Thursday was spent in and around the Old Quarter doing some last minute shopping with Elise and Ingrid. They managed their packing for their flight home yesterday without problems. After dinner the girls and I went for a last stroll around the lake. As usual it was a focus of relaxation for the locals. We sat and enjoyed a womens dance fitness group who were made up of some very proficient regulars and some obvious newbies. Further round was a second group who were being instructed in firm rehersal of the steps before the music was turned on. On some smooth terrazo in front of the statue of a man who died in 1030 an group of young men were practicing their very actobatic "rap " routines. Their athleticism was amazing but I worried for their joints in the future.
We waved goodbye to the girls at 9-00am yesterday and then arranged a car to take us out to the silk village, Van Phuc. This was only 8 kms SW of Hanoi and this time there was no rural interlude because the urban growth has lapped the village. Before we left I searched Google for additional information and found that there are 1500 officially designated "craft villages" which are recognised for their preservation of traditional skills. The crafts range from pottery, bamboo work to bronze work to weaving and are listed for the whole of Vietnam. We had been close to others as we traveled and it is interesting information if we ever come back for another holiday.
The official village area in beautifully maintained and has well set up shops. The range of products are made in vibrant colours and looked stunning but I found that the styles mostly adhered to traditional dress which does not translate well to our social scene. Because I am no dressmaker I didn't take the obvious alternative of buying fabric to take home. Outside the village there were more shops which offered mostly blended fabrics and more western styles. We did make some purchases in both zones and so the trip was successful from that aspect.
Like our previous trip out of the city this one was also interesting for the different perspective it gave us on the size and cosmopolitan shape of the city. When we are moving around the Old Quarter it provides a self contained environment in which it is easy to forget the huge business world around it that is the real activity of the city. Yesterday we drove in and out via the French Quarter which has some well preserved colonial buildings with the hotels and shopping which would appeal to the well healed visitors because they are mostly up market designer goods and prices we would never contemplate. I might add that the products would again not be a good fit with our lifestyle.
Today we need to achieve the packing miracle of taking home more than we brought here. We have been given access to our room until 2pm which means we only have an hour to occupy until it is into the taxi for the beginning of the trip home. We will have a couple of days in Perth before heading south. It has been a great trip with a nice balance between seeing lots and not jumping around too much. Traveling with Ingrid and Elise has been really special and as a bonus the food has been delicious without the worry of extra calories.
Thursday 12 April 2018
Tuesday 10 April 2018
Hanoi : Trip to Nimh Binh
Our deferred drive out to this beautiful area went ahead with a replacement guide. He had fluent English though with a quirky accent which meant we had to listen carefully. I am sure our driver also had some English but we only heard it once when he jokingly refered to a large elaborate house as "my house".
It was an hour and a half out of Hanoi with a rest stop along the way. We stopped first at one of the accessible water ways to go for a quiet row through the marshlands adjacent to some of the limestone carstes. At least we admired the scenery while a diminutive woman rowed us. It was very serene with only a couple of other boats until the last part of the circuit when a tour bus offloaded. We saw quite a few birds, heard some monkeys howling in the distance, saw the local women foraging in the reeds for small crabs and ultimately were rowed through a cave the water had eroded out of the base of a cliff.
From there we were taken to a restaurant that caters for the tour groups and presented with a huge lunch. There were several local specialties which were new to us. Finely sliced goat meat was designed to be loaded onto rice paper with mint and rolled up into a loose spring roll. A peanut and soy dipping sauce was the accompaniment. Sticky rice had been molded into a flat square shape and baked until crispy. This was broken into a bowl with a meat and vege soup ladeled over it. It required chilli sauce to give it some flavour but was quite interesting to eat. Apart from these we had chicken, sauteed Morning Glory, steamed rice and fruit. One fruit was one we had seen in the markets, a very small, piquant salty fruit which we did not appreciate as much as the locals. This was washed down with a large mug of green tea which was the only thing we had to pay for.
Fortunately we had not tried to demolish all the food which was at least enough for four. Our next stop was to climb 250 meters via a stone stairway to view the scenery. Our guide gave us plenty of opportunity to bail on this as he wasn't confident we could make the grade. However he was delighted when we reached the top because he had not been there before. Along the way we were accompanied by an intrepid bride to be in gown and sneakers (with groom) who was having the obligatory before wedding photos staged half way up the staircase. At the top I couldn't resist gently taunting a group of young men who were occupying the gazebo to exclusion of others. They admitted they were tired from the climb. No stamina in young people these days. The view was well worth the climb but we weren't demanding the option of a bicycle ride and accepted the decision that a relaxing drive back to our hotel was acceptable.
