Sun 13 - Mon 14 Jan 2013 - Hue

Early next morning we left Hoi An by coach for the 4 hour journey to Hue.

En route we stopped to view a seven tiered pagoda set high on the top of a limestone crag.  The climb up hundreds of steps to the top nearly killed me but once we were up we were greeted by a statue of a happy buddha and the view from up there was amazing.  Deep inside the stone there were caves which opened up to reveal beautiful little  temples where devoted buddhists make the long climb to light incense and pray.

We also travelled via the Hai Van pass where we stopped to enjoy the amazing view out over the valley to the sea.  There were concrete batlements which were built by the French during the war betwen Norht and South Vietnam and later used by the Americans in the Vietnam/America war and still had the bullet holes to prove it.  The rest of the journey through the countryside was lovely with typical vietnamese scenes of people toiling in the paddy fields and little villages with road side food stalls.

On arrival in Hue we checked into our hotel and then set off on a walking tour of the city.  We visited the Thien Mu pagoda and the Imperial Citadel which were built by the emporers and housed their family included their many concubines and children.  Most of the imperial city was damaged during recent wars but Unesco are working with local people to restore and rebuild them to their former beauty in time.

En route back to the hotel we took an impromptu dragon boat ride up the Perfume river to see the sights from the water which was great fun.  Chris even got a chance to take the controls which consisted of a metal bar which you moved with your foot to steer and the accelerator which was a boot lace to pull to make the boat go faster.  The skipper of the boat even managed to magically produce a crate of beers to complete the experience!

Next day we booked a motor bike tour of the city and nearby countryside.  The four guys on the trip decided they were too manly to ride pillion on a scooter so they hired their own for half a day.  Helmets on we all set off in convoy - firstly to negotiate the crazy city centre traffic and later along narrow muddy paths between paddy fields and through little villages.  Were firstly visited the Ming Mang Tombs where one of the last emperors is buried and saw the monastery and temple there. 

A short drive took us along the perfume river where we spotted a herd of water buffalo and their babies before we went to see an arena where the emperors used to host tiger and elephants fighting for their entertainment!  Next stop was at a local handicraft village where we watched how incence sticks are made - all by hand.  Firstly the brightly coloured bamboo sticks are tied into bundles and left in the sunshine to dry and then powdered sandalwood is mixed with cinnamon and other herbs to make a paste which is then rolled onto the sticks one by one.  A painstaking job but the ladies manage to make hundreds of sticks every hour!  We also watched how the traditional conical hats are made using bamboo frames and dried banana leaves.

 

It was then back on the bikes for a drive up a mountain path to a viewpoint where we could look out at the perfume river - this time out of town where we could see the little fishing boats and barges making their way up the river.

Then we made our way to a local orphanage to visit the nuns and monks who take care of 170 children ranging from 3 months to teenagers.  It was heartbreaking to see the tiny babies but they seemed so happy and the nuns clearly loved them very much.  Most of the children are orphans but some of them are from very young parents whose families are just too poor to help them to take care of their babies so they have had to make the decision to leave their babies at the orphanage in the hope that one day they can be reunited with them.  It made me so grateful for the blessings we have.  We were then treated to a song from the older children and the head nun came to see us to thank us for visiting.

The orphanage has opened a restaurant nearby which is run by one of the nuns helped by older children who do the cooking and serving and were so lovely.  With the restaurant they are able to create jobs for children who have left school and are then able to earn their own income, still with the security of what they think of as home.  The restaurant is well frequented by locals and tourists and we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian buffet there before returning on our bikes to the city.

Bags packed again we were off early afternoon to catch our next overnight train from Hue to Hanoi.  This time we were on board by 3pm for a 15 hour trip.  We had all brought food and drink for the journey and it wasn't long after the train left that the beers and vodka were out for the start of what was to be a crazy, noisy and very boozy all night train party - pity the rest of the people travelling in our carriage!