Waiting for a coach

Monday 28^th March 2011

MP3 track of the day: Riding along on my automobile -Chuck Berry

Weather: Cold, windy but not raining. The skies were still full of white clouds.

GOOOD MORNING VIETNAM

As my coach wasn't due to pick me up until 5pm I had considered a lie-in. The proposed lie-in was a definite course of action, given the rowdy Kiwi's last night, however my body clock - now used to getting up early - wouldn't let me sleep any longer than 8:30am. I packed my stuff, double-checked my bed to make sure that I hadn't left anything, and left my dorm at 9:30am. Before breakfast I went into my local shop, to purchase snacks, for my sixteen hour trip to Hanoi. Once this was done I sat in my hostels restaurant eating breakfast. As this was my last day within Hue I would have made a bigger effort to go out however, with the sky still full of clouds, there was little point returning to the citadel to get some better photos. I therefore found a warm spot with the hostels restaurant and got out my computer.

After blogging, emailing, weather checking and reading the news I decided to watch the 'Top Gear Vietnam Special' my British mate had copied for me. I have wanted to watch this ever since entering Vietnam but, so far, I had only seen parts of the show on 'you tube'.

By now the time was 2pm and I only had a further three hours until my coach was scheduled to pick me up. I ordered a late lunch of noodles and chatted to some Brits who had just arrived.

My coach was an hour late. It was a sleeping coach and just wished that I was allocated a bottom bunk:

“...Please let me have a bottom bunk...”

“...Please let me have a bottom bunk...”

Within ten minutes I found myself putting my bag on my bed and climbing up the small, plastic ladder to the top bunk. You see, with a bottom bunk, you have the isle to put luggage; being on the top bunk you only have fresh air beside you (which, due to gravity, doesn't really hold a lot of weight). Due to putting my bag on my bunk before I got up, I wrestled with my small allotted area until, rather undignified, I found myself sitting up with my bag on my lap. The weight of the bag was rather heavy and I knew, right away, that I couldn't sleep like this. I tried to read about Hanoi, within my guidebook, however with the driver turning the lights off at 6pm it made it rather difficult. I finished reading about Hanoi just as we pulled into our dinner stop. Due to already having dinner I spent the time re-organising my bed. My bag, once 'packsafed', was placed back down on the isle. I went back up the ladder, into my bed, and finished reading my 'Vietnam War' book - for the second time - which is a interesting and well written book.

Afterwards I reclined my seat, chatted to the American to my left for a while, before going to sleep. Sleeping would have been easier if it wasn't for our driver; our driver, who had the intelligence of a biscuit, kept playing music and beeping the coaches horn all night. Next stop Hanoi!

Toodle Pip!

Drunkenness, tombs and 2nd place

Sunday 27^th March 2011

MP3 track of the day: Worst hangover ever – Offspring

Weather: Wet, cold but not windy

GOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!

Picture the scene; I hope your not eating at the moment. Last night I went into my dorm to discover that a large group of British lads had moved in, and were now my 'room mates'. I apologised that, in the morning, I would be up rather early for yet another tour. Their reply was not to worry about it; they also apologised because their plan, for the evening, was to get completely wasted. All through the night drunken talking occurred and, rather more unpleasantly, people being sick could be herd coming from the on-suite toilet. I can forgive one of their group members. A guy named Ben had a bad case of food poisoning; it was the other three that annoyed me. Luckily, before they had turned up, I had used the shower in preparation of my tour. When my alarm eventually went off I skipped using the bathroom in favor of getting reading quickly and heading downstairs.

Due to my embarrassing fellow countrymen, I had left my dorm quicker than planned and I now found myself, downstairs, with plenty of time to kill. I ate my free breakfast – consisting of two bread rolls with butter – before using the downstairs restroom and then, finally, I found myself watching the news. I saw that London had hit the headlines with riots on the streets. I wondered where all these protesters thought the British government was going to get all the money that they required. I suppose we could sell our gold reserves … oh sorry, Mr Brown had already done that.

