A Hue we go!

After arriving in Hue and getting off the bus, I was almost immediately approached by an overly friendly Vietnamese man who was very curious as to my travel plans. I've gotten used to these sorts of fellows so I knew he had something to sell or someone to sell me too, figuratively speaking. I politely told him over and over that I had my own plan and was going to do my traveling my own way, but he would not take no for an answer, as none of them do. He was trying to convince me to ride or let him drive me from Hue, where we were at, to Da Nang, my next destination.

I finally was able to rid myself of him and set off with my bag in the other direction. This was just after 6am so there were not many shops open but I knew I at least had to get some coffee. About 3 minutes later guess who drives up next to me as I walk down the street. Yup. I suppose I hadn't truly convinced him that I wasn't interested. Finally to get him to leave me alone I told him I'd go to the travel agency he was working as a recruiter for and hear the spiel. To make a long story short, an hour later I was paying said agency to rent a bike for 2 days to drive to Da Nang and then to Hoi An.

This mean I had only the one day in Hue, but it was early enough that I figured I could get enough sight seeing in. They told me about the best places to visit and off I went. I ended up seeing only two locations in the city; the Imperial Palace and the Thien Mu Pagoda. It was enough, I think. The Imperial Palace itself was quite interesting, I paid 150,000d to get in and give myself a tour and I felt like it was worth it. It was quiet outside of the tour groups babbling in their various languages. Pictures from that trip will be up on my flickr page at some point.

The pagoda was serene and calming, two things that Vietnam at large is not. There were a half dozen or so monks there, all teenage males with the standard shaved head and brown robes. I thought about taking a photo of one but declined, I don't like to make people feel like they're a zoo exhibit.

The weather was starting to turn and it was about a 2.5 hr drive to Da Nang so I figured I should hit the road before it got too bad. I headed back the agency, loaded up my luggage, and set off. Unfortunately I forgot to change into long pants so I made this drive in shorts and a tank top but I was able to put a windbreaker on to at least keep the rain off my upper body. It was surprisingly cold, I'd estimate it was about 70 degrees fahrenheit, which doesn't seem too bad unless you're driving 60mph in shorts and it's raining. But on the bright side someday I'll be able to tell my potential progeny about the time their ol' pappy motorbiked over a mountain pass during a monsoon on a Monday. (It wasn't really a monsoon more like a sprinkle). The first half of the drive I HATED and told myself I'd never be back, that is until I got to the Hai Van Pass.

It was a twisty, turny, fairly steep climb from sea level up to about 1,600ft. It was cold, there was a ton of fog, and I had a great time. I can't explain the change in my attitude as I was still freezing and the views which are legendary were not very visible. But I really enjoyed driving up and down the pass and looking out into the sea of fog covering the ocean. I've decided I'd like to come back and do it again sometime when the weather is nicer.

So I arrived in Da Nang, which I found to be a very nice and clean city compared to Saigon. Much of it is on or near the beach, which I couldn't see much of at the time but I'd heard was very beautiful. After driving through the heart of the city and reaching my hotel I nearly collapsed on the bed and fell asleep right there at 7pm, but I had seen some cool bridges on my way in and decided to go for a walk with my camera and get some photos.

So I walked about 2-3 miles around the city, took a few pictures which can also be seen on my flickr whenever I get around to uploading them. Afterwards I went back to the hotel and passed out. The next day I set out about 9am for some breakfast, and based on google reviews I chose a place nearby called Tam's Pub & Surf Shop. Doesn't really sound like a good breakfast spot but it was, and just as the reviews said the best part was Tam herself. I'll write up a separate post about her but she was/is one of the most interesting people I've met in Vietnam. She was 10 when the war started and worked as an interpreter for the US.

After spending 30 minutes eating and 2 hours listening to Tam's stories I set back out to see the beaches of Da Nang. Unfortunately I only had time to see one, My Khe, which was about 5 minutes walk from my hotel, but it was more than enough as it was an incredible beach. It was wide, very long, clean of trash and debris, and there were not many people enjoying it. I took a few pictures then headed back to my room to collect my things for the trip to Hoi An.

The drive to Hoi An was so nice that I wish it were longer than 20 minutes. The two cities really are quite close together. Close enough that I was worried that it would feel like Da Nang Jr but it has it's own charms that only a smaller city can have. It's still on the beach, which I'm going to visit tomorrow, but it almost doesn't even seem like a Vietnamese city. It reminds me of cities back home in the US. Tonight I'm going to see the Japanese Bridge which is renowned for it's beauty and to see the night market, which is always an experience regardless of where you are. I'm staying at a place called the Bamboo Gardens which a family runs and it's a really beautiful little compound. I have my own separate ground level room with a garden view.

So now I'm off to see some of Hoi An at night. Until my next posting, be excellent to each other.