Hue is awesome. Way better than Hanoi. My's relatives really took care of us.
After we were picked up at the airport we headed off to My's grandmother's. She lives a block from the beach. They fed us a large lunch after which we took a nap. After our nap it was off to the beach. My's relatives own the biggest restaurant on the beach. So of course there was lots more food, some swimming, and a wonderful view. We walked back to My's grandmother's house as the sun was setting. In a couple of years there is going to be several resorts lining the beach.
On day two we headed off to the tombs of the emperors. They chose some pretty spots to be buried. Our uncle said that the kings are not necessarily buried where the graves are marked. This is because they feared others would come along and steal the gold they were buried with. For lunch our uncle treated us to some wild pig and venison. It was very good. Afterward we went to the citadel that houses the imperial palace, a world heritage site. It is supposed to be very similar to the one in Beijing. They are restoring the buildings that were damaged during the war. We took pictures sitting on a throne in the palace. Afterward My went Ao Dai shopping. Then it was off to a boat trip on the Perfume river. On one of the bridges over the river they light the arches with different colors. It was very beautiful. We took a boat up river, stopped, and floated back as they sung ancient Vietnamese songs that were reserved for the kings.
On day three we headed out to Phong nha. It is a world heritage site. One of the two best caves in the world. The Vietcong used it to store weapons and soldiers during the war. The Americans even tried to bomb it. Afterward we headed off to the resort that our Uncle runs. On the way back we stopped at this restaurant that was built on stilts over the river. It was 11:00 PM when we turned on to the road that takes us to the resort. It was raining, lightning was flashing as we drove down this one lane dirt road. We were almost there when we discovered the road was washed out. The driver, My's cousin, was not happy. We had to backup 1/4 mile and take a back road. Our driver was getting more upset because he knew he now had to wash his car. Then we met up with a parked dump truck that was off-loading cement. It was all pretty funny. Finally we did make it to the resort. It is now about 11:30 at night. Uncle wakes up some of the employees who were sleeping outside. He tells them "how are you going to do business while your sleeping." He makes them open the resort for us. We get into the natural hotsprings and relax.
Day four started with more relaxing in the hot springs. Then we were treated to massages. Now we were really relaxed. So we treated ourselves to even more time in the hot springs. After lunch we visited more of My's relatives. I got to drive the motorcycle. We then headed back to the beach. My ate some clams that didn't agree with her and she was sick all night.
The next day sick My and I headed off to visit more relatives. Then we headed back to the airport.
All in all we love Hue. It was beautiful. It was not crowded like Hanoi. It was not stinky like Hanoi. It was not rushed like Hanoi. We liked it.
We are now back in Hanoi. Tomorrow we head off to tour Trang An and Cuc Phuong National Park. Then we head off to find some authentic Chinese food.
W + M