My tour was running late. Tours always run late within South East Asia; I don't even bother inquiring as to where my tour is until at least thirty minutes after the start time. I waited and I waited, wondering if it was worth bothering with my tour. The Australian GP was being shown today at 1pm and Hamilton was on the front row. Looking outside it looked cold and it was raining; eventually, with the tour being forty minutes late, I asked the receptionist to find out what was going on. I was surprised, considering I hadn't purchased my tour ticket here, that they phoned up the tour organiser and sorted it all out. Apparently my tour organiser had forgotten about me … however they were sending someone to pick me up.

In a flash my pick-up came … and it was a motorbike with no secondary helmet. Just encase my facial expression didn't show it I asked my hostels receptionist to translate, to the motorbike driver, that I was not getting on 'that' and I would follow him on foot. That didn't seem to be a problem and so, finally, at 8:45am (my tour was supposed to start at eight) I found myself following a crazy motorbike driver, to the harbor front, on foot. Having been to the harbor front before I knew that it was only a five minute walk away and so, soon enough, my motorbike pointed to a dragon boat with a Vietnamese guy waving at me.

I was glad to get on board; it was pretty cold, and wet outside. The 'dragon boat' was two narrow boats joined together with a large open-plan main floor. At the rear of the vessel a closed off area could be found and to the front were two dragon heads erected on the ends of each of the narrow boats. The boat had seen better days, however it seemed to be able to float. I chose one of many plastic chairs and sat down. The tour guide was a short Vietnamese guy who looked incredibly young. As we set off I found out that he actually wasn't a tour guide, more of an assistant. Our tour guide was ill and so he had taken over.

I actually felt sorry for him. Looking at my fellow tourists there were some rather odd people among us. Most were normal however there was an Irish bloke who had been drinking, and continued to drink, before he even boarded the vessel. We also seemed to have our fare share of green peace working, none-pesticide eating, 'call me Squirrel' naming hippies. I sat next to one hippie, afraid to offer him a sweet encase it contained a chemical or something that used to be alive (I'm sorry but all the packaging's in Vietnamese). It wasn't long before we were off.

If you didn't give your full attention you wouldn't actually know that you were moving. Let's say our pace wasn't exactly 'Formula One' fast and even an asthmatic ant, with heavy shopping, could move faster than us. Looking out of the window I soon discovered that the world turned quicker than this 'dragon boat moved'. Our tour guide started to introduce himself, and the tour, however I couldn't understand a word that he was saying.

Our captain beached the boat into some poor Vietnamese persons garden and we found ourselves, in a single line, walking between lettuces and cabbages. I crossed the road successfully and found our tour guide at the gate to a house. As this tour was only $5, entry tickets were not included. 10,000 dong (33p) wasn't a lot and so I paid the fee and went in. A German couple thought entry prices were included; when asking the tour guide he turned around, shrugged his shoulders, and said 'I don't know' in a rather sarcastic way. Nice to see customer service is top priority once more within South East Asia. The house was rather boring; as it wasn't what I had come to see I decided not to listen to our 'English speaking' tour guide and instead take photos before our group dispersed. The main building was your typical ancient Chinese wooden building found everywhere within Vietnam; it did however have a garden growing all sorts of fruit. Fortunately we didn't stay long and I soon found myself tip-toeing through lettuces once more.

Once back on the boat I wasn't the only one who had thought our 'first tourist site' of the day lacked excitement. Two nut eating, tree saving, boat blocking hippies decided to perform a waltz right in the middle of the isle, and in view of everyone. I just pulled my hat over my face as I couldn't watch. Fortunately our next attraction wasn't too far away, Thien Mu Pagoda.

