Hue

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  Hue, Vietnam
Monday, June 20, 2005

Hoi An showed up on map as Hanoi. Maybe David can change it. David and I headed to Saigon and then Phnom Penh; Jeff staying in Hoi An as he does not want to move around so much - especially to PP. This entry is on Hue where Jeff and I went for a day and a half.

Came over Hai Van Pass (between Danang/Hoi An) where either 1/26 or 2/26 fought some serious battles about 1968. Actually, I realized I had been over the pass in 1967. Different now as there is a tunnel through part of it and highest point no longer in use. Highway 1 is the road from Danang to Hue, named at that time by Bernard Fall, "the street without joy." Fall wrote book on Dien Bien Phu - Hell in a Very Small Place - about the final great battle of the French Indochina War. Fall was killed on Highway 1 - I have a transcript of his final minutes as he was talking into a tape recorder when he was killed

Coffee shop on river

. When I was there the first time the highway (2 very narrow lanes) had a blown up bus every few klicks. Every day another bus or two full of civilians blown to shreds by VC civilian-targeting mines. Like the mass graves of Hue with 1000s of bodies of people murdered by VC in 1968, those details are left out of VN history and the guidebooks. The whole truth is a rare commodity, even in retrospect.

First evening in Hue we walked across the river, then cut into a lane through some houses. We sat on the riverbank and watched river life unfold - boats, woman washing, children playing, people cooking ... exactly where I wanted to be. Back to Le Loi Street for toasted ham and cheese sandwich with french fries - woohoo!

Hotel room had balcony overlooking side street and interesting views and early wake-up from street noise. Went up the street for breakfast (Leslie, this one is for you). I ordered omelet with bread and coffee, which turned out to be two cold sunny-side up eggs with a baguette - exactly what everyone else in the room got, though I don't know what they ordered - banana pancakes, maybe. But the coffee was good. Jeff and I headed back across river via 2nd bridge and to The Citadel area.

Hue significantly bigger now than when I was in town in 1967

Cooking on the street

. I managed to get there by myself and walk around The Citadel and Old "Forbidden" City. Lucky I wasn't killed - all I had was a .45. It was a wonderful respite from the war and I have strong positive memories of those few hours. The area remains beautiful with quiet shady streets, old houses and buildings, coffee shops, and so on. Coffee shops have little plastic chairs or stools and serve cafe sua da and tea. The cafe is dripped through a small individual filter onto sweet condensed milk and ice added when mixed.

We had a nice conversation with a man in a coffee shop and then walked into a quiet neighborhood for a long walk through narrow streets. We made a very large loop through this neighborhood and into a large river market. This day was a high point, so quiet.

Got back to hotel in time for a shower and then enormous confusion re where the bus back to Hoi An would stop. The hotel woman was trying to be helpful, but nothing was happening, so we finally made our own decision re where bus would stop, went there, and there it came.

Back to Hoi An in the evening. When we left Wednesday morning a funeral was starting up across the street from the hotel and when we returned Thursday evening it was still going with steady backbeat of gong and drum: Bonnng, bonnng; Booom, boom

Fields on the way back to Hoi An

.

Back in Hoi An and leaving for Saigon. Bought train tickets a couple of days ago for soft sleeper to Saigon, leaving at 9:00 am. When we looked at the tickets they said 1:27 pm. I asked the ticket person and she said, "Yes, no ticket at 9:00." Hardly anything in Asia is exactly as one expects.

Now we are on the train rolling out of the station, sharing the compartment with a young woman and her son. The woman made my bunk for me - hey, thanks. Train music system playing what I guess is inspirational communist music - makes me want to be a happy slave laborer. The "music" finally stops. A few hours into the trip some different music starts up - sad, pretty Vietnamese music. That's something I noticed a long time ago - lots of sad Vietnamese music. I think they have the blues - imagine that.

I've never been anyplace as intensely green as VN. I'm pretty sure this will be the last time I'll see this beautiful land. I am so happy to have seen it this last time.

The train rolls on through the countryside, the green padi with people working, palms, breadfruit, so beautiful

Funeral

. Green, green, rich green padi.

Train rolling on down the line through the night and Jerry Garcia singing Dylan's, It's All Over Now, Baby Blue ...

The highway is for gamblers
you better use your sense,
Take what you have gathered
from coincidence

Forget about the dead you left
they will not follow you

And it's all over now,
Baby Blue

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Girl on the bus	Hai Van Pass	Market on river	Perfume River
Perfume River2	Side street	Street in Hue	Sunset on the river

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