Getting up early to pack up and check out was a little rough. By 8 o'clock we were on our way ready to struggle up marble mountain.

There are 5 Marble Moutains each representing natural elements (fire, water, earth, metal and wodd. Today we walked up Thuy Son (water) consisting of 300 very uneven marble steps. This proved to be a little challenging. We stopped at various at sights along the way; Tam Thai Tu Pagoda, Vong Giang Dai, Huyen Kong Cave and Xa Loi pagoda. We enjoyed beautiful views of China Beach and lovely gardens.

Back in the bus we began our very unpleasant bus trip to hue. A combination of feeling slightly seedy, pretty bad roads, mountain ranges and unpredictable traffic made for a long drive.

On our Highway 1 journey we stopped at Hai Van Pass, it crosses over the Turong Son moutain range 500metres above sea level. In the 15th century it formed the boundary between Vietname and Champa. We also looked at the Hai Van Tunnel, completed in 2005. We enjoyed some beautiful scenery of South China Sea and local lagoons. These lagoons are well known for prawn and oyseter farming.

After thinking about it for half the bus trip, we got our fix of fatty western food at a cafe in Hue. After almost a week of rice and mostly spicy food the fried chicken, cheeseburger and chips were welcomed.

We stopped at various sites along the perfume river; Thien Mu Pagoda, Citadel, Imperial Enclosure, Thai Hoa Palace and the Forbidden City. These sites were filled with rich history and beautiful gardens.

Next stop was the tomb of Tu Doc, which was designed by himself for use before and after his death. We looked into the Kiem Temple, Honour pavilion, his tomb and the Luu Khiem Lake which was filled with beautiful lotus flowers. On the way back to our hotel we stopped in a local village know for making incense sticks (Cinnamon & Sandalwood) and traditional Vietnamese conical hats.

As suspected the beer we left with our luggage earlier that day had been 'misplaced'. The language barrier made it hard to find out if anyone had seen it. We cooled off with a swim in the 'Rooftop pool' which can be conveniently found on the 7th floor, not the 12th as one might expect. The poolside bar service was taken advantage of with the 'whiskey sour' being a popular favorite.