Built in 1601 our tour guide told us that we had forty minutes to look around the pagoda. Looking up the hill at the seven story, hexagonal, tower I didn't think that forty minutes was necessary. It wasn't until climbing up to said tower that I soon found the complex was slightly larger than I first thought. The site ended up being a rather long rectangle, with temples in the middle, and gardens on either side. As most of our group headed into the main temple I decided to explore the outside, trying to get a little time to myself. It didn't work. I walked past all these similar, Chinese style buildings, to find a fountain marking the end of the rectangle. I then turned around and went back to the main temple, which didn't have a lot to see inside. The interesting thing about this Buddhist center is all to do with one of it's monks, Thich Quang Duc. For those of you old enough to remember the Vietnam war you may remember seeing an image – that 'shocked the world' – of a Buddhist monk, within the center of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), burning himself to death. Thich Quang Duc was his name and he came from this pagoda. A copy of that famous image could be seen here, and so could his Austin Car. By now my forty minutes were up; I was rather glad to make my way back to the boat as it was very cold and very wet. We had to move the boats cargo (i.e. us) to the center of the vessel, to get the boat away from the shoreline. It would appear that the captain had rammed the muddy riverfront good and proper.

We were soon on our way again. Like before our speed was so impressive that a piece of litter, floating within the water, managed to overtake us. Our next stop was the first of four tombs, 'Hon Chen' tomb. Costing only 20,000 Dong (66p) to enter this would be the cheapest entry fare, of all the tombs, for the day. There was a good reason for this; 'Hon Chen' was situated up a steep staircase and consisted of two buildings and a small concrete ledge (there was also a 'wc' which, at that present moment in time, I was very happy about … I don't think the 'wc' pre-dates the tomb). As you had to take your shoes off to enter the main temple I declined and just looked from the front door. I then went across from the main temple and stood, leaning on a concrete wall, looking out into the view. Due to it's height the view might have been pretty spectacular however, given the amount of rain – plus rain clouds – I couldn't see that far. Our time was up and we soon found ourselves making our way back onto the 'Dragon Boat'.

The crew hadn't been idle; the seating arrangement had changed from lines of plastic chairs into tables with eight plastic chairs around each. I sat down to find that, on our table of eight, there were two plates of noodles, two plates of rice and two plates of tofu. Looking at the rest of my dinning partners I could sense that we were all thinking the same thing. We were all hungry and, looking at the portions, there wasn't enough to fill all of us up. I took my small bowl and chopsticks, making sure I only took my fair share (well I may have taken a little more), and I delved into the noodles and tofu. I only managed to fill half of my bowl when, the food on my table, ran out. Once again I looked around the table and I could see that we were all still hungry. We all joked about it and then, fortunately, a lady came with a fresh set of noodles, tofu and rice. We ate that just as quickly as the first lot. All of us felt a little better, but I was still not full.

During our meal the dragon boat had been chugging away, trying to cover up ground to the piece rubbish that overtook us earlier. After eating it wasn't long until we arrived at our next tomb, 'Minh Mang'. I paid the 55,000 Dong (£1.60) entrance fee, thinking that this better be good. So far the tour hadn't delivered what I expected, that was until I saw this tomb. Located within fifteen hectares of woodland stood the second Nguyen emperors tomb. Built between 1841-43 it stuck to traditional Chinese methods and, once more, had a rectangle feel to it with grounds on either side. Firstly I was presented with an open, stone, courtyard, with a Chinese small temple up some stone steps. Once through this 'outer temple' you could see the main temple across a narrow bridge. Once past the main temple stood some small gardens with another bridge leading to the tomb of 'Minh Mang'. The tomb was off limits however the complex had been outstanding. A very Chinese feel with beautiful grounds all around. I left that temple happy.

