Saigon Morin Hotel Hue

Today we drove to the old imperial capital of Hue via the "Hai Van Pass." It is known and one of the most scenic and beautiful drives in the country and now I know why. It is definately spectacular as you carve your way snakelike around the mountain and watch the landscape change between coastal, mountainous, and rural. There is an overlook halfway through where you can see for miles and it is pretty breathtaking. Pictures do not do it justice. In Hue we visited the Citadel which used to be h...

October 20, 2009

Hanoi - Hue (B/D)

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the Hanoi airport for your flight to Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. Upon arrival in Hue, check-in to the Saigon Morin Hotel 4-star. Spend the rest of the afternoon visiting the Imperial City, built in the early 19 the century. The Imperial City is modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing with numerous palaces and temples within their city walls, as well as towers, a library and a museum...

We got off the boat yesterday and got right in the car for the drive back to Hanoi. We went straight to the airport (with a pitstop for coffee, WC "happy house", and some shopping at a roadside shop.) The domestic departures area of the Hanoi airport was insane. So many people, so many languagues... We arrived Hue last night. It was dark so we have not seen much of the city, but our hotel is amazing - right on the Perfume River. It looks like we are in the Presidential Suite. It is called the...

Mary & I woke up before the chickens. No real jet lag since coming to Asia, but I have not slept past 5am yet. We got up, hit the Internet and walked across the river to a local market and 6am. They were just setting up for the day and it was quite a scene. Controlled chaos. We were the only Westerners there. The produce was amazing, as were the whole legs of pig and the fish-gutting operation they had on the ground. You would think a place like that would stink to high heaven, but all we...

Our tour bus departs Hoi An for the most scenic drive in Vietnam, the curvy Hai Van Pass that connects Danang and Hue. Just outside of Danang, we make a quick side trip and travel down a country road lined with itty-bitty houses that proudly showcase giant chunks of white marble in their yards. I don't know if these are sub-contractors for the nearby marble factory or if they've brought home work from the office. The road ends inside the gated yard of a large marble factory. The yard is brimm...

Our tour bus arrives in Hue after a remarkable drive through Hai Van Pass. The sea clouds have followed us to town so the sky here is gray and the buildings and streets cast their gritty shadows around us. For lunch, a steaming bowl of shrimp noodle soup and some fried chicken warms us up. Outside, Lauren sits down and is surprised by a chained monkey who pops into her lap. Friendly, but come time to leave, the monkey protests! From Lauren: I literally had just sat down on this curb outside t...

The next stop was Hue. Leaving Danang, we had to drive over the mountains that made China Beach's oceanview so spectacular. The mountains were a scenic treat in and of themselves especially at the top where you got a bird's eye view of China Beach and all of the resorts. We also took a pretty nice boat ride down the river. The One-pillar Pagoda was really cool as well. We had a chance to walk through the Citadel and the old Imperial City which were huge. There were also a couple of Mausoleums...

Finally found the sun - Hue! We checked out our hotel around 8:00am and left for a1 hour plane ride. It's a lot more city like, and there's a beautiful view from the hotel. Just came back from swimming outside :) Leaving Hanoi was intense; a mini monsoon hit the last two days we were there. We were locked inside for about 5 hours before we could go anywhere, and the streets were flooded up to everyones knees! When it died down we explored the city, and did some shopping. Honestly... if anybod...