Day 13 -Hue

Errol has convinced me to be adventurous, today we are doing a tour on motorcycles. I did wonder what I had let myself in for, but needn't have worried, we have had a lovely day.

Hieu and Quoc arrived to collect us at 9. Helmets on, and away we went. Through the busy streets of Hue, down narrow country roads, past animals and tiny farm houses. First stop was at a monastery, but I seem to have lost the name. It is still a monastery today, and Hieu tells us there are many monasteries for both men and women around Hue. There were beautiful Lotus flowers in the ponds at the front of the grounds, the first of many we would see through the day. We walked around the old buildings, and Hieu explained what went on where.

Back on the bikes, and on to Vong Canh hill to see American bunkers built during the war, and enjoy beautiful views of the Perfume River. The river is called this because people used to grow flowers along it's edges. Then down to the village to see local ladies making incense and conical hats. Both of us had a go at making incense sticks with reasonable results. We were convinced to buy some incense, felt it was the least we could do, but I don't know what we will do with it!!

Next stop for cold drinks, then walked through the grounds of Tu Tuc's tomb. More Lotus flowers, huge grounds. It would have been good if they had some guide books to help explain everything. Like so many of the old sites in Vietnam, they are in a badly neglected state. Bought a Sandalwood fan from one of the vendors outside - $2. As we ride along the roads, we see rice spread out to dry in the sun (yes, on the road - the traffic just goes around it!), ladies are sweeping and turning it.

Back through Hue to see Thien Mu Pagoda on the banks of the Perfume River. There are recurring themes at these places. Here again we see steles with the names of honored students. There was also a display of bonsai trees, some of which looked particularly old.

Next Hieu took us through the back streets to a local vegetarian restaurant for lunch. It was a lot better than the meal we had at the monastery at Ngong Ping, but still would not have been our first choice.

Lunch over, we went to the Old Citadel, also known as the Purple Forbidden City. This was the seat of the Nguyen dynasty of emperors, construction began in 1804. Sadly, a lot of the buildings were destroyed in the war against the French in 1947. Much of what is left is not yet restored, but you still gain the idea of what once was. It is a very large site, and a model of what used to be there is amazing. Because the destruction was so recent, there are also photos.

Our last trip is out into the country, around the rice paddies. The bikes can go along the narrow country lanes, where a car could never take you. We see people in their conical hats harvesting the rice by hand and tying it into bundles. It is put through a threshing machine to remove the rice from the stalks. The rice is then bagged. We stop for cold drinks beside Thanh Toan bridge - built in 1776 by a local lady who did well. It now contains a small shrine so people can pray for her.

Back to the hotel for a rest. Errol used the gym while I had a snooze and got started on the blog.