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We left Hanoi at around 19:00 on the overnight train to Hue. It's my first time in a sleeper carriage too so I don't really know what to expect. We're riding in first class, which is the sleeper cars, and I'm riding with Matt and his wife Vicky as well as Annie. The cabin is basic with just four short bunks (short for me and anyone over 5'10") and a table. A Vietnamese kid, about 10 years old, pops his head into our cabin to start talking to us. He's practising his English, which is quite good although his diction is a little like Stephen Hawking. Matt thought he might have been a little developmentally challenged. He was nice enough and he popped his head back in later in the evening for more of a chat. He was on his way to Na Trang with his father which was at least another 12 hours on the train south of Hue. I take the chance to update my blog and take in a movie before getting some sleep. We're due to arrive in Hue around 08:30 and likely not to get much sleep. Also, my camera died this evening with the shutter not opening. It had started to play up the day I joined the tour group. I was going to have to get it fixed somehow and somewhere or fork out for a new one. Not happy Jan.
I wake about 06:00 with a sore neck. The pillow on my bunk had next to no stuffing and I was sleeping awkwardly due to the size of the bunk. Turns out I would have the sore neck for a couple of days. Everyone's sleep was interrupted during the night due to bumps and jerks during the night with everyone, especially those in the top bunks, worried about rolling out of bed.
We pull into Hue station about 08:30 and make our way by bus to the hotel. Check in, freshen up and grab some breakfast in the hotel before our first stop in Hue, The Citadel. Hue was the old royal capital of Vietnam before the move to Hanoi and French colonisation. It was the home to the last Vietnamese king and the citadel is where he resided. The citadel grounds cover quite a large area, not just the main structures such as the royal houses. The outer grounds have some housing for the residents of Hue. After the citadel we jump back into the bus to an ancient Chinese pagoda followed by a short cruise down the perfume river, so named because of the fragrant flowers that lined the river (and possibly still do) back in the day it was named. The river appeared to be quite clean also but I wouldn't want to go swimming in it. The boat we were on was crewed by a family and the wife and daughter harass some of us to buy the souvenirs but no one is interested. Some crap, different location and the drinks they were selling were twice the price of anywhere else we've seen.
Tonight's dinner, which was an optional extra, is with a local Vietnamese family. I, along with most of the group, go along for the experience. The food was delicious and the hospitality excellent. The owner of the house is an elderly couple in their mid 80's. The gentleman we don't see but the woman joins us and tells us about the past in Vietnam and answers our questions. She tells us about during the independence wars and how Hue was affected. Dinner was prepared by her daughter in law and 19 year old grandson while her son supplied us with drinks. Her youngest grandson (4 years old) provides some entertainment and is the photographer for the evening. At first he was a little shy but quickly warmed to us as he snapped away with his camera. Plenty of laughs as he entertains us and his parents mention he was an "unexpected surprise".
The most exciting part of or stop in Hue was a half day tour of the outskirts of the town on the back of a motorbike. Fortunately the 12 of us didn't have to share the one motorbike, instead we were each assigned a driver and a bike for the tour. Whilst 12 people on a motorbike in Vietnam is not uncommon, it was not really practical or safe for us. Especially considering the size of a few of the tour members. Matt and I had joked the previous day that they might need to organise a quad for some but calm down when we realise the large loads on bikes we've seen on our trip so far. When sorting out who was riding with who Matt and I notice the youngest driver, likely in his early 20's, makes a B-line for Vicky, Matt's wife. I joke that he has some competition today and may not get her back at the end of the day. We go through some very basic safety instructions (e.g. Put your helmet on, do your helmet up) and away we go. I've never been on a motorbike before so I was a little nervous at first but after the first 20 or so minutes I'm cruising around with phone in hand to take pictures and video. It was awesome and definitely the highlight experience of my trip so far.
We rode through the back streets of Hue, through rice paddies and farm land and along main roads. We visited the site of Bunker Hill, an old French bunker the sits on a hill overlooking an elbow in the perfume river. Quite a good vantage point and rather scenic too with the mountains in the distance and the occasional river boat spluttering along. Lunch today was at a Buddhist nunnery. It was all vegetarian and plenty to eat. We ended up with quite a bit of food left over from the set menu. We were all very full from lunch and were looking forward to getting out of the heat so we jumped back on our bikes and made our way back to the hotel for some R&R. The 5 star hotel next to our 3 star hotel allowed outsiders to use their pool for US$5 so I take the opportunity for a dip. It was well worth the $5 especially considering the water in our hotel was not working and we were covered in dust from our ride.
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