Hey from Hue.

By popular demand I find myself back on the computer to tap out the next installment in the travelling Carr's blog extravaganza.



After leaving Hanoi in an enormous rush as the taxi that was to take us to the train station did not arrive and we still had not left the hotel at 6.30 for our 7.00 departure by train to Hue, we ended up in 2 small taxis driving like maniacs with their hand constantly on the horn (same as every other driver in Hanoi) but we made it with about 2 minutes to spare to break out a can of beer and celebrate the fact that we made the train at all.
First class is what the ticket stated but if you looked at the state of the toilet before we left you could be excused for thinking we must have entered the wrong carriage. That said, 13 hours rattled away, and through the night we all got some sleep, especilly Lee who only woke once.
On arrival at Hue we hopped into a mini cab and went around 3 hotels until we found one we liked for a whopping $22 per night for 4 of us including breakfast. This would be about the average price in Vietnam for a hotel room, so great value. A restaurant meal with drinks usually $10-$15 for 4 of us.
www.Binh_Minh_Sunrise_III_Hotel_Hue_VietNam_814/

Hue is a very pretty town that was the capital about a thousand years ago when the emperors where around and has a real vibrance to it. On the first day we hired cyclos that are like rickshaws with a local pedalling like mad from behind and went to the Citadel. This was where the king had his residence with over 520 hectares in total. It is fringed with a moat and inside lays the ruins of a city of many beautiful structures that years ago would have been on a grand scale to rival anywhere in the world. The Vietnam war saw the demise of the fabulous place as the Yanks took it upon themselves to drop thousands of bombs on this place and level most of it. And for this very reason it makes it that bit more interesting as they have not tried to rebuild it but leave as is with only minor maintenance, so a lot of it is overgrown and a bit mystical. Walls and ponds with ivy growing through them lets the mindseye wander as to its former glory but we all agreed that if this was in our backyard we also would leave as is, as it is truly enchanting.

 

On the way back we stopped at a local cafe and treated our 4 cyclo drivers to a refreshing ale or two, and we played cards and ate peanuts for an hour.

The following day we were up and off on a dragon boat ride up the Song Huong  ( Perfume River) in search of historical monuments and tombs lost in time in the jungle.

Had a great day, I'll let the pictures tell the story.
See you next time.

Paul