We arrived in Da Nang well after the sun set and it was impossible to make out any details through the blackness. So our first opportunity to see this city came after breakfast with a short walk into town. Hoi An is a small town of many faces - craftsmen, workers and those who sell anything and everything. It's hustle and bustle are diminished from Hanoi, but motorbikes still rule the streets. In an effort to protect the old town, motorbikes are not allowed past the market. Even for it's vibrant life, Hoi An is peaceful and quiet in comparison to Hanoi.

The focus of our morning was cooking lessons at the Red Bridge Restaurant & Cooking School. We went to a local restaurant where they divided the entire group into three smaller teams to go "shopping" in the central market. We were paired with Hât, a lively young girl with an iPhone who explained that food was already purchased for our cooking and this expedition was for us to understand where everything came from.

The central market is a narrow, dark maze of vendors selling fruits, vegetables, meats and fish. It is divided in an orderly fashion with the fruits and vegetables at the front, meats in the middle and seafood at the back where the market opens to a pier on the river. The aisles are no more than a few feet between vendors and everyone squeezes past each other to shop. Hât introduced us to the root that is ground and dried to make turmeric, straw mushrooms that should only be cut a little at the top to keep the moisture and banana flowers. We also saw dragon fruit, pomelos, bitterroot and both hot and sweet chilis.

The meat section was next. Every cut and part was available and over the din of people purchasing their meats, they were punctuated thwacks as another butcher trimmed for their customer. One delicacy that seemed to take time to prepare was part of the pig (I couldn't make out which one). The butchers would stand and use their knives to scrape away the fur of the pig. It's almost enough to consider vegetarianism seriously.

We took a step up and found ourselves amongst the seafood. Tiger shrimp and prawns scuttled in one bucket while live crabs pulled at their restraints in others. Cuttlefish, mackerel, squid, flying fish, stingray and a host of others crowded the low tables. Here too you felt the large blades as steaks and filets were created on the spot. According to Hât, these were retail sellers - the boats arrive between 2 and 3 AM and people purchase the catch to re-sell in the market.

Our shopping complete, we were treated to a demonstration of multiple kitchen implements. Since they were so unique, we bought 3 sets - us, Robin, Mom & Dad. Then we boarded the boat to go down the Thu Bon River to the cooking school. We puttered along looking at the shrimping and fishing fleets that were restocking before heading out to the South China Sea. Since it is a tidal river, we had to go a little out of our way and we could not make it all the way to the school's dock. We disembarked and walked for a few minutes to the Red Bridge Cooking School and Restaurant.

We settle into chairs and met our chef. His name was unpronounceable and he had a dry sarcastic wit that has been honed from many years in the kitchen. The basic plan was that he would demonstrate and then we would execute. We made spring rolls, our own fresh rice paper, Hoi an pancakes and a hot pot of asian eggplant. Everything was fantastically fun and the food turned out wonderfully.

On the boat ride back. Tuyen related the story of how the tiger got it's stripes. Once upon a time, the tiger was hungry and descended into the valley to find something to eat. He came across a water buffalo who was tilling the fields with a man. When the buffalo was done working, the man released him and the tiger came over. He asked the water buffalo why he worked so hard for the man - after all he was so much bigger and stronger. The buffalo replied that the man was smart and that is why he worked for him. The tiger didn't believe the buffalo, so he approached the man to ask about his talent. The man replied that he left his brain in his house and the tiger demanded to see it. He could not believe that this man was smart. But the man hesitated and asked the tiger how he could trust the tiger not to kill his buffalo while he went to the house to fetch his brain. The tiger gave his word but this was not good enough for the man. Finally the tiger allowed the man to tie him to a tree with rice paper so that the tiger could not attack the buffalo. No sooner was the tiger bound, the man lit the paper on fire. The buffalo laughed so hard that he hit his head on a rock and knocked out his top teeth (which is why the buffalo has no upper teeth). When the paper finished burning the tiger's fur was scorched and he ran away. This is how the tiger got his stripes.

The focus of the afternoon was on seeing the cultural sites of Hoi An. This started with a visit to the house of Tan Ky. This is an ancient example of original Chinese architecture that has been preserved by the family for over 8 generations. The house is made of ironwood and the furniture is mahogany. They have to be strong because one wall marks the floodwaters back to 1999. Since the house abuts the river, the changing dynamics of the ecology have resulted in more frequent and severe flooding.

Outside the house and around the corner was a Japanese bridge. The Japanese paid for it to be built - but why - we don't remember. Then we were off to visit the Phuc Kien temple which has amazing Chinese roots. The most fascinating part were the layers of gods to pray to. Besides the primary, there were seven warriors and twelve fairies. We finished out tour with a visit to the Quan Cong temple and then were released to shop.