Hue, Imperial City

  We enjoyed the last part of the train ride to Hue, which is mid-way up the country of Vietnam.  The route follows close to the coast, and we watched daily life go by.  We climbed over the mountains and could see the beaches near DaNang, now very popular tourist sites.  In mid-afternoon we arrived in Hue.

After a rest we went out for a walk, and headed for the riverside.  The city is situated on the Perfume River, not far from the sea, and life centers on it.  Boats of all sizes and types can be seen, single fisherman to industrial cargo.  It is far enough south it is still tropical, and fruit vendors are everywhere, with dragon fruit, sugar cane, mangosteen, lychees and many others.  We found more bicycles than motorbikes here, a nice change.

In the evening we had a fabulous dinner, with local specialties which have more French influence than some areas.  Later we went back to the river and found tour boats taking evening cruises.  We negotiated a good price, and headed downriver at sunset to a pagoda.  It was further than we thought and was nearly dark when we got there.  Still, the boatmen encouraged us to get out and have a look around.  It was near full moon and the pagoda in the moonlight was magical.  On the return trip we saw the city lights on the river.

Next morning we went to explore.  Hue was once the center of the principal Vietnamese kingdom, and remains of palaces, pagodas, and burial grounds are abundant.  We ignored the pleas of the pedicab drivers (“it’s too far to go by yourself”) and rented bicycles and threaded our way through traffic across the city.  We visited the Citadel, the imperial palace of its day.  Only a portion has been restored, but it was easy to see what a gem it was.  With much Chinese influence in the architecture,  it seemed familiar, but with local flavors.  We rode through neighborhoods past he fish vendors, bird vendors, motorbike shops, drying incense and all  (lots of pictures on Flickr).

We visited the pagoda we’d seen the night before, and found a large complex of palaces on the river.  After exploring the area we pedaled back across the river to prepare for the next leg of the trip – another night train, this time bound for Hanoi.