Into Hue
Trip Start
Nov 03, 2008
1
8
13
Trip End
Dec 28, 2008
Hue, Vietnam
Monday, December 1, 2008
Yesterday, we did a public tour to the My Son Holy Land/ ruins. This is an ancient complex of old temples and buildings, similar in idea to Angkor Wat 9but not quite as majestic), which had the misfortune of being the base for the Viet Cong, hence it being bombed by the Americans during the war. It's still odd to hear it refered to as the "American War" as oposed to the North American (and even Aussie) title of "Vietnam War". One area remained lucky to be untouched, and we explored both the ruins and the preserved/restored sites. It was very whirlwind however, we defo could have done with more time to explore, instead of kind of running around worrying if we were going to be late for the bus. On the return journey, we boarded a boat halfway down, for a sloooow ride down the river back to Hoi An. Lunch was actually quite decent, just rice & fried veg with a banana for dessert. Yum! We briefly stopped at a handicraft village before arriving back into the Old Town, where fittings recommenced, and we eventually had dinner along the riverfront- it was delish! (A toss up with the previous nights' meal- also amazing, and we kept getting free green tea brought out all night!) Then, it was time to go home and face the daunting task of packing. I impressed myself with my skills and managed to fit everything in! it took a fair bit of effort to get the zipper closed, but alas, success.
In the afternoon today we boarded a private bus for the journey from Hoi An to Hue (pronounced Hoo-eh). We stopped at the Marble Mountain along the way, hiking up the steep stone stairs to the pagoda on the mount. (Trust me, my strained knee is very upset with me- especially in light of the fact that our room at this hotel is on the 4th floor- no lift!) There was this tall stone pagoda set right onto the side of the mountain, it was so beautiful. I love the architecture of pagodas like that! There were also a few caves that had statues carved right into the wall. Afterwards, myself and Clare experienced an interesting toilet conecept- 1000 dong (1CDN= 12500d) where if you wanted a loo with a door, it costs extra! We took turns guarding the door. We also had to wear communal jelly sandals- yuck! (The woman was probably a bit too much of a clean freak!) We had a few more photo stops to appreciate some amazing scenery, and arrived here into Hue about 5pm. From the street it just looks ok, but the redeeming factor of the 4th floor room means we have a stunning view, right over the Perfume River. (I think probably the only perfume the river has is that odor of rubbish or mud though!)
One thing about Vietnam which I think is cool (or not cool, when you're on the 4th floor) is that the plots of land are so tiny, that buildings are really narrow, long to the back, and tall. They are usually completely different architecture and a wide variety of colours- it makes for an interesting view from the street!!
It looks like all the news of Thailand is making it into the Canadian news as well. My trip does end in Thailand, the 40-day tour ends in Chang Mai, and the 6-day Hill trek ends in Bangkok. If the trek is still running, I don't want anyone to worry- I'm not going to go to Bangkok and will fly directly to KL from Chang Mai. It might cost a bit extra, but nothing compared to getting stuck in Bangkok!!
X