Ingrid and Elise had arrived back from Halong Bay a couple of hours ahead of us. They had a great trip on a new cruise boat, the Azalea and were blessed with really good weather and pleasant company. We had dinner at the hotel and shared the slices of birthday cake the hotel had presented me with the previous day.
It was an hour and a half out of Hanoi with a rest stop along the way. We stopped first at one of the accessible water ways to go for a quiet row through the marshlands adjacent to some of the limestone carstes. At least we admired the scenery while a diminutive woman rowed us. It was very serene with only a couple of other boats until the last part of the circuit when a tour bus offloaded. We saw quite a few birds, heard some monkeys howling in the distance, saw the local women foraging in the reeds for small crabs and ultimately were rowed through a cave the water had eroded out of the base of a cliff.
From there we were taken to a restaurant that caters for the tour groups and presented with a huge lunch. There were several local specialties which were new to us. Finely sliced goat meat was designed to be loaded onto rice paper with mint and rolled up into a loose spring roll. A peanut and soy dipping sauce was the accompaniment. Sticky rice had been molded into a flat square shape and baked until crispy. This was broken into a bowl with a meat and vege soup ladeled over it. It required chilli sauce to give it some flavour but was quite interesting to eat. Apart from these we had chicken, sauteed Morning Glory, steamed rice and fruit. One fruit was one we had seen in the markets, a very small, piquant salty fruit which we did not appreciate as much as the locals. This was washed down with a large mug of green tea which was the only thing we had to pay for.
Fortunately we had not tried to demolish all the food which was at least enough for four. Our next stop was to climb 250 meters via a stone stairway to view the scenery. Our guide gave us plenty of opportunity to bail on this as he wasn't confident we could make the grade. However he was delighted when we reached the top because he had not been there before. Along the way we were accompanied by an intrepid bride to be in gown and sneakers (with groom) who was having the obligatory before wedding photos staged half way up the staircase. At the top I couldn't resist gently taunting a group of young men who were occupying the gazebo to exclusion of others. They admitted they were tired from the climb. No stamina in young people these days. The view was well worth the climb but we weren't demanding the option of a bicycle ride and accepted the decision that a relaxing drive back to our hotel was acceptable.
Ingrid and Elise had arrived back from Halong Bay a couple of hours ahead of us. They had a great trip on a new cruise boat, the Azalea and were blessed with really good weather and pleasant company. We had dinner at the hotel and shared the slices of birthday cake the hotel had presented me with the previous day.
Monday 9 April 2018
Photos of Duong Lan
Hanoi 9- 4-18 Duong Lam Village.
Yesterday we had planned to go to Nihm Bihn National Park which is a landside version of Halong Bay with striking limestone carste hills. However it was cancelled for that day because the guide phoned in sick and an alternative guide could not be found at short notice. We deferred till the following day and replanned over breakfast. The hotel tour director had told us about an ancient village 1.5 hours away and we decided we could tackle that independantly with a car and driver.
When we arrived with our driver who spoke a little English a stallholder in the central square offered us a map of the village with a marked path and places of significance detailed. Fortunately there were English subtitles. Copies were limited so we offered ours to a young Vietnamese couple to copy with their moblie phone. We strolled the village and visited several of the 400 year old houses and two of the Community Houses/Temples. We eventually found the main gate with the plaque that explained that because the number of significant ancient houses is diminishing UNESCO had funded the restoration of five wooden traditional long houses in the village. These houses are composed of buildings clustered around a courtyard and each building seemed to have a different function i.e. sleeping , living area. I am fairly sure they were designed for multi generational living but will try to research the village on Wickipaedia.
I took numerous photos but they are not impressive because the angles were cramped. The houses were beatifully maintained and the furnishings gleamed. I gather that the deal is that the funding was granted on the basis that visitors be permitted as there was no pressure to buy or donate.
We enjoyed our walk, handed back our map and had a drink with the stallholder. We came back to Hanoi for a late lunch of Bahn Mi. These are crusty baguettes with your choice of filling, delicious.
Last night we went to our hotels sister hotel for a special dinner for my birthday.
