Post by: Tony
We made it to Hué (pronounced Hway) pretty early in the morning on an overnight bus. We were treated to a beautiful sunrise that we normally wouldn't be awake for. It wasn't too horrible of a ride. We were able to get a few beds on the bottom this time so we weren't tossed around quite as much as the last time, but the sleep still didn't come easy. As soon as we stepped off the bus we grabbed a cab and made way to our guest house (Halo Guesthouse). We couldn't figure out if it was the name was derived from the thought of an angel's halo or the way locals say 'hello' (ha-lo). Either way, the staff there were extremely nice and welcoming.

Hué is a cool town...small, but busy. Our first day we rented a couple of bikes from our guesthouse and rode around the citadel located in the center of the city. It is surrounded by a moat that was cool to ride next to even if the traffic was a little hairy. Out here you just ride your bike in the middle of traffic with the rest of the motorbikes and occasional car. Inside the citadel there were a few ruins and museums. My favorite was the military museum. We didn't actually go inside but there were U.S. tanks and stuff parked outside. All of them were labeled with the corresponding battle in which it was seized and when. We also checked out the "Forbidden City", which was basically a small compound inside the citadel where the concubines hung out and held parties and such back in the day. There was recently a large festival in the city so there were still a lot of cool looking decorations set up that gave it a traditional feel. Later that evening we rode around the city (outside of the citadel). There were also a lot of decorations left from the festival along the streets as well that lit up the night. The most amazing were along the moat and were located strategically across from large neon signs on the other side of the water. The night air was cool and refreshing so we decided to park the bikes for a bit and take a short walk around before heading back to the guesthouse for the night.


The next day we decided to take a boat tour to a few royal tombs and the Thien Mu Pagoda. There were only about 14 people on the boat, a mixture of Vietnamese, French, American and Aussie's. We stopped by quite a few places on our way down the river. My favorites were the first and last. The first was a neat pagoda (kind of like a tiered spire). It had a small compound behind it and guarding the doorways were a few statues that were 8 feet high with REAL HAIR!!! Even the goatees were real. It was pretty entertaining. The last thing we visited was this cool gothic looking temple called Khai Dihn. The whole thing was done in shades of gray and was situated up the side of a steep hill. It looked very ominous.

After a few days in Hué we decided to head down to Hoi An. Before we hopped on the bus the staff of Halo Guesthouse asked if we had a place to stay in Hoi An. We explained that we had an idea but it wasn't set in stone. She hipped us to her friend's guesthouse there and said we would be able to get a nice room for the same price ($10 US). When she mentioned that she could call them and have them pick us up from where the bus dropped us we sealed the deal. She made the call and 3 hours later we were on the doorstep of her friends guest house.

Our first day in Hoi An was a pretty relaxing one. We just walked around town, which didn't take very long, and stopped in a few shops to look around. It's a really old town, with lots of charm (even though every other shop is a tailor shop). After a while we decided to take in the local cuisine. There are two different dishes that this town is famous for, White Rose and Cau Lau. We decided to try each at our first stop. White Rose was something like a steamed dumpling filled with shrimp and pork, topped with a little bit of fried garlic. Very good. The Cau Lau is a rice noodle dish with fresh herbs, pork slices and fried garlic. Also very tasty. The food was actually so tasty in this area that we decided to take a cooking class before we left. We learned how to make Cau Lau, Fresh Sping Rolls and Fresh Papaya Salad. The class was a lot of fun for both of us, especially eating all of the food!


The second day there was a little more active. We grabbed some bikes from this place across the street from our hotel and headed to the beach, which was conveniently located about 3 miles out of town. It was nice to get in some exercise as well as jump in the ocean for a little bit. I did have a small jelly-fish scare while in the water, but managed to snake my way out of it's path at the last second. From the look of the jelly fish, it would have been a pretty gnarly sting. Once back at our hotel we were invited to check out the tailor shop next door by the owner, Mr. Bu. This town is famous for it's tailor shops and the great clothes that you can have made for very cheap. Mr. Bu was quite the character. He stood no taller than Dom, was very friendly and VERY flamboyant... but most of all, a great salesman. Before we left Hoi An we were the proud owners of a few new clothing items (3 piece wool/cashmere suit & winter wool coat for me, and a jacket, dress and 2 skirts for Dom)... and paid a fraction of what it would have cost in the states (all custom fit).

On the night of the full moon we went into the heart of town hoping for a festival of lanterns that is supposed to occur every month like clockwork. We walked around the blocks of the town center over and over again until a local explained to us that it normally takes place on the one street that was completely ripped out of the Earth a few days prior to us arriving. Bummer. Apparently, they were preparing for the Miss World pageant, which the city was hosting. There was going to be no lantern festival this month so we headed back to the hotel disappointed. The following day we were scheduled to head out of town so we spent the night getting our stuff together and trying to figure out how to cram our new clothes into our bags (which were already stuffed to the gills). We managed it somehow.

So on to Nha Trang we go, on another sleeper bus. That story to come. :) -t

HUE PICS
HOI AN PICS