Five Hours in Hue

Trip Start Feb 18, 2009

Trip End Aug 10, 2009

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of Vietnam Hue, Vietnam
Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Caught the overnight bus from Hanoi to Hue (10 hours). At the bus station there was a man and a women sitting on the benches waiting for the bus. When it arrived the man got up to get on but the woman refused and started freaking out, yelling at the man, pushing him away and throwing her luggage around like she didn't want to get on. She finally calmed down and they did get on but it made me wonder what kind of night it was going to be!

As we drove out of the city I remembered being so anxious to leave Hanoi when I was going to Sapa. I had looked forward to getting away from the noise and pollution. But this time as we left I realized I was actually going to miss it. I'm not sure if it was because I had such good memories there of the time I spent with Elles, Andi and Stefan, or if I was just starting to feel more comfortable with the chaos, or if it was because as we drove away I saw streets I hadn't been down to explore and I felt as though I was leaving so much of Hanoi undiscovered.

On the bus I met Leon from Holland who was also traveling through Vietnam. We chatted for a while and wondered about what the deal was with the couple getting on the bus (by the way... there were no further outbreaks). My first overnight bus trip went well... I was in Seat #9 (one I'd request later on my trip to Hoi An)... it's by the window, near the bathroom and had lots of leg room. I slept ok on the bus but the ride was jerky, noisy (horn going constantly) and bumpy (the roads are terrible) so you sleep in little increments only!

Arrived in Hue about 8:30am (01 April 09)... I left my backpack at the Sinh Caf� Office (the bus company) and hopped on a motorbike with Thuan (a taxi driver). He spent over 3 hours showing me the sites of Hue. We visited Tu Duc's (the longest reigning Nguyen emperor who reigned from 1848-83) Tomb... a beautiful sight 5km from Hue constructed 'amid frangipani and pine trees'... I loved the serene quietness of the site. We also visited the Thien Mu Pagoda overlooking the Perfume River. We went to a village where I saw a woman making incense using cinnamon, cloves and wood shavings. Lastly we stopped at the Citadel but unfortunately I did not have time to go in. I then caught another bus to Hoi An.

Hue was nice but I think I was able to see everything there was to see (with the exception of going into the Citadel) so I don't regret not spending a night or two there.