It was every bit as good as our previous experience and we were fussed over because the staff at our Essence had phoned ahead.
When we arrived with our driver who spoke a little English a stallholder in the central square offered us a map of the village with a marked path and places of significance detailed. Fortunately there were English subtitles. Copies were limited so we offered ours to a young Vietnamese couple to copy with their moblie phone. We strolled the village and visited several of the 400 year old houses and two of the Community Houses/Temples. We eventually found the main gate with the plaque that explained that because the number of significant ancient houses is diminishing UNESCO had funded the restoration of five wooden traditional long houses in the village. These houses are composed of buildings clustered around a courtyard and each building seemed to have a different function i.e. sleeping , living area. I am fairly sure they were designed for multi generational living but will try to research the village on Wickipaedia.
I took numerous photos but they are not impressive because the angles were cramped. The houses were beatifully maintained and the furnishings gleamed. I gather that the deal is that the funding was granted on the basis that visitors be permitted as there was no pressure to buy or donate.
We enjoyed our walk, handed back our map and had a drink with the stallholder. We came back to Hanoi for a late lunch of Bahn Mi. These are crusty baguettes with your choice of filling, delicious.
Last night we went to our hotels sister hotel for a special dinner for my birthday.
It was every bit as good as our previous experience and we were fussed over because the staff at our Essence had phoned ahead.
Sunday 8 April 2018
Photos from SaPa and Hanoi
SaPa to Hanoi
Our last day in SaPa threatened rain but was forecast to be dry in the am so Elise, Ingrid and I proceeded with the plan to take a car, with driver out to the most atractive of the waterfalls. The road wound up into the hills and this time we were driving past the market gardens which provide SaPa's fresh produce. Oh how I wish that my vege garden looked as immaculate as those terraces. When we stepped out of our mini bus we were glad we had worn warm jackets and scarves. The path down to the falls was well laid stone but promised we would warm up coming back as it wound down to the falls. There was quite a crowd walking along with us, all obviously as impressed by the cold as we were. The falls were beautiful and worth the 2 mile return walk/climb. However we decided that we did not need a second stop and repeat performance on the way back.
We walked down to our favourite restaurant street when we had collected Bob and checked out. Elise and I had decided on BBQ for lunch and had delicious pork and chicken on skewers, some of it finely sliced and wrapped around thin little mushrooms or local herbs. These were cooked over charcoal fire in half 44 gal drums. The restarant was really just an unlined shed but the food was as good as more salubrious surroundings. Bob and Ingrid settled for variations of noodles as usual.
The bus back to Hanoi was a sleeper bus again but seemed more spacious than our last effort partly because it wasn't full and we could put our belongings on some spare seats. Initially the road was the usual winding, s bend mountain road but then we reached the new toll road and the driver took off. . We arrived back in Hanoi at about 9-00 pm and off loaded in the lakeside area which was booming with Saturday night crowds. Fortunately our hotel was only a five minute walk away because we were told the reliable green or white taxis were impossible to get at that time on a Saturday.
Yesterday Ingrid and Elise were repacked and ready to leave by 9-00am for their two night cruise out on Halong Bay. We heard from them in the evening that they are having a great time, kayaking and sipping cocktails.
Yesterday Bob and I had a leisurely stroll around the Lake watching the population of Hanoi at play. The roads in the vicinity are closed on Saturday and Sunday and people wander the area watching the impromptu entertainment which is scattered around. It has wonderful vitality and the performances are well worth watching. After lunch I took myself off to a local salon for some pampering at 1/3 the price of home. Afterwards we once again went walking and decided on our dinner venue. A leisurely dinner and a walk through the huge Sunday Night Market concluded our day.
We walked down to our favourite restaurant street when we had collected Bob and checked out. Elise and I had decided on BBQ for lunch and had delicious pork and chicken on skewers, some of it finely sliced and wrapped around thin little mushrooms or local herbs. These were cooked over charcoal fire in half 44 gal drums. The restarant was really just an unlined shed but the food was as good as more salubrious surroundings. Bob and Ingrid settled for variations of noodles as usual.
The bus back to Hanoi was a sleeper bus again but seemed more spacious than our last effort partly because it wasn't full and we could put our belongings on some spare seats. Initially the road was the usual winding, s bend mountain road but then we reached the new toll road and the driver took off. . We arrived back in Hanoi at about 9-00 pm and off loaded in the lakeside area which was booming with Saturday night crowds. Fortunately our hotel was only a five minute walk away because we were told the reliable green or white taxis were impossible to get at that time on a Saturday.
