Hue

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Hue, the old Kaisercity, is a pleasant little city in the center of Vietnam.
After yet another long and painful train ride we checked into a charming hostel. The first hostel since central america. It was also the first which provided double beds in a dorm. Among other useful additions, it also had FREE beer during happy hour.
After having spent nearly a week in the cold and damp north the heat here was unberable. After two days of climaatizing we finally set off on a full day city tour. Our fist destination was to the surrounding tombs of the old kings. The three tombs we visited were magnificant. The shear size provided enough space to stroll around while the beautiful gardens offered marvolous views and provided some shade from the blazing sun. All this was topped off with the stunning architecture of the monuments. Each, being from different periods, had its own amazing style. From chinese/Vietnam to strong hints of french.
After lunch and past the full blaze of the sun we visited the old citadelle. Sadly alot of the original buildings had been destroyed during the Vietnam war. Some buildings however have been fully restored providing a lovely insight into what the palsat must have looked like in its prime. We finished the day sailing down the Perfume river in a dragon boat.

Being in the center of Vietnm our next place of interest as straight foward.
The DMZ.
Diana pulled pout of this one due to the heat. But I made my way with a few others, including an australian veteran, to visit the famous sites of this once so terrile area.
Unfortunately not much can be witnessedd here, as most of the famous war graunds are now overgrown again and alot of the remains have been removed from scavengers or/and the govement.
The hills around the famous Ho-Chi Minh trail are still bare. This is due to the intensce bombing, chemicals used for removing the leaves and the fires caused by napalm. The visted war museums are national museums and therfore only show one side of the story. That of the North.

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