It was now time to change transport. I found myself on the exact same coach, with the exact same driver, as I had for the demilitarized zone tour. I almost found myself sitting in the same chair as we drove to our next tomb, Khai Dinh. This tomb – which also cost 55,000 Dong to enter – couldn't have been any more different to the last. Instead of the traditional Chinese wooden feel, this complex – built on the side of a hill – was mainly constructed using European styles and white stone (though it had become black over time). Emperor Khai Dinh was on the throne towards the end of the Nguyen dynasty and this tomb was built between 1920 and 1931 (when the French were there, hence the European influence). It was an astounding piece of work with two stone obelisks located half way up. Emperor Khai Dinh's tomb was located within a huge stone building at the top of the stairs. Once I had made my way to the back chambers, I found said tomb with a golden sculpture, of Emperor Khai Dinh, sitting on a chair above. It was all pretty impressive though it was time to leave. I made my way back down the stone steps looking, once more, at the obelisks and stone Chinese soldiers. Once through the main gate, and down the dragon lined stairways, I got back on the coach.

Three out of the four temples had been seen. It was 3pm as we drove towards the final tomb, Tu Du. However, of course, there had to be a shop thrown in and so, with only yards until we got to the final tomb, I found myself within this open-sided store. I had twenty minutes to view the 'tac'. I didn't like the paintings, I didn't want a hat or incense sticks. In fact, the only think that took my fancy was a Mars bar. I rejected purchasing one as I didn't want to spend any money at this tourist trap. I decided that I would purchase a Mars once back in Hue. Finally the coach driver opened the coach doors and I dived in, thankful for getting away from the continuing sales pitches of the Vietnamese women.

My guidebook stated that the tomb of Tu Duc was “... The most harmonious of all the mausoleums, with elegant pavilions and pines reflecting in serene lakes...” and I couldn't agree more. Another 55,000 dong (I had now spent nearly 200,000 dong on entrance fees ...£6) and I found myself walking along a red tiled, and rather slippy, path. The path bended this way and that, through pine tree forests, until I reached a man-made lake. There were two pavilions leading down onto the lake which, though they looked lovely, were more of a benefit due to the cover they provided from the rain. After drying off a little I ventured into the main temple complex which was the standard Chinese design. I moved through quite quickly, as I didn't have long, concentrating on exploring the grounds. I managed to find the tomb of Tu Duc and the tomb of his first wife … which were located as far away from each other as humanly possible (though I bet he could still hear her nagging). Most of this complex was ruined, with Chinese gates located all around the site. This gave the site an authentic feel and it was nice just crossing broken walls here, there and everywhere.

To quickly it was time to go back onto the coach. The tour was supposed to end at 4:30pm however here we were still out at five. I arrived back at my hostel around 5:30pm thankful to find the drunken British mob had moved on. I got my computer out to find that Mr Hamilton had finished second. I was ecstatic and these were valuable points on the board; I'm a little worried about Vettle's pace though … Hamilton can beat him to the world title. I'm very excited about the Chinese GP; I've sent 'Booking F1' my Hanoi address so hopefully I'll get my ticket soon. I spent the evening chatting within the restaurant and eating Fish and Chips (which consisted of two big pieces of fish) before heading for an early night. Luckily the 'British mob' had been replaced by four drunk 'Kiwi's'. I was thrilled. Fortunately there was no one being sick, however loud talking could be herd into the early hours and one Kiwi did say 'bro' a lot … which got very, very annoying.

So tomorrow I move onto Hanoi. Hue, culturally and historically, has been brilliant. The tour today was the usual rushed affair (around the main sites), leaving plenty of time for the standard 'tourist trap' that all tours consist of. The demilitarized zone can be missed however the tombs, and the citadel, are a must … I just wished the weather had been better.

Toodle Pip!

Organisation

Saturday 26^th March 2011

MP3 track of the day: Bittersweet symphony – The Verve

Weather: Cold, wet and miserable

GOOOD MORNING VIETNAM.

Today I've organised a lot, but not done much. Yet again I found myself up early and so I went downstairs, to the restaurant, to have breakfast and surf the web. Today I had a list of jobs to complete which included:

• Finding a way of seeing the ancient tombs around Hue.

• Booking a coach to Hanoi.

• Booking accommodation within Hanoi.

• weather report.

