Tuesday: No work, no food!!

Brenda has sold us into farm labour at the Tra Que Herb Village. Don't let the name fool you, growing herbs is hard work! The hoe was big and heavy, the sort you'd see working the street in Kings Cross... oh, no... sorry.... not that sort of hoe!! Back to the story. We were picked up from our hotel at 8.30am and taken to the local market - a world away from the tourist trap which is the Central Market in Hoi An. Ngoc, our guide, showed us lots of different fruit and veg and also took us through the wet market, not too bad early in the morning, but might get a bit wiffy later in the day.
A 4km drive saw us at the herb village where we had a short tour of the things they grow, how they are grown, and what they are good for. Then it was down to work.

dig, dig, dig

hard work

so glad I wore closed in shoes!

seaweed for fertiliser

Tina standing around looking beautiful......

Hoeing, carrying seaweed for fertiliser, digging it in, and generally preparing the bed for planting. Then we transplanted some small lemon basil plants, and Tina helped.

Next 'station' was the foot soaking and massage which was enjoyed by all. We found ourselves on the other end of the camera when a large group of tourists came through and started taking our photos. We all put our hands out and said 'one dolllaaaarrrr'!!

we became the attraction

Even Tina got a massage!

Watch the cook, be the cook, eat the food! Delicious!!

After that we headed inside to the cooking demo and lunch. The food was terrific and we didn't need much for dinner later on. We all agreed that this tour was well worth doing. Ngoc returned us to our hotel a bit after 1pm.
We just had a bit of time to freshen up before going to the cloth market for our fittings with Na, the tailor. The clothes she has made for us seem to be very good, so I ordered some more, which I need to go have fitted tomorrow. The women at the market are such good fun and we always have a good time talking to them and sharing a joke. Kim, who makes shoes is copying a handbag for me. It's a back-pack style, you'll know which one it is, and it's design amused her no end. I'm sure anyone visiting Hoi An in the next few days will see shops selling them for a good price.
A couple of Gin tonics and it was time for dinner. Carolyn and Brenda decided to stay in as they were a bit weary so Bob, Anke, Trevor and I headed off to the Mermaid Restaurant where we ate the other day. Bob was craving pizza and he was a happy boy after sharing one with Trevor and then a banana pancake for dessert. Anke and I had salads which was all we needed after our big lunch.
Some of us have a very early start tomorrow. Pick up at 4.45am to go on a sunrise photography tour to a fishing village.