Curds and Hue anyone?

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December 23rd 2009

Published: January 4th 2010

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Tucson

Hue Citadel Flag Tower

Tallest flag pole in Vietnam

I had a pretty sleepless night at the hotel. Actually, I slept like a log until about 3:00 AM. Then my eyes shot open and I was wide awake. There was someone in my room! Eating an apple! It sounded just like someone was eating an apple! Wait a minute. I looked around and no one was there. Then who the hell was eating the apple on the desk? AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! It was a freakin' rat!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Oh my God! I was physically paralyzed. I turned on the light behind the bed and he scampered off before I got a look at him, then I turned on the TV thinking that would keep him away because of the noise. Honestly, if I had seen a snake or a mouse, okay. I would just call the desk and ask them to remove a snake. I probably wouldn't do anything about a mouse except try to shoo it away. But this was a rat and I knew it! I sat in the middle of the bed and decided I would just stay awake all night, but then I saw something moving above the window. It was on the curtain rod and he was small,

Hue Citadel

Just outside the Citadel - notice the lack of crowds. What a relief.

but he was fat!!!!!! I called the desk and made the guy come upstairs, but the rat was already gone and the hotel was fully booked so I couldn't move rooms. I moved the fruit into the hallway and lay there watching CSI for a couple of hours with all the lights on. At 5:00 I must have fallen asleep again. The next morning I got the hell out of there as fast as I could. I know rats are common in all big cities, and in Asia a lot of cultures eat them, but still. Not acceptable in my hotel room. I still paid for the room knowing they couldn't help it. The room was clean. But I did suggest that perhaps a bottle of water in each room would be a better choice than fresh fruit.

Anywho, I flew to Danang, which looked like a horrible place, then met this French couple and together we rode in the back of a truck to a bus stop, then got on a bus to Hue (Whey). It took 2-3 hours, but finally we arrived and shared a taxi to the town center. I said avoi to the French couple

Hue Citadel

Bridge inside the Citadel

and paid 6USD for a bed in Backpacker Hostel. Great location, great dorm rooms, hot water, clean, comfy beds, lockers under each bed, and a fantastic deck area on each level. This hostel in only 9 months old, owned by an Aussie I think, and it is great! Free internet, a full service restaurant, and breakfast is included. I ate there and walked around for a bit, but I was tired after the long bus ride so I took a shower and went to bed early. It was only me and one Swedish gal in the room. Nice.

The next day I visited the Citadel. The Citadel has a 10km perimeter, but most of it is contained within just a couple of kilometers from what I could tell. Building began in 1804. This is a really interesting place, but needs a lot of renovation. Hue is also a World Heritage site because of this Citadel. First I saw the Flag Tower which is 37 m tall, Vietnam's tallest. Then I paid 55,000 VND (about 3USD) to go inside. Much of the Citadel is under renovation, but it was impressive anyway. I made sure to find the Nine Holy Cannons,

Hue Citadel Entrance

Thai Hoa Palace, Halls of the Mandarines, Nine Dynastic Urns (very big and all full of rainwater), Forbidden Purple City, To Mieu Temple, and then I really had to look for the Dien Tho Residence, but this was worth looking for. I actually had to walk down a long walkway that looked closed to tourists, but only because hardly anyone was visiting the Citadel. The Dien Tho Residence consists of the apartments of the Queen Mothers of the Nguyen Dynasty, and while you can't actually go inside, the architecture in this part of the Citadel is very well preserved. The description of this seem completely wrong in my Lonely Planet, so I believe the photo exhibition and display of embroidered royal garments has been moved somewhere else because it wasn't inside the residence anymore. I enjoyed my stroll around the Citadel and I think it makes Hue worth a visit even if you're not into the backpacker atmosphere of the town, which I am not. I liked Hue because it is fairly small and wasn't crowded.

I had a bus to Hoi An to catch at 2:00, so I took a motorbike ride to a pagoda, which was a

At the Citadel

I felt sorry for this guy. There were two of them and they had nothing to eat. This one was swaying back and forth. Not normal for an elephant.

huge disappointment, then back to the other side of the river to have lunch and get the bus. While I was waiting for the bus I met Denis and Linka from Czech Republic and would end up spending a lot of time with them in Hoi An. We boarded the bus - the Sleeping Bus! This was the nicest bus I've ever seen and the seats were like small recliners! Fantastic! We were only on a 3 hour ride, but it was so nice.

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The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forc...more history