• Emailing 'Booking F1' with an address in Hanoi (to sent my Chinese F1 ticket too).

The day started off well; I inquired into a tour, to the tombs around Hue, within my hostel. I was surprised to find that they did a day trip to the three main tombs, and the Thein Mu Pagoda (plus the usual added tat) for around $10. Before accepting, my hostels offer, I walked around the block where, no word of a lie, I found fifteen travel agencies. I went into twelve of them and inquired about a tour to the tombs. In each one I was forced to take a seat while they said the same thing my hostel had told me. I eventually decided to go for a tour agency across the road from my hostel as they had a similar tour, but for half the price. I celebrated by purchasing a Mars bar.

Even though the sleeper coach to Hanoi was more expensive, at my hostel, than at other agencies I still went for it. I like the people who work here however, ultimately, if there are any problems I know where to complain and they will help me out. I then took a seat within the restaurant, ate my Mars, and went online to book accommodation. As my coach was booked for Monday – and it was a sleeper – I wouldn't need a room until Tuesday. Loads of people I've met have recommended 'Hanoi Backpackers'. The write up certainly sounded good; a whole floor designated a chill out area, plasma T.V.'s within each dorm and a restaurant. Considering the weather still didn't look good in either Hue or Hanoi, I thought that this would do and, looking at the dates, I would be there for my birthday. With this done I emailed the hostel to inquire about their address so my F1 ticket could be posted.

Having achieved all my targets for the day, and the weather being so bad, I chatted to people within the hostel before ordering lunch and watching the Australian F1 Qualifying. It looks as though the Maclaren lack of pace has been sorted and, with Hamilton on the front row, I was very happy indeed (especially with Ferrari down the grid). After qualifying I turned off the restaurant's TV, handed back the remote, and sat down. I was a little gutted that tomorrow, with my tour, I will miss the race … never mind, hopefully I catch the Malaysian one. For the rest of the day I stayed in the hostel. There wasn't any point venturing out; the weather was so grim, most backpackers we inside and I had seen everything within the city. Tomorrow I'll visit the temples and then another lazy day on Monday, until coach arrives at 5pm. It's a hard life.

Toodle Pip!

DMZ

Friday 25^th March 2011

MP3 track of the day: Shut up and drive - Rihanna

Weather: cold, windy, wet and miserable. At one point blue cloud could be seen, however the patch of blue was very small and easily swallowed by the far superior rain clouds.

GOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!

As my tour started at 6am, I'd set my alarm for 5:15. My travel alarm clock had already gone off and, conscious of the other eleven people sleeping within my dorm, I hurried to turn off my secondary phone alarm (which is a lot louder than my travel alarm clock). I got ready as quietly, and as quickly, as possible; after twenty-five minutes I was almost ready when, a sarcastic British girl, asked if I had 'nearly finished'. I gave the question the reply it deserved and pretended not to hear her. I was in fact nearly ready and, considering I hadn't turned any lights on (apart from the bathroom light), I'd thought that I'd done rather well. I tip-toed out of my dorm and awaited my pick-up within reception.

Once downstairs I extended my stay for another night and awaited the arrival of the coach. The weather outside looked dark, very windy and very wet. I had almost forgotten what the sound of heavy rain, hitting roof tiles, sounded like however, within the space of five minutes, my memory was soon jogged. A very British guy, from my dorm, was also going on the trip. We joked about the girl's comment before the receptionist instructed us, and four others, to headed to a restaurant three doors down. We dogged the rain and finally came into a restaurant / tour agency. Breakfast was included and so I had a banana pancake, with chocolate, and an orange juice (certainly beats the usual bread roll with butter). As I awaited my breakfast to arrive I looked at all the tours, to various tombs, on offer. I made a mental note to investigate further at another time, for now I had finished my breakfast and the coach was waiting. The time, 7:00am … why we couldn't have got up a little later was beyond me.

