Easy Rider - Hue, Vietnam 11-12/13-2015

December 02, 2015

Easy Rider - Hue, Vietnam 11-12/13-2015

Well, we hoped Donna would dodge the bullet, but it was not to be, as Donna had caught my cold. This is particularly unfortunate because we are about to travel on overnight train from Hanoi to Hue, Vietnam. We have sleeper compartments - 4 to a compartment, and we share it with fellow Intrepid travelers, George and Loretta from Sydney Australia - we are in the same ballpark in terms of age, and it is a good match. Phi told us later that this was a new train and a vast improvement over the old train. I actually thought it wasn't bad (if you ignored the facilities at the end of the train car - a bit rough, particularly for the ladies - but since Donna is full blown sick, this is a tough night for her. She guts it out though and upon our arrival and settling in at the Gold Hotel, we head out for lunch and then a tour of the forbidden city. Hue was Vietnam's capital before colonization by the French, and was the seat of power for much of it's history. The forbidden city was the home of the royal palace, where the usual concubines, eunuchs, and such were in residence. The last Vietnamese king turned out to be gay, and in spite of the presence of many concubines, no heir was produced. We also toured the summer palace a few miles outside of Hue.

A highlight of our time here in Hue was our "Easy Rider" experience. We each got assigned a local motorbike driver, and off we went through the streets and countryside of Hue. We had a blast, and we all managed to stay on (and I got adept at taking photos from the moving bike). (An elderly woman actually did fall of the previous day on the Intrepid tour group that was a day ahead of us - I assume she was not seriously hurt).

Hue was the site of major fighting in the Vietnam War, and much of the forbidden city suffered major damage. We also visited a buddhist temple that was the location where the Buddhist monk set himself on fire in the 1960's - one of the main horrific photos of that waste of a war.

A dragon boat ride on the river that goes through Hue (always good to be on the water in this heat and humidity - it was particularly hot and humid the afternoon of our forbidden city visit), and a shopping trip in the local Hue Market in search of souvenirs for Aria. Market visits are punctuated by the shopkeepers crying out "Madam, Madam; Sir, Sir; What you looking for? I give you good price." We had a particularly aggressive shopkeeper follow us around for about a half an hour, and right up to the end insisted that her prices and merchandise were the best even when we were buying an identical dress for Aria at about one-fourth or one-fifth of her price.

Really enjoyed our time here in Hue, and Donna is on the mend!