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Published: February 2nd 2008
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Disembarking from our bus I was swamped by men offering me "Cheap Hotel". I kept saying, "No Thankyou" because I didn't have my pack yet. By the time my pack was unloaded the room price had dropped significantly to $7 U.S. a night, so I relented.
After checking into the 'Thai Binh' hotel I wandered off in search of lunch. It was raining and my first thoughts of Hue were not positive, partly because every person I ran into was making a pitch to get me on their tour to the imperial tombs, the citadel and pagodas. The hotel manager even tried to tell me that I would have to stay for seven days because all of the trains to Hanoi were fully booked. I found this rather dubious, so I walked to the train station and discovered, lo and behold, that I could get a sleeper train the very next day, which is exactly what I was were after!
From here on in, my experiences in Hue continually improved. I had dinner in the tiny 'Cafe on Thu Wheels'. This place was recommended in Lonely Planet and just happened to be across the alley from where I was
staying. This cosy cafe had a wonderful atmosphere, with thousands of guests having left their mark all over the walls and ceiling, relaxed staff and clientele and great music (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin - just the tonic after a week and a half of Vietnamese love ballads). Best of all, the food was delicious and incredibly cheap, such as a banana and honey pancake for 5000 Dong - that's about 50 cents in Aussie currency!
I went back to this cafe for breakfast and ended up doing a mini tour with them. Instead of being $9 U.S., they only charged me 100,000 Dong (just over $3 U.S.) for the tour. This tour was awesome fun as I was on the back of a motorbike going down trails where only villagers live. They first took me to a stunning pagoda where I witnessed the monks opening the temple. This was an incredible experience, as I was sitting in the temple and heard them singing in wonderful harmonies, whilst playing drums, bells and other instruments. It was just amazing. The hair on the back of my neck was tingling (and that's a lot of hair!).
Our next stop was the
tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. Hue was once the imperial capital of Vietnam and has some impressive historical sights, this one topping my list. It is not your typical tomb. It is as big as a city, with numerous lakes, streams, woodlands, temples and sepulchres (which are housed in structures far bigger than any house I have seen in Vietnam). Tu Duc had 104 wives, so I guess he had to construct a place big enough to accommodate them all. A guide was overheard retelling a funny story regarding his concubines. Tu Duc would line up all the concubines and then send a goat (yes, a goat) in amongst them. Whichever one the goat stopped by would get to spend the night with the emperor! Some of the more switched on concubines would drop grass on the ground where they stood, enticing the goat to stop by them.
The emperors would spend their latter years in the grounds of their tomb, writing poetry and relaxing. This sounds macabre; however, this complex was a serence and tranquil location where you could easily while away the hours. It was like taking a step back in time visiting this sprawling complex.
The motorbike ride back into the heart of Hue was also quite an interesting experience - a train crossing. Once the train had gone past I soon realised that the build up of motorbikes numbered in the hundreds on both sides and spread across the entire road. It was a delicate process maneuvering through the oncoming swarm of traffic, but we got there and then had to cross a river on a narrow makeshift bridge (the main one was undergoing repairs). We got back safely and all in all I had a terrific morning in Hue. I could now leave the city feeling like I did something worthwhile there.
As I walked to the train station to catch the sleeper train to Hanoi, I took a detour via the main gates of the citadel, which was the imperial headquarters of the old capital. The citadel is as big as the rest of the city of Hue and surrounded by a moat, but I had spent my allocated budget for the day, so I just peered in from the outside. Apparently a lot of the complex was bombed by the Americans, so it wouldn't be in the same condition as the tomb I visited. I will wait until the Forbidden City in Beijing to have a look at an imperial city in good condition.
Next stop, Hanoi.
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hilary
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hairy one
hi brons nice to hear the stories! have fun in Hanoisy. rug up warm