As I walked to the coach I hoped that the heating was on full blast. This thought made me chuckle as it's been so long that I've longed for heating. My shoes, plus socks, hadn't dried out from yesterday and I dare not have rummaged around, in my bag, for another pair of socks in case of annoying miss 'I actually want a single room but can't afford it'. As a result my feet felt like two blocks of ice. The coach wasn't the oldest I had seen in action, but it wasn't far off. The seats we all scratched, the air-conditioning didn't work (not really a problem) and there wasn't any heating. The coach was full so I sat, on the isle seat, next to my new British friend. We drove off without the driver saying a word. The view was the usual rice fields and mountains; it wasn't long before the view became obscured due to steam covering the inside of the plastic windows. Using our coat sleeves we tried to clear it, however the outside of the window was getting just as dirty due to the constant rain.

It took almost two hours of driving to reach Dong Ha, the main town within the demilitarized zone (DMZ). It was here that we met out tour guide; a short, slim Vietnamese lady with a huge smile and many teeth. Our tour information specificity stated that we would get an 'English speaking guide' however, it never mentioned what level of English said guide would have. It was very disappointing to find that her level of English was very poor; broken sentences and the lack of using the plural were just two minor difficulties in a sea of accent and grammar mistakes that made her, almost, impossible to understand. I tried to take in what she was saying however, on a topic as complex as the Vietnam War, I could only make out a sentence or two. I was glad that I was currently reading a book about the topic. As we drove through the mountains on the Vietnam / Laos boarder I'm sure the view would have been excellent however, with the rain and steamed up windows, the view was less than perfect. Our first stop was at the side of the road; to our left was 'Rockpile' a US artillery base located on a high hill only accessible by helicopter. Our guide said that we would be stopping for five minutes to 'allow take picture'. Unfortunately, our buffoon of a coach driver, had stopped at the only place, along the road, with trees between us and the hill. It took a little while for us all to back-track, on foot, to find a viewing point to take said photo.

After that excitement we pushed on. Our guide babbled on about something or other (at one point I thought she was speaking French, though I was reassured by others that it was indeed English) until we made it to our next stop. I genuinely had no idea why I found myself, in the cold, looking at a newly constructed bridge. When questioning some of my group some said that it was the start of the Ho Chi Minh trail … others said that it was the first bridge to be built after the war. I took a photo and decided not to worry about it. Back on the coach we were advised that a long drive was a head of us as we headed for Doc Mieu Firebase. As views had been canceled I spent the time chatting to fellow groupies testing the mood. Not good I'd say. Once off the coach our tour guide asked everyone to follow her into the small museum. I, and a sizable group, veered to the right to a 'WC' sign. As I was waiting inline I was getting more and more agitated that I was missing vital information. I soon relaxed remembering that I wouldn't be able to understand her anyway.

I went up the stairs and into the museum. I found my group – rather bored looking – surrounding our tour guide who was pointing to a map. I was correct in assuming that her talk was pointless as, after the tour, I found out that two girls, at this point, were counting how many light bulbs were within the sealing. After forty minutes of dialect we were given fifteen minutes to wander around the museum and the exhibits outside. As you would expect the museum was lacking in material and it was all extremely bias. The museum themed itself on the 'glorious Liberation armies assault of American firebases'. There were photos everywhere depicting, it said, 'American forces in total shock and close to breaking'. Looking more closely I saw a different picture; one photo, which apparently, showed Americans, 'and there puppets', running from the liberation army was clearly just American Marines taking cover. It was all very biased and so I headed outside and down the steps. I changed my direction, on said steps, three or four times to avoid two Vietnamese blokes hold trays of objects. I knew they wanted to sell me something however, as I tried to get away, they countered. Once at the bottom they asked if I wanted to buy something to which I gave a stern 'no' as a reply. They were really annoying; as I moved from an American Helicopter to a bunker they kept following me, and other members of the group. They certainly didn't take my hint and so I left quickly and waited on the coach.

