So after a few days in Hoi An we caught a morning bus north along the coast to Hue. The journey was the most comfortable bus ride of the trip to date, it being on a 'sleeper' bus. The landscape was really impressive. Four hours later we pulled into Hue, a sprawling city centred on the banks of the Perfume River. Having been bombarded with multiple accommodation offers we settled into a hotel near the riverfront. The room had free internet access (a pc in the corner) and was only $10us a night. Sweet.
The bags were getting a bit heavy at this stage, post tailor raiding in Hoi An, so we decided to put post a package on to Sarah's uncle in Australia. A lot lighter (both of load and of wallet) and much relieved, we grabbed lunch and promptly rented bicycles to head out and explore.
We soon discovered that the town was yet another to add to our burgeoning list of UNESCO World Heritage sites visited. First stop and across the water from our hotel was the Citadel, which apparently sports the biggest and highest Vietnamese flag in all the country, so there. We walked around the inner sections and through the ruins of the forbidden city where once a long long time ago emperors and eunics and concubines all got along merrily playing Playstation 2's and throwing popcorn at each other, or something to that effect - I wasnt paying too much attention. After a few hours of wandering around taking pictures of goldfish and various other glittery shiny things we re-traced our peddals hotelward.
The heavens, as is their want in this particular part of the world at this particular time of year, opened for business at about 7pm dropping cats, small babies, bowls of sticky rice and even whole tuk-tuks (naturally complete with disgruntled driver) onto the city's roofs and pavements . Luckily we happened to be inside enjoying a very salty Indian meal and managed to miss the worst of the car denting outside. I exaggerate only slightly of course.
The following day was one of those super-active days myself and Sarah accidentally find ourselves embarking upon every week or so. We got up early, hopped on our bikes again and did a 15km circuit of a number of temples and burial sites of bygone emperors to the south of the centre of town. The most impressive of these, Tu Duc, houses the tomb of one Thieu Tri who fell off the face of the planet in or around the year 1883 and was Vietnam's last emperor. He loved nothing better than to sit around on the wooden decking of his private lakethere fishing, hunting small birds, reciting his own poetry, and fiddling with as many of his hundreds of concubines as was humanly possible. A nice clean cut, simple and ultimately rewarding existence I think you will agree.
Back to Hue via paddy fields and bemused farmers (we got a wee bit lost) for lunch, showers and a bit of a kip. Suitably refreshed we hit the DMZ (demilitarised zone) Bar and another watery hole called 'Why Not Bar' and drank too much with an Irish couple from Templemore we met there.
So all in all while I cant see Hue featuring too prominantly in a list of highlights to date it was good to get out into the countryside and see those tombs. Also a whole heap of Morrins (Morin's actually, but thats the French origin apparently) must have managed to find their way here at some stage as is evidenced by the impressive looking Morin Hotel right on the riverfront, and a number of small tailor shops run by other 10th cousins of mine who weren't interested in a discount despite our obvious blood relation.
Onwards and upwards to Hanoi!
The bags were getting a bit heavy at this stage, post tailor raiding in Hoi An, so we decided to put post a package on to Sarah's uncle in Australia. A lot lighter (both of load and of wallet) and much relieved, we grabbed lunch and promptly rented bicycles to head out and explore.
We soon discovered that the town was yet another to add to our burgeoning list of UNESCO World Heritage sites visited. First stop and across the water from our hotel was the Citadel, which apparently sports the biggest and highest Vietnamese flag in all the country, so there. We walked around the inner sections and through the ruins of the forbidden city where once a long long time ago emperors and eunics and concubines all got along merrily playing Playstation 2's and throwing popcorn at each other, or something to that effect - I wasnt paying too much attention. After a few hours of wandering around taking pictures of goldfish and various other glittery shiny things we re-traced our peddals hotelward.
The heavens, as is their want in this particular part of the world at this particular time of year, opened for business at about 7pm dropping cats, small babies, bowls of sticky rice and even whole tuk-tuks (naturally complete with disgruntled driver) onto the city's roofs and pavements . Luckily we happened to be inside enjoying a very salty Indian meal and managed to miss the worst of the car denting outside. I exaggerate only slightly of course.
The following day was one of those super-active days myself and Sarah accidentally find ourselves embarking upon every week or so. We got up early, hopped on our bikes again and did a 15km circuit of a number of temples and burial sites of bygone emperors to the south of the centre of town. The most impressive of these, Tu Duc, houses the tomb of one Thieu Tri who fell off the face of the planet in or around the year 1883 and was Vietnam's last emperor. He loved nothing better than to sit around on the wooden decking of his private lakethere fishing, hunting small birds, reciting his own poetry, and fiddling with as many of his hundreds of concubines as was humanly possible. A nice clean cut, simple and ultimately rewarding existence I think you will agree.
Back to Hue via paddy fields and bemused farmers (we got a wee bit lost) for lunch, showers and a bit of a kip. Suitably refreshed we hit the DMZ (demilitarised zone) Bar and another watery hole called 'Why Not Bar' and drank too much with an Irish couple from Templemore we met there.
So all in all while I cant see Hue featuring too prominantly in a list of highlights to date it was good to get out into the countryside and see those tombs. Also a whole heap of Morrins (Morin's actually, but thats the French origin apparently) must have managed to find their way here at some stage as is evidenced by the impressive looking Morin Hotel right on the riverfront, and a number of small tailor shops run by other 10th cousins of mine who weren't interested in a discount despite our obvious blood relation.
Onwards and upwards to Hanoi!
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