Yesterday Ingrid and Elise were repacked and ready to leave by 9-00am for their two night cruise out on Halong Bay. We heard from them in the evening that they are having a great time, kayaking and sipping cocktails.
Yesterday Bob and I had a leisurely stroll around the Lake watching the population of Hanoi at play. The roads in the vicinity are closed on Saturday and Sunday and people wander the area watching the impromptu entertainment which is scattered around. It has wonderful vitality and the performances are well worth watching. After lunch I took myself off to a local salon for some pampering at 1/3 the price of home. Afterwards we once again went walking and decided on our dinner venue. A leisurely dinner and a walk through the huge Sunday Night Market concluded our day.
Saturday 7 April 2018
Ta Van Village
Friday 6 April 2018
SaPa Day 3
It was a rainy day yesterday but that didn't stop the show. We went shopping in the trekking shop street in the morning and Bob and I bought good over run sneakers for $30 per pair. Elise found some pretty clothes to take home for her girls. I am avoiding clothes for them because I can't keep an accurate estimate in my head of how much they have grown. After lunch we took a car out to a Hmong/ Zoa village. We were met by two local women as we walked across the bridge into the village and they then guided us on a walk around the paddy fields and through the village. We saw quite a few Homestay options some of which looked quite sophistocated . The scenery was beautiful despite a little rain. Our two senior guides (1x 68 years and 1x35) were soon joined by two school girls one of whom spoke very good English at age 12 years. Our walk went past the pre school for 3-4 year olds and also the school for those aged up to 16 years and our guide informed us 200 children attended. She lived an hours walk up into the mountainside so lived in town except for days off. Her parents are rice farmers and seemed to be well to do judging by her jewellery and because she said she has extra English coaching. As we walked we discretely talked about what we should pay them for their guiding. This became a superfluous discussion are we approached the bridge. We were gently herded into shelter, the baskets they were carrying were unpacked and the selling began. We each complied even Bob purchasing a couple of small bags which we will now use as passport holders.
It was important that we bought something from each of those who had escorted us so we did end up with more than we would usually have bought but at no great expense and face was saved.
We had dinner at the restaurant which has become our favourite because the food and service is just so good. The "Little Sa Pa" is patronised by locals and visitors and we went early to ensure a table. This was because of it's popularity and it was as well that we did. Friday night had the whole town hopping. The Hmong women had their goods arranged on the pavements on plastic after the rain and were hoping for a busy night. Sadly for them the rain began again as we left the restaurant.
It was important that we bought something from each of those who had escorted us so we did end up with more than we would usually have bought but at no great expense and face was saved.
We had dinner at the restaurant which has become our favourite because the food and service is just so good. The "Little Sa Pa" is patronised by locals and visitors and we went early to ensure a table. This was because of it's popularity and it was as well that we did. Friday night had the whole town hopping. The Hmong women had their goods arranged on the pavements on plastic after the rain and were hoping for a busy night. Sadly for them the rain began again as we left the restaurant.
Thursday 5 April 2018
SaPa Thurs 5/4
Men carrying bricks to a renovation next to our hotel. The person loadimg the baskets was a slight woman and they worked to diminish the load dumped from a tip truck all day.
SA PA Day 2
We spent a leisurely day yesterday to recover from our strenuous day the one before. Ingrid as the one who is most desk bound had sore calves. Bob's knee is better but still needing some nursing along. We wandered down through town to the markets and bought some fruit but are saving most of our purchases to deal direct with the producers. The women from the villages come in to the town square to sell their embroidered items. We spoke to two on our way home from dinner last night. They were from one of the smaller communities who came with goods from the local group leaving their children to be cared for in the community. They have one day per week off (Sunday) to relax. They walk in and out ( actually up and down ) carrying heavy loads. They succeeded in persuading Ingrid and me to buy small purses that we didn't need but $6 Australian was a small price to pay for the conversation. We see some who bring their children with them and the children are sometimes carrying their baby siblings. Other women may bring in fresh produce in large baskets on their backs. Some try to enviegle us to let them act as their guides to take us out to their village but when they start mentioning a ten kiilometer walk we quickly tell them we are too old. Mainly because once again this would be up and down over rough paths.
