Floods!!

We took our first over night bus from Hanoi to Hue. The bus was nicer than expected! The seats are all small beds that recline almost all the way down, it's not the most comfortable but it beats sitting up for 12 hours.  There was even a bathroom on this one so we were pretty lucky.  The bus stopped a couple of times and we got to talking to a couple of our fellow passengers, a couple of Swedish guys, Tim and Jorgen, and also 3 Japanese guys but I can't remember there names and they didn't speak much English!  In the morning we stopped for breakfast and a tour guide sat down and talked to us about doing the DMZ tour from that city.  It's closer than doing it from Hue. The DMZ stands for demiltarized zone, it was the zone that divided North and South Vietnam. The tour would take you there and to a significant battle site from the war, a old military base, a military cemetary.. I really really wanted to do this tour.  For those of you that know me, probably know that I love love love history, I'm a big dork like that. I came to Vietnam wanted to learn more of its history because in school we really aren't taught very much in regards to the Vietnam war, infact i don't recall every learning anything about it in school, i just know what i know from what i've picked up in movies.  I said yes to doing the tour from there, but Kate wouldn't do it. She's paranoid about her backpack and says that the Vietnam war does not interest her and it's insignificant to her and her country.  I don't even know where to begin to argue about this statement, excpet i'm sorry that she feels that way. Regardless if your interested in the war, if you were for or againgst it, if you think it was right or wrong, whatever your feelings may be, we are in Vietnam afterall, and the war was a huge even in the country's history and in the lives of the Vietnamise people. And I'm traveling for many reasons, but one of them to educate myself, to learn as much as possible about the countries i visit, their people, their lives, their history.  Sure getting manicures, pedicures, massages etc etc is all good and fine and fun, but that is not the point of travelling, that is what you would call a 'vacation'.  My point of my rambling is that i'm extrememly dissapointed I missed the opportunity to do this tour, and it's going to be something I will always regret not doing.  I'm not going to let that happen again.

on the sleeper bus

Moving on....

snake alcohol!!

We arrived in Hue to mass panic with everyone running around trying to figure out what they are going to do, it had been raining for days and the streets were flooded. We were walking around with water up to our knees in some parts.  We went to the Vietnam airlines to see about booking a flight but they were all booked up for the next 2 days. Busses were on a standby basis and none were going anywhere at the moment.  Some people had been stuck their for days and couldn't get out!  While on our way to the airlines office we ran into Tim and Jorgen and the Japanese guys again and also Luis a guy from Brazil,  and we all had lunch and a little food shop. Kate and I normally wouldn't eat at a place like that, didn't look too sanitary! But none of us got sick at least and it wasn't the worst food we've eaten.

hue

We all went for a walk to see some of the city. It was poooring down rain and we were all soaking wet! We crossed over a big bridge and stopped at a little shop and all bought matching purple ponchos! Real cute!! We had had a beer or two at lunch and Tim and Kate had to pee. There was nooowhere insite to go, so they had to make do and go in front of a old looking building, i stood in front of Kate to keep watch. No one caught us. But we later found out that that old building was something like 1000 years old and used to be the Emporers palace?? Something like that...  shameful!!

We stumbled upon a real posh looking hotel and what do you know, they have a casino!! Kate and I were literally jumping up and down! We dragged the guys in of course, and they had fun, didn't win though, I won 100 bucks on King Kong, woo hoo! But I put away the money i had already spent, and split the rest with Kate to play.  So I came out even, I was quite proud of me :)

lunch in hue

floods

floods 2

boat in the street!

we are soooo cool

hue 3

packed in a cyclo!

us squished in our cyclo