Hue - checking out the hospital and exploring a few of the historical sites.

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Our flight landed in Hue after dark and we were met by the driver from our hotel. One of the benefits of travelling with a bit more cash and slightly more advanced years are airport pickups - gone are the days of trying to sort public transport to our accommodation. From the taxi it was obvious that Hue had changed dramatically since our last visit. At our hotel we were greeted with a big plate of fresh fruit which was very welcome as I was feeling dreadful and had no desire to face the busy streets to look for a meal. I woke next morning feeling no better but after breakfast at the hotel we heard out to walk the couple of blocks to the Perfume River.

I promptly fell flat on my face after tripping on something on the footpath. Not a great start to the day and it rapidly went downhill from there. A couple of hours later Jerry took me to the local International Hospital to see a doctor. We arrived and I immediately wanted to leave. It was old, very dirty and rundown. One of those sad places where you try not to look into the wards but you just can't stop yourself doing it. No decent equipment, battered furniture and badly stained paintwork. I have an absolute fear of overseas hospitals after spending two weeks in a Chinese one in 2005. The signs said 'International' which usually means clean and of a higher standard and this hospital was certainly not that.

Thankfully a doctor saw us and beckoned us to follow him. He lead us through a maze of dingy corridors until we reached an external door on the opposite side of the hospital where he pointed to a new high rise building across the road. The new hospital... This one was a vast improvement - shiny floors, big reception area and laminated sheets of procedures and prices pinned on a noticeboard as you entered the foyer. The other hospital was obviously the free public, this one the paid private. I was given a form to fill out, told they had no electricity at the moment and we would have to wait until it came on. Half an hour later the air conditioner started and there was a rush to the desk. Everybody had been waiting for computer printouts before they could go any where else in the hospital.

I was taken into the doctor's room. There is no privacy when you see doctors here. A large desk is shared by two doctors, both seeing patients at the same time. In the same room are half a dozen other people waiting their turn. Everybody can hear what is being said. I had an element of privacy because I was speaking English. X-rays and blood tests were ordered and I was told to come back in an hour for the results. Then we were taken to a counter to pay for everything before the tests were done. It was all very efficient and within an hour I was told by the doctor that I had contracted bacterial bronchitis. No wonder I had been feeling so wretched. More money handed over for medicine and we were soon back at the hotel. A very quiet afternoon followed but we decided to rescue something from the day and take a sunset cruise on the river. It was very pleasant and certainly used up little energy. The boats on which you take these cruises are called 'dragon' boats as they have colourful dragon heads as figureheads. Quite different from our last trip along the Perfume River when we travelled illegally on a fishing boat and had to lie on the floor as we went past the police post! Times have changed in Vietnam..

Next morning we had hired a driver for the day. I debated about staying in the hotel room but was feeling more positive - at least I knew what was wrong now - so decided to go out and do what I could. If I couldn't cope the driver was happy to take me back to the hotel. We ended up visiting three of the sites, though by the last one I was very tired. I particularly wanted to see Khai Dinh, the elaborately decorated tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh which wasn't very old as it was completed in 1931, but very impressive. He made himself very unpopular as the tomb was built before his death and he funded it's lavish construction by increasing the taxes by 30%. It was amazing as the interior as totally covered with intricate glass and porcelain pictures. I spent a long time inside admiring the details and recovering from the exhausting stair climb to reach it!

We also visited the Tomb of Minh Manh and the Thien Mu Pagoda. Both of these sites we had visited previously so I spent a lot of time sitting in the shade whilst Jerry explored them in a bit more depth. The pagoda in particular is very pretty. It is on the banks of the river and was built in 1844. Today it is still a functioning monastery and one of the monks who practiced here has a place in modern history. He travelled to Saigon in 1963 and burnt himself alive in protest of American interference in South Vietnam's self-determination. This was shown live on American television in the first 'TV' war and helped ignite a public backlash against the 'American' war as it is called in Vietnam. The car he drove to Saigon is on display at the Pagoda.

By then it was 40° and I was exhausted so we heard back to our hotel for air conditioning, showers and a rest. We still had The Citadel to explore and Jerry, at least, would check it out late afternoon. The Citadel was the Imperial seat of the government from 1805 and the area is covered with buildings in various stages of decay and restoration. At one time the private quarters of the emperor were comparable to the Forbidden City in Beijing but the ruins today will need a lot of repair to ever reach that grandeur again. Also the buildings have been extensively damaged during the Vietnamese / French battles and the American War. I decided to join him and it was quite pleasant in the late afternoon cool. However I spent a lot of time sitting in the shade. It is an enormous complex - 25 acres so nearly impossible to see it all. The massive flag tower at the front of the complex dominates the area. What we did see we enjoyed however and eventually took a tuk tuk back to a restaurant near our hotel for dinner. The day was still very humid and hot. It was a short stop in Hue and despite me being ill we enjoyed revisiting the city. Next day our driver was taking us over the Hai Van pass to Hoi An.

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Photos

Sunset
And a Huda beer sign. Huda is a lager made in Hue.

The Tomb of the emperor at Khai Dinh.
One room was all heavy golden gilt, the other porcelain and glass tiles