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TEMPLES, TUNNELS AND TOMBS
After a couple of days out on Halong Bay we hurried back to Hanoi to get on the local sleeper train to Hue. Arriving at the central station, we were a little confused when our train didn't seem to be there but a worker soon saw our confusion, seized my bag and strolled across several tracks to a train on the other side of the station. Safely beside our train, we thanked him for his help (and thanked God that we hadn't got run over) but the little man, determined to get a tip, kept a hold of my bag and proceeded to march us down the train to our cabin. More than capable of carrying my own bag, I reluctantly pulled out a 2000 Dong note to give to the pushy 'gentleman' only to have it thrown back at me in disgust (once he'd left in a huff I realized I'd just attempted to tip the guy a whopping 10 cents - talk about being a stingy Kiwi)!
To help pass the time in our cosy little cabin, we taught Mum and Dad how to play Uno, sipped on cheap Vietnamese red wine, enjoyed a 'dinner' of Vietnamese potato chips and shared random travel stories until we fell asleep. By 10am the following morning we had arrived in Hue and after dropping off our bags and grabbing a bite to eat we set off to explore the Ancient Citadel and Imperial Tombs. The citadel was interesting to wander through, although having suffered a lot of damage from the war it clearly hasn't seen a lot of love since! We then headed to the royal tombs and with no real expectations, we found ourselves captivated by the beautiful and vast landscapes of the Minh Mang and Tu Doc tombs and astounded by the majesty of the Khai Dinh tomb. Very impressive and definitely worth the visit!
The next morning, much to our surprise, MUM opted to do a MOTORBIKE tour out to the Vinh Moc Tunnels. We were told it would be an hour out to the tunnels, an hour to look around them and an hour return which seemed okay to everyone. Mum and Dad each had a motorbike (and driver) while Joel and I shared a scooter (Joel driving, of course) and together we set off for the tunnels. Along the way, Mum and Dad's drivers/guides took us to a cemetery for Vietnamese soldiers killed in the war, the remains of a church and school that had been bombed by the Americans and a war memorial museum situated in a town that suffered much devastation as a result of numerous bombings. Back on our bikes, we were informed that there was still over 60kms to go before reaching the Vinh Moc tunnels. By this stage we'd already ridden 80kms and were not entirely thrilled about the prospect of another couple of hours on uncomfortable bike seats, dodging scary trucks and masses of other motorcycles on a ridiculously dangerous highway. We did eventually get there and it was well worth the perilous motorbike journey!
The Vinh Moc tunnels are a network of underground passageways and small caverns that were hollowed out to shelter and house an entire village of 60+ families from the many bombs being dropped on the area during the war. Confined inside the terribly cramped tunnels, families went about their daily business, children attended school and as many as 17 babies were born in the makeshift maternity ward - pretty remarkable considering a 20 year long war was going on above their heads! After a quick lunch of Pho Bo (beef noodles) outside a lady's house, we eased our way back onto the bikes and, feeling reassured by our guides that we were taking a 'shorter route home', rode another 120km back to our hotel. We immediately transferred our things into a waiting car and made the three hour drive down to Hoi An.
The ancient city of Hoi An was once a trading port dating back to the 15th century and has now been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city definitely has a lot of charm but we just couldn't get over how many other tourists were there with us - it seemed to be the 'trendy' place to be and it just didn't feel like the Vietnam that we had got to know over the previous week! We were staying a little bit out of the bustling township and decided to check out a little, local family's restaurant across the road from our hotel on the first night. Thank god we did because the food there was to die for and we noticed that they offered traditional cooking classes that were much cheaper and more intimate than the ones in town.
The following day we ventured out to My Son to explore the crumbling ruins of 4th Century Hindu temples constructed by the Kings of Champa. We could have easily been in a field somewhere in Southern India minus the hundreds of giant Vietnamese Tunnel Web spiders peering out at us from their silky warrens coating the temple walls. Our final day in Hoi An was mostly spent over the road at our favourite little restaurant where a delightful girl named Thao (one of 14 family members living and working there) ran an amazing, personalized Vietnamese cooking class for Mum, Dad and me. While we shopped in the local market for ingredients and refined our culinary skills, Joel went for a bike-ride around a nearby village, coincidentally arriving back just time to help us eat our tasty creations. Our dishes: Lip-smacking fresh vegetarian spring rolls (complete with beautiful handmade tomato "flower-garnish" - some more beautiful than others!), a delectable Vietnamese chicken curry, yummy fried Pho and a scrumptious chicken stir-fry! Needing to work off our enormous lunch Joel took us on a 'bicycle tour' out to the countryside and down to the beach where Mum was able to get another look at the famous Vietnamese 'basket-boats' that her students have been learning about back in New Zealand.
High: The mouth-watering food in Hoi An and getting to try our own hands at making it!
Low: The long and rather risky motorbike ride out to the Vin Moch tunnels - having survived I can now say that it was a lot of fun but for the entire 6 hours on the bike I worried relentlessly about everyone's safety!
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