold it in half and cook until it is crispy on the outside. This was followed by a Fig salad, sautéed sweet potato leaf, sweet melon soup, local steamed fish and a red rice porridge and yoghurt paste dessert.
We then got treated to a hot foot soak. Apparently the farmer's wife would prepare this foot soak for the farmer after working hard all day in the rice paddies. Apparently we worked hard enough today to be treated to a foot bath!
However we still had to cycle back to Hue and to our hotel. Through the busy roads and chaos. Once again, the girls were rockstars - listened to instructions and showed us they have good road safety, even in a place as chaotic as Vietnam. We are very proud parents.
Swim to cool down in the afternoon and then some school. Mexican for dinner and as a treat we all had a cocktail, girls really enjoyed virgin strawberry daiquiris'!
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