A birthday surprise in Hoi An

From the start of our trip through Southeast Asia, Jon and I have been saying how we must, must, must do a cooking course at some point. With each passing country, we would reaffirm our plans and promise one another to look into a class at the next destination. With one week left to go in the region, time was running out to achieve our goal and we had yet to even pick a date or location to do a class. However, through a little creative maneuvering on his part, Jon arranged a cooking tour in Hoi An for my birthday surprise. An extra bonus was that one of our new friends, John, who we met while traveling was also joining us for the day.

Surprises, the feel good kind, are an interesting thing because they are not very commonplace in our adult life. So when we are fortunate enough to receive these unexpected gifts from family, friends or even strangers; the moment carries more weight then the surprises of our youth. The wonder, anticipation and overall elation of a surprise remains constant throughout life. It's just we grow to appreciate the effort it takes on someone's part to consciously put forth the effort to surprise us. Maya Angelou once said, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." This certainly holds true for my birthday surprise, I will never forget how Jon made me feel on 15 April 2013 by arranging this surprise for my birthday.

Our cooking tour began with a shopping trip to fresh market along the riverbanks near old town. Although I had been to the same market on a number of prior occasions, it was always with a cursory glance and I stayed on the main road. However; our guide from the cooking tour company walked us through the various sections of the market (some areas were deep within) so we could hand select the fresh vegetables, grains and meats needed for our menu.
With our ingredients in hand, we boarded a boat for a short cruise along the river and the coconut water trees. A half an hour later, we reached Thuan Tinh Island where our cooking class would be held. Prior to meeting the staff of the Thuan Tinh Island Cooking School, we were given the opportunity to see and participate in the milling of white rice and the production of rice milk. 
The cooking class was held in an open air pavilion adjacent to a vegetable and herb garden that made for the perfect backdrop to our lessons. Over the course of the day, the chef walked us through the creation of four signature Vietnamese delicacies; Banh Xeo, Bun Bo Nam Bo, Pho Bo Hanoi and Goi Cuon. Each dish was more delicious then the next and surprisingly easy to make. I hope I can put my new culinary skills to the test when I am home by making the recipes for my family and friends. 

We departed Thuan Tinh Island late in the afternoon, bringing the perfect birthday to a close.

Getting ready to boat through the coconut water trees.

With the Jon and John on the boat cruise to get to Thuan Tinh Island.

Snapshots from our boat cruise to Thuan Tinh Island.

Enjoying the unlimited fresh passion fruit served during our cooking class....yummy!

Proof that Jon and I can cook up some delicious Vietnamese food.

With John during one of our breaks in our cooking class.

Snapshots from the visit to the fresh market.