Coming back to our yesterday activities we walked back from the market via the central lake which is beautiful. Had lunch of Bah Mi which is a large crusty baguette roll with fillings. Yesterdays was different in that the filling of minced beef, egg and herbs had been cooked as a scrambled mix and served beside the roll. We were provided with a spoon to scoop it up and fill the roll to our specifications. While we were there we watched the proprietor scooping huge trout and another unnameable fish out of the glass tank out front to fill orders. He neatly dispatched them with a blow to the head from a large wooden waddy, weighed them and took them inside to be packed in polystyrene coolers for delivery.
Rest time was then followed by a massage for everyone bar Bob who distains such remedies. We three had delightful young hotel employees giggle over the long legs they had to deal with and engage us in conversation to improve their already respectable English. Last night Elise once again had a man ask her to pose for a photograph with him. This was in full view of his family and caused great delight because he reached up to her armpit. We did notice that the male dancers in the Hmong village were significantly taller than most men. Whether this is privaledged diet, specific selection or other factors we can only guess.
Dinner last night was tasty Vietnamese food as usual but Ingrid and I did indulge in a tart each from the Patisserie nearby and it was delicious.
Coming back to our yesterday activities we walked back from the market via the central lake which is beautiful. Had lunch of Bah Mi which is a large crusty baguette roll with fillings. Yesterdays was different in that the filling of minced beef, egg and herbs had been cooked as a scrambled mix and served beside the roll. We were provided with a spoon to scoop it up and fill the roll to our specifications. While we were there we watched the proprietor scooping huge trout and another unnameable fish out of the glass tank out front to fill orders. He neatly dispatched them with a blow to the head from a large wooden waddy, weighed them and took them inside to be packed in polystyrene coolers for delivery.
Rest time was then followed by a massage for everyone bar Bob who distains such remedies. We three had delightful young hotel employees giggle over the long legs they had to deal with and engage us in conversation to improve their already respectable English. Last night Elise once again had a man ask her to pose for a photograph with him. This was in full view of his family and caused great delight because he reached up to her armpit. We did notice that the male dancers in the Hmong village were significantly taller than most men. Whether this is privaledged diet, specific selection or other factors we can only guess.
Dinner last night was tasty Vietnamese food as usual but Ingrid and I did indulge in a tart each from the Patisserie nearby and it was delicious.
Wednesday 4 April 2018
Photos from SaPa
SaPa April 3/4
The Night Train to Sa Pa turned out to be only slightly more comfortable than our experience 5 years ago despite paying for a supposedly more up market company. However the mattresses were thicker and it was cleaner and more organised on King's Express. The train still rattled and shook and it took a while to unwind after a long day in Hanoi but we eventually slept until woken for the approach to the end of the line at Lo Cai. As arranged we then travelled by mini bus the 35 kms up the mountains to SaPa. The road was quite busy even at 5-30 am but the driver knew his road and when he could risk overtaking on the winding road. The huge trucks grinding their was up the hill gave us some warning of the development occurring in SaPa.
My first impression was of construction everywhere on the approach to the City. And it is a city now not the town we visted previously. Our hotel was very well organised. Even though we could not check in till 1-00pm by our arrangement we could breakfast, shower and then go on a short treck until check in time. They are set up for all this for the travellers arriving by train and taking the longer two to three day treks.
The anticipated downhill walk turned out to be a bit tougher than we expected with a steep uphill finish and we were all hot and looking forward to our lunch stop at the finish. Fortunately the scenery made to effort worthwhile and our lunch was a delicious noodle soup with coconut juice from the fruit itself and Nashi's for desert. The mini bus ride up the hill to the hotel was a welcome and essential finish. Our trekking companions, a family from Belgium, a woman from Colorado teaching English in China and a young Turkish man certainly eased us over the final stretch with lively conversation.
Our hotel certainly offers the Panorama promised but it was obliterated by cloud when we checked in. We didn't care at that point as a catch up sleep was high on our agenda. We all recovered well and after researching the Lonely Planet bible went out for a stroll around town and a delicious dinner. We have learnt to order from the Local Specialties section of the menu if possible and it was well worthwhile last night. One plus from the growth is the restaurant choice is now improved. The construction disruption is not as evident in the city centre but the school where we used to watch mothers collecting their children is now a heap of rubble. It would be nice to think it is going to be a new school but I suspect another hotel. Today will be a relaxed one with possibly a massage for tired limbs.