Near to the coach lay a small shop with a dog and four puppies. I didn't think anything of it until I herd a puppy, barking, within the coach. There was a little drama as all tourists were trying to find out what was going on. Finally we worked out that the tour guide had either bought said puppy or was given it. Either way this was a first for me; I've had tour guides drinking beer and smoking whilst working but never purchasing live animals. The puppy was put into a wooden box and that in turn was put into the boot. Once we were all on board our tour guide announced that our next stop was for lunch … I hoped it wasn't the puppy.

It took an hour and twenty minutes to arrive at our lunch stop, which was back in the town of Dong Ha. We pulled into the same car park we met our 'tour guide', got off, and went into the restaurant there. It was here that I found out that lunch wasn't included which, for a $16.00 tour, I was very annoyed about. Worried about a 'tourist trap' I checked the food prices and came to the conclusion that they were pretty reasonable. I didn't like paying for my meal however I was so hungry I ordered noodles with chicken. The restaurant was colder than outside due to doors being left open and, I think, the air-conditioning being on. The staff were all wearing huge coats and you would have thought someone would have sorted this, relatively straight forward, issue out

It took an age for my meal to be put in front of me. I had to eat fast as the portion was quite big and it was soon time to go. I finished my can of coke as I walked towards the doors of our coach. Our tour guide, with her huge smile, said that we were now off to the '17^th Parallel. Here we would drive along the riverfront and see the demilitarized zone (DMZ); afterwards we were off to the Vinh Moc tunnels. Wiping the steam away from the windows for the hundredth time I could see that the DMZ area was very flat. Rice was growing with small wooded areas scattered around. You could still make out possible bomb craters however, if they really were craters, was anyone's guess. We were told that, due to the sheer amount of American bombs and artillery (throughout this tour it felt as though the North Vietnamese army hadn't used a single weapon to fight the 'American Imperialists') this area, during the war, was just a vast, baron, open space with nothing growing (just like 'no mans land' during World War One). The area had now recovered and we were told that some American war veterans had trouble pin-pointing various military locations.

We eventually crossed the river and headed into North Vietnam. After stopping at a war monument we arrived at the Vinh Moc Tunnels. An Impressive, three level, tunnel complex with underground schools, hospitals and living quarters. Our tour guide handed us over to another guide which said that we would all be entering the tunnels shorty. After visiting the Cu Chi tunnels near Ho Chi Minh City I was a little skeptical that I would fit inside and so I made a mental note of the path back, in case of sudden need of evacuation. Once again I found myself within a small museum and once again it was extremely bias. After looking at the photos of the 'American Imperialist' we all followed our new guide and went to the start of the complex.

These tunnels had been properly widened and so I could almost stand up. There was sporadic lighting in places however I mostly felt my way along, by running my hands along the mud walls. On the way we saw living quarters, a medical ward and a staircase to 'level two' before stopping in a meeting room. I looked around and surveyed the surroundings. Not only was this a very impressive feat, considering the scale of the project, but with a bit of wallpaper and carpet I bet it could have felt quite 'homely'. We were underground for around twenty minutes; It was dry and warm therefore most of us didn't want to leave. Once out my eyes gradually re-adjusted to the light and off we all walked back to the coach. It was now 4pm and as it would take an hour to Dong Ha, then another ninety minutes back to Hue, that was the end of the tour. The view was still blocked due to mud and steam and so I chatted to the people around me. The overall consensus was that the trip hadn't been worth the $16 we had all paid. Sure seeing the DMZ was good however not really knowing where we were, in relation to any of the key places, was annoying. However, the biggest problem by far, was not being able to understand our tour guide.

Our guide left us at Dong Ha and wished us a safe trip back. Most people spent the rest of the journey asleep; I however thought about my next moves. Around Hue there are meant to be some Royal Mausoleums. I haven't got time to view them all however it would be worth, good or bad weather, seeing at least one. Tomorrow I decided that a lie-in, followed by chilling at the hostel (see if I can watch the Australian F1 Qualifying), before heading out to book a trip, for Sunday, to a couple of these mausoleums sounded like a plan. This would finish my sightseeing within the area of Hue and so I could then plan to move onto Hanoi.

