We have arrived to Hoi An in central Vietnam after visiting Hue for two days. Our internet connection has been a bit spotty and we've been on the move, so we haven't posted much lately.... so we'll have to catch you up.
I think at this point in our trip, we are learning about the ancient and modern eras of Vietnam history. The history of the "American War" and the victories of Ho Chi Minh against the French are finally coming into better focus in my mind. To be at the Citadel in Hue, walking through the "Forbidden City" and to cruise the countryside with Jesse on moto, exploring the tombs of the Emperors has been fascinating. Our weather has been overcast with light rain, but the temps have warmed heading south so we are content and hopeful for the sun to return.
The morning of our train trip (we left at 7pm) from Hanoi to Hue, Jesse awoke with an upset stomach! He bravely faced it all and lay in bed sleeping and watching soccer -when he could lift his head! At 5:50pm after a hot shower he was able to walk down the 5, steep, narrow flights from our room to the lobby to say goodbye to the matrons ("gude byeYessie...sank you forh coming heeah"). His face was as pale as could be but he was very polite and thanked them for the extra blankets. I wasn't really worried because he had no fever and had started to feel better after the shower... a bit... Our taxi driver navigated the bustling streets to get us to the sleeper train on time and we quickly loaded up our gear, settled into our somewhat scankie compartment and got Jesse tucked into his little bed. We had some rowdie Aussis in the next compartment who sprayed their compartment with Lysol... not a bad idea for next time! Mercifully, Jesse was starting to have a little color in his cheeks by 8pm and by 11pm was chatting a bit more and asking for some water for the first time. Frankly, I was glad he was a little dehydrated because he never had to pee all night, ergo--never had to visit the scuzzie WC on the train...things were looking up!
In Hue we were met by our hotel guys who ferried us to our humble abode for the next 2 days--Sports Hotel #1. Not sure where they come up with these names? The hotel room was large and the hotel had an elevator. Up on the 5th floor again. It had 2 huge, double beds with decent linens and despite the dampness, it was great. Once we turned the heater on the whole room was transformed into our little, cozy spa. There was plenty of hot water to clean up and start to put the train trip behind us. Jesse woke up after a 4 hour nap feeling like his old self (relief!!!) and ready to have some fried rice.
We spent the afternoon walking around Hue and the Citadel. It was raining lightly and not very compelling to rent a moto to cruise the city, so we took it easy. Duncan had more energy than we did so he took a right turn and went deeper into the Hue neighborhoods while Jesse and I had 4 0'clock tea at the fancy Saigon Hotel which was very chic in a French colonial way, and we enjoyed the view of the gardens with large, red, salvia blooming everywhere--and a slice of banana tart. For dinner we changed gears and went to an Indian restaurant for some yummie food that was spicy and different from the Vietnamese fare. Jesse stuck to Nahn bread, a banana shake and rice with a veggie fritter and all was well with his stomach.
On day two in Hue, we went on a city tour with a group of other touristas. We had an English speaking guide and we learned more about the Emperors and what their live were like. Hue was the capital of Vietnam from around 1802-1945. It was so cool! Within the Forbidden City they had a special residences for the Emperess and the Grand Emperess. There were stenciled porticos connecting all of the buildings. Unfortunately over 70% of the buildings within the Citadel were bombed and ruined by the US in 1974. Can you imagine the impact of this loss to the Vietnamese? They are trying to rebuild everything over the next 20 years, but I can't imagine... I hope it happens in my lifetime because I would definitely return to see that. Even the concubines had their special residences (outside the Forbidden City of course). Duncan thought the idea of having over 100 concubines was an interesting concept and worth considering.
Day three before we left on our bus to Hoi An: Jesse and I contrived a countryside adventure to visit the Tombs of the Emperors. We rented a moto and cruised out into the countryside of Hue and visited two tombs. I will upload some photos from the trip. It was fascinating to see. Most of the Emperors designed and built their tombs while they were living. Each one is different of course. Some more ornate and others beautiful gardens, walkways, pavilions, honour gardens, ponds and steps and old trees and walls with exquisite tile work and mozaics throughout. Jesse was very curious and seemed to be truly interested in these dead guys! For me... I had fun in my imagination considering what life must have been like at that time%$#@^&*???
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| heading into Te Duc's Tomb |
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| The honour garden leading into the tomb |
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| The mandarins, horse and elephant chinese figures --can not exceed the height of the Emperor |
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| Reading during a fairly frequent power outage in Hue |
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| The Emperor's Theater in the Forbidden City at the Citadel-Hue |
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