Hue with Hoy

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Hue (Whey) is the city we are in and Hoy (Hoee) is the name of our tour leader.

We got to Hue bleary eyed and tired after being on the train overnight. We checked in and headed out for a traditional Hue breakfast - noodle soup with pork and dried pig blood (like black pudding). It was yummy. Hue is much smaller and much more chilled out than Hanoi - they still have no traffic regulations but with fewer motos to deal with it doesn't seem so bad. A much quiter pace is nice after the hustle and bustle of Hanoi. Hue was once the capital city of Vietnam as it is in the centre - joining the North and the South and has been the site of many a battle. After a little relaxing we headed out for a bite - BanhKhai Vietnamese pancakes with shrimp and sprouts. We then went off the explore the Citadel. This complex was built by Vietnam's royal family and is the equivalent of their forbidden city (though it's much smaller). A lot of the complex was destroyed in the many wars that Vietnam has had and you can see the damage done by bullets (bullet holes in the walls). The citadel is stunning and while it is not as impressive as China's forbidden city it was nice to see some Vietnamese history. It rained while we were there and we had to duck for cover a few times but it did cool things down and make the whole citadel seem very peaceful.

Second day in Hue and a fab day. We (all 12 in the group) hired motorbikes with drivers to take us round the countryside. What agreat way to see parts of Vietnam we would never have seen.We went through country lanes, past rice paddy fields and people homes. On proper roads and dirt tracks. The drivers were great and very safe. We stopped at a local market an wandered round trying to figure out what all the fruit and veg were. They had a museum of sorts where they explain how the Vietnamese villagers grow rice. It was run by this 75 year old woman, who was practically bent over double from a lifetime of working in rice paddies but she was so sprightly and kept jumping around demonstrating the tools and giving us this great big black toothed smile! We also met a fortune teller - the only fortune she tells is when you are going to get married and how many children you will have all for $1. We had lunch at a nunnery - a vegetarian banquet prepared for us and then had a snooze before setting off on the bikes again. We stopped off at a Pagoda and visited some old US bunkers and the tomb of the last Vietnamese King. All in all a great day.

In the evening a few of us decided to wander around Hue looking for the local specialities - Bun Bo Hue (a beef noodle soup) and Banh Hue (rice cakes). After much wandering (we wanted to eat somewhere that had locals in and not tourists) we found this place and ordered one of each. The Bun Bo Hue was lovely - a light broth with rice noodles and beef and meatballs. The Banh Hue is an accquired taste! The rice cakes (pancakes) were very sticky and the dried seafood on them wasn't very nice - they didn't taste of much and we didn't like the texture. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Off to Hoi An tomorrow - 4 hour drive but should be a scenic one.

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Photos

Breakfast
Noodle Soup with pork and pigs blood!