Photos from Hanoi
Lake Gardens in Old City Hanoi
Basket seller from whom I felt compelled to buy a small hanging arrangement because he was so obliging about being photographed.
Elise at the womens Musueu trying out the work day tools.
Lakeside shops.
Monday 2 April 2018
Hanoi Monday 2nd April
After a leisurely breakfast we organised our plans for the day. Bob was going to find a bank and look for shorts while the girls and I set off for the Women's Museaum. As you can imagine this was not high on Bob's "to do" list. It was within walking distance and around the central Lake so with only a short detour for some shopping we had a very pleasant stroll. The Museum was spead over five floors and covered Marriage rituals, Fashions, Earning income, Family Llfe, and Religion. We skipped the floor that covered participation in the War especially because I had seen quite a bit of this in Saigon. Due to the number of distinct ethnic groups within Vietnam each display showed a variety of differing cultural practices. I was struck by the information that groups in the North and South of Vienam are partilineal whereas in the Central region the tradition is matrilineal thereby reversing all the betrothal and marriage rituals.
We met Bob for lunch and all had our usual after lunch recovery time. It is still warm and humid this far north and we are having to be careful to drink plenty of water. Each evening cools down with a breeze though and it is very pleasant when we go out at about 4-00pm. It looks as if the weather will be cooler when we arrive in SaPa tomorrow morning.
Our afternoon excursion was to the Botanic Gardens and Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. The latter really only rated becasue it was just down the road from the gardens. These were not particularly spectacular but a pleasant stroll and we did see some eels in the water, which were intriguing till we worked out what they were. We arrived at the Mausoleum in time to see the Changing of the Guard which was remarkably low key. From there it was a taxi ride back for dinner. I had researched the restaurant options carefully because the previous evening we had discovered that many of the restaurants around here have low tables and small stools which the girls long legs and our creaky joints just can't manage. It was a worthwhile venture and we had a very delicious meal. We had taken pot luck at lunchtime at a nearby cafe which flaunted a "Recommended by Trip Trip Adviser" banner and had an interesting soup cooked at our table which Ingrid had picked. We cheated by cooking the chicken longer than the recommended two minutes. All in all a nice relaxed day.
We met Bob for lunch and all had our usual after lunch recovery time. It is still warm and humid this far north and we are having to be careful to drink plenty of water. Each evening cools down with a breeze though and it is very pleasant when we go out at about 4-00pm. It looks as if the weather will be cooler when we arrive in SaPa tomorrow morning.
Our afternoon excursion was to the Botanic Gardens and Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. The latter really only rated becasue it was just down the road from the gardens. These were not particularly spectacular but a pleasant stroll and we did see some eels in the water, which were intriguing till we worked out what they were. We arrived at the Mausoleum in time to see the Changing of the Guard which was remarkably low key. From there it was a taxi ride back for dinner. I had researched the restaurant options carefully because the previous evening we had discovered that many of the restaurants around here have low tables and small stools which the girls long legs and our creaky joints just can't manage. It was a worthwhile venture and we had a very delicious meal. We had taken pot luck at lunchtime at a nearby cafe which flaunted a "Recommended by Trip Trip Adviser" banner and had an interesting soup cooked at our table which Ingrid had picked. We cheated by cooking the chicken longer than the recommended two minutes. All in all a nice relaxed day.
Sunday 1 April 2018
Photos from Hue
Hue - Easrer Saturday
The train up from Danang (nearest station to Hoi An) was not such a luxurious experience as our previous trip. It was perfectly adequate but had been working all day and was absolutely at capacity. Hence it seemed grubbier and while we sat waiting to leave the airconditioning didn't work so it quickly became warm and stuffy. When we did depart the carriages gradually cooled and the scenerey held our attention. We were travelling along the coast and around a succession of large bays. As we gradually climbed the view down to clear water and white beaches was beautiful. We were going up all the time through narrow cuttings and dense vegetation. At times there were villages and cattle grazing in amongst the jungle growth. Periodically there would be more views of the cooastline. The trip only took two and a half hours which was just as well because one glimpse of the toilet convinced me that I could wait. It wasn't obviously dirty just wet and well used.
