Vi Da Riverside Hotel Hue

... twisted dreams.<br><br>The night before, the streets turned to rivers in a flash, and I came back to my hotel completely drenched after having some mango crepes at the Mandarin Cafe where the manager tells me about the children's home him and the owner started years ago. We sit, drink, and talk. <br><br>I now sit waiting for my bus, listening to good tunes at the "Cafe on Thu Wheels" where travelers eat, drink, smoke and wait while three little ...

... the heavy rain started again. I went out to an authentic Viet reataurant with local music. It is kind of funny buy in Vietnam the food keeps coming as soon as you have finish a dish, and so on till the end..... so you just eat......<br><br>The hotel had a magnifique garden for eating outside but unfortunately with the rain it was not going to happen. <br><br>Pictures to come.......

... walk. The Imperial City (what the Frenchies and the Yanks didn't destroy) was built in 1804 by Emperor Gia Long and is well kept and quite nice, larger than we thought. The emperors must've had loads of fun, the quarters for the concubines were as big as the Old Montreal! Only eunuchs and female servants were allowed in the Purple Forbidden City (where the Emperor, the Empress and the concubines lived). This is where the Nguyen dynasty held court so my guess is ...

... of which I never found the bottom, it gradually became shallow 15 meters down stream. It was surrounded by lush vegetation and tress with vines dangling from them. It looked like it was out of a movie. The water was freezing and I decided to jump in, as opposed to easing my way in, the adrenaline rush from the cold water erased any feeling of sickness or uneasiness that I had been feeling and "good was getting better". We swam and chatted for a few hours, then decided to head back. <br ...

... and then swiftly swirling it down and then off, causing a pop. This was repeated many times in many different places. It was a novel experience. Prices are no doubt very high here compared toplaces in town, but for an hour-long massage the cost was $72 for both. It was definitely worth it and put us out for the night.<br><br>Hue, Day 3:This was our third and final day in Hue. While at breakfast we bumped into yet another couple from the Halong Bay tour, which was a slight surprise ...

Well, I simply HAD to get out of Hoi An...the addiction had gone too far! I considered staying on another day but when I tossed a pair of muddy shoes and sandwiched my winter coats in vacuum bags, sealed tight like salami, simply to accommodate the new additions to my wardrobe, I figured the time had come. I needed to quit cold turkey!<br><br>So I stuck to the schedule. Boarded a bus with an engine that only turned over if ...

... trip and I made the most of it. The motorbikes and our guide, "Mr. T", arrived at the hostel at 9 a.m. This was when it first occured to me that riding a motorbike may actually be a difficult task. Although I have my drivers license and I'd had the foresight to order an automatic bike (manual bikes involve pedals and timing which is all too much to think about), getting used to accelerating with a rotation of the wrist and braking with a gentle squeeze of the handle took time. Luckily we ...

... all was! <br><br>Slept like a baby on the bus - arrived in hue the next morning. <br><br>18th July - Hue. <br><br>Headed out into Hue almost immediately after arriving and instantly love it here. Quieter roads - not as many mo-peds to dodge and so much cheaper here than Hanoi. We got lunch and smoothies for under 30 000 dong (1 quid). Walked over the bridge towards the Citadel and were approched by some guys on rikshaws who offered to drive us round the ...

... t look anything like Rob Harper &amp; that dude Tim in Chamonix?! "JOG ON MATE!" ;) <br><br>Seriously, someone must have been on one hell of an LSD trip to think that these rocks looked like chickens? <br><br> <br><br>The hour long journey back to the port left us feeling rather ripped-off when we arrived back at the harbour before 11am! <br><br>Nice "two day" tour... we ...