Hue..Citadels, Pagodas and Pedal Power!

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Hey Guys,

Well after a great trip on what has been by far the nicest night train we've ever been on we arrived in Hue. Seriously our cabin had a plasma flat screen!!!! Crazy. Our stay in Hue was going to be filled with lots of visits to historical sites since although the city is relatively small it was once the national capital and home to the Nguyen Emperors so there's lots to see. Since the sites are fairly spread out we opted to rent bikes and show off our pedal power through the traffic! We started with the Citadel which was where the Emperors lived. This is a massive complex completely surrounded with huge walls and a massive moat. Inside the citadel was a forbidden city where only the concubines, emperors, and those close enough to them were granted access, the punishment for trespassing being death. Luckily we got in for a few Vietnamese Dongs. The inside of the citadel has only a few buildings that are still standing and most of the buildings are currently being restored with plans to recreate the entire place.

Next up was the Thien Mu Pagoda which is situated along the Perfume River. The Pagoda was pretty impressive and had some great views of the river. Afterward we headed out into the countryside to visit several of the Emperors Tombs with a final stop at the temple of Minh Mang Tomb. Biking through the city and countryside was a great way to see not only these historic sites but everyday life as well. Our last stop was at the Minh Mang Tomb, this site is approx 10km out of town and we were definitely glad to have finally made it there (after Matt made us bike 4 km passed it since he doesn't read signs). The site of this Tomb is very impressive, the complex has a beautiful lake inside as well as several beautiful buildings. Although we were both pretty tired it was well worth trip.

After spending some time visiting monuments we were both looking forward to our next stop Nha Trang, which was going to be some relaxing on the beach and possibly some diving.

Until the next one.....

Cheers,

Matt & Tyne

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