Art Food Culture Creative Retreat with Anna Barnes
What does a creative retreat look like? Let me show you!
I met 4 gorgeous women in Hoi An in late July. They were open and enthusiastic for an adventure, and that is exactly what Art Food Culture is all about. I am dedicated to helping people experience Central Vietnam on a deeper level than the usual tourist routes. I want them to meet the local artisans, immerse in the market culture, go off the tourists paths, and experience situations that will bring connection and empathy to the culture they are choosing to visit. We can use any medium to create, so sketching, photography, yoga, bicycle riding, walking, and journalling were all given time and encouraged throughout the trip.
We met for a few drinks and introductions. A basic run down about safety issues, artistic experience, and talked about the things we would like to achieve from the trip. ArtFoodCulture tries not to use plastic bottles throughout the trip, so a reusable water bottle is placed in each room. I encourage guests to drink as much water as possible. Which parts are we most excited about? Learning to sketch? the photography? maybe the bamboo craft workshop? Then we headed over the bridge and into the old town for our first dinner in a 200 year old building.
Day one we headed into the UNESCO heritage town of Hoi An, for a walking tour and then a sketching workshop with Bridget March. She is a long term resident artist of Hoi An, a good friend and owns a gallery showcasing her art, along with other local artists work. She has also published a number of books with her travel sketches of Vietnam, and sells artists supplies.
Next day, as always, It was essential we head to the Hoi An Central market. My favourite place for sketching, mixing with the locals, immersing with the culture and tasting the delights of Central Vietnam. I gave a creative life workshop. We talked about how to incorporate creativity into our daily lives. How sometimes life can be mundane, and how creativity will keep us connected and full of life. Practical ideas were given and then put into practice.
Mi Son sanctuary near Hoi An is an ancient Cham temple complex. Heavily bombed in the American war, however still intact enough to make it well worth a visit. An early start is essential to beat the tropical jungle heat, and a relaxing day amongst this incredible example of Cham culture will be had.
The following day we enjoyed Linh’s family home farm. An eco farm of fish and herbs in an outlying hamlet of Hoi An. This is where I taught a lesson on food sketching, before Linh gave a vegetarian Vietnamese cooking class. She has coracle boats at her farm, and guests had fun in these, as with walking over the traditional bamboo bridge.
Guests decided they would like a people sketching workshop with me, rather than the planned bamboo carving and making workshop I had planned for them. I was pretty flexible with a small group, so I choose a cafe nearby where the owner was ok with us sitting and drinking coffees and coconuts for a few hours. The island of Cam Nam in Hoi An is still very much the same as when I first visited it years ago. Whilst it now has a vina mart and other modern additions, you can still get a feel for what the town was like before the massive influx of tourists.
A sunset Photo tour with my friend Etienne Bossot was a delight. He has been running Pics Of Asia and living in Vietnam over 10 years now. He speaks Vietnamese, knows all the back ways to get to the awesome villages and best photo spots, and happily is young and energetic. We had a blast! One of the guests declared it the best day of her life!
A sunset photo tour that ended in local beers, followed by a rather wild dinner at a local restaurant is probably not best followed by an sunrise tour of the fishing village. It was a beautiful morning, and the village did not disappoint…it was busy, loud, smelly, and real….but the coffee despite being fisherman strength was not helping some of the guests! Hangovers ensued…..After a banh mi, a wander and a chat with the locals, it was time to head back for another rest.
I somehow persuaded the incredibly talented Pham Ngoc Tram of Meo Meo Atelier to give an embroidery workshop for us. She choose the beautiful Dechiu Hotel on An Bang beach for us to have a session with her, along with a delicious lunch. The place showcases ethnic minority wares, and the women bought a stash of pottery and other treasures to load into their take home luggage. Thankyou so much to Tram for an informative and enjoyable morning.
We had a Hoi An night market experience. The pretty lanterns are a must see, and the foods available to try vary from delicious to bizarre, to the ridiculous. I focused on the delicious for this trip. We had Banh trang ( a rice paper grilled with quail egg, shrimp, spring onions and other delicious things). Durian (the pungent and controversial, yet delicious tropical fruit) and Kho muc (dried squid, grilled then shredded by hand, and eaten by dipping into soy or chilli sauce). Thit nuong (grilled skewered marinated pork, wrapped in rice paper, both fresh and dried, herbs, green banana, cucumber and dipped in peanut and bean sauce. The atmosphere of the night market is crazy busy, its is hot and balmy and the food is abundant. Fun!
Tra Que herb village is easily accessible from Hoi An centre. It is a co operative that practices in organic herb gardening, supplying the local markets with the herbs that are so integral to Vietnamese cuisine. We had a rice paper making session, observed the gardeners, and also a travel journal session, looking at how to consciously fill our journal with icons and symbols that stood out for us on our trip. It is a visual gratitude list.
We had a bunch of fun lunches and dinners, eating locally and mixing with the local vendors and also with other locals who dine out. It is rewarding eating this way in a town so susceptible to fancy restaurants for tourists. Every morning some of the guests took a yoga class or we went cycling together in the countryside.