Hue was a complete surprise as all the travel write ups focus on the bomb damage during the "American War". It is a large bustling city with everything that a tourist could need. Our hotel was the Midtown and it was exactly that; in the middle. It was 16 stories high and comfortable in a typical large hotel way. We walked out for dinner to a restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet and each ordered the set menu. It was a large relaxed vibrant place with staff who were amazingly efficient with the orders. We had five small courses which gave us a good taste of the local favourites and saw that even the locals were ordering very similar dishes. We were amused when we saw that at the end of the meal the waiter was coming to the tables and saying "why don't you tell me what you had". He then wrote out the docket and collected the money. It was really the only way they could cope in the fast flow of arrivals and departures.
After dinner we walked around the city centre where the streets had been closed to traffic and crowds were out enjoying the Saturday night entertainment. There was some very good music and the girls were lucky to see a stunning Dragon Dance performed on stilts. Everyone seemed in very good humour.
Sunday morning we decided on the two sights we could realisically visit in the time available and hailed a taxi. Our first stop was the city's main Pergoda and monastery. It was a very ancient complex with a serenity which was not disturbed by the number of people visiting. We were there early which possibly perpetuated this impression. We strolled around the gardens and went into the
temple which was substantial but not as ornate as some we have seen. I had an interesting chat with a young Vietnamese man as we studied a cabinet of pottery figures. We agreed that they were unusual and he offered that he didn't know much about them but thought they were depictions of differing human emotions. With this insight they made a bigger impact.
We then taxied back towards the centre of the city to the aptly named Citadel. This is the ancient Palace and Military complex from the time when Hue was the capital of the country. It is huge and we knew that even though a large part of it was detroyed by bombing in the War we would not have time to see it all. Significant parts have been restored and there were large photo displays which conveyed the pomp and circumstance of the lifestyle of successive Emporers. The smaller buildings in particular, such as the Emporers Reading Room were beautiful wooden structures with ornate tiled roofs and ceramic decoration.
Yet another taxi (very cheap transport) took us back to the hotel. Elise found the nearby French Bakery to buy our lunch and we ate it at the airport while we waited for our 1 hour 10 minute flight to Hanoi. This went very smoothly and we are ensconced in our central "Old City" hotel.
Hue was a complete surprise as all the travel write ups focus on the bomb damage during the "American War". It is a large bustling city with everything that a tourist could need. Our hotel was the Midtown and it was exactly that; in the middle. It was 16 stories high and comfortable in a typical large hotel way. We walked out for dinner to a restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet and each ordered the set menu. It was a large relaxed vibrant place with staff who were amazingly efficient with the orders. We had five small courses which gave us a good taste of the local favourites and saw that even the locals were ordering very similar dishes. We were amused when we saw that at the end of the meal the waiter was coming to the tables and saying "why don't you tell me what you had". He then wrote out the docket and collected the money. It was really the only way they could cope in the fast flow of arrivals and departures.
After dinner we walked around the city centre where the streets had been closed to traffic and crowds were out enjoying the Saturday night entertainment. There was some very good music and the girls were lucky to see a stunning Dragon Dance performed on stilts. Everyone seemed in very good humour.
Sunday morning we decided on the two sights we could realisically visit in the time available and hailed a taxi. Our first stop was the city's main Pergoda and monastery. It was a very ancient complex with a serenity which was not disturbed by the number of people visiting. We were there early which possibly perpetuated this impression. We strolled around the gardens and went into the
temple which was substantial but not as ornate as some we have seen. I had an interesting chat with a young Vietnamese man as we studied a cabinet of pottery figures. We agreed that they were unusual and he offered that he didn't know much about them but thought they were depictions of differing human emotions. With this insight they made a bigger impact.
We then taxied back towards the centre of the city to the aptly named Citadel. This is the ancient Palace and Military complex from the time when Hue was the capital of the country. It is huge and we knew that even though a large part of it was detroyed by bombing in the War we would not have time to see it all. Significant parts have been restored and there were large photo displays which conveyed the pomp and circumstance of the lifestyle of successive Emporers. The smaller buildings in particular, such as the Emporers Reading Room were beautiful wooden structures with ornate tiled roofs and ceramic decoration.
Yet another taxi (very cheap transport) took us back to the hotel. Elise found the nearby French Bakery to buy our lunch and we ate it at the airport while we waited for our 1 hour 10 minute flight to Hanoi. This went very smoothly and we are ensconced in our central "Old City" hotel.
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