Once back at the hostel I got changed and had something to eat. It had been a long and disappointing day; I didn't stay up long and went to sleep early wondering what tomorrow would bring.

Toodle Pip!

The Imperial Citadel

Thursday 24^th March 2011

MP3 track of the day: Raindrops keep falling on my head – Burt Bacharach

Weather: Temperature gooood. Rain baaaad.

GOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!

Casting my mind back to other dorms I've stayed in, I cannot think of another bed that has been so comfortable. Looking at the 8am weather it was overcast and drizzling. It took a lot of effort to eventually prize myself from my covers. I went downstairs for the usual 'bread roll with butter' free breakfast before heading out into the city. It had stopped raining, however the clouds above threatened a downpour at any given moment. I stopped by the riverside park – taking a couple of photos of the public art – before heading across two bridges and towards the ancient citadel of Hue.

Just before I'd made it to the front gate the rain started to pour. I decided that, given the weather for the next five days is forecast to rain continually, I would just have to get on with it. It wasn't the rain, or the cold, that bothered me, it was the fact that the sky was a bright white colour making any photos, which included elements of the sky, rubbish. Ngo Mon Gate, the main and best preserved gate within the Imperial city, is the only tourist entrance. The gate had five entrances; back in the day the middle one was used by the emperor, the two either side for civil and military mandarins and the final two for the royal elephants and subjects. As I walked through one of the giant stone archways I paid the 55,000 Dong entrance fee (almost £2.00). Making a sharp left I followed the notice boards, which directed me up a set of stone steps, leading above the gate. The red, wooden pavilion on top had a very Chinese feel; it had nine roofs which, is said, resembles five birds in flight. Once I had battled my way through numerous tour groups I made it to the center of the pavilion looking south towards the city of Hue. Just encase anyone had forgotten what country they were in – which wasn't hard considering the whole area felt very oriental – there was a huge Vietnam flag lying from a stone fortress. As I looked to my left, and right, I noticed that the red pavilion has two small wings, both looking down onto the five entrances. I spent little time up here due to the huge amount of tour groups. I left rather quickly and headed, not north towards the main temple, but east. I soon found myself alone.

With the removal of tour groups the eastern side of the citadel seemed rather pleasant. The only problem was that, due to the rain, the tiled red walkway was incredibility slippy. My rate of progress slowed. I hit the eastern wall of the citadel and so I headed north. After a few cautious steps I found two beautiful gates. The first, an inner gate, had its wooden doors shut. The majority of the gate was red, however the colour had faded and evidence of conflict was ever present. The second gate, an outer gate, was located a little further up on the right. Hien Nhon Gate was it's name and it was an impressive, three door, golden yellow gate with three smaller windows located directly above. The art work, on the gate, could be seen however it was a little faded in places.

Continuing north I found an ancient garden. In 1883 the emperor would leisurely walk around the garden consisting of large ponds, Chinese semi-circled bridges and beautiful trees. Now you could hardly see this former beauty as the area was in urgent need of repair. At this point, due to the north path becoming a dirt track, I headed west and I found myself at, what I thought, was a temple. I went through the gate and made my way to the red wooden building in front of me. As I made my way up the stone steps I took my hat off, glad to be out of the rain. I could hear music being played within, but I couldn't see what was happening. The main doors were shut, however a lady pointed to a side door and I went through. This building wasn't a temple but in fact a concert hall. I had walked into the middle of a concert with around twenty Vietnamese dancers performing a traditional dance. The dancers had glass-coloured flowers, with candles in the middle, in each hand. I took a seat on the back row and watched this beautifully choreographed dance routine take place. Either it wasn't very long, or I had come in towards the end, however after ten minutes the main doors opened and I was allowed to exit. For the first time no money was asked which made a pleasant change.

I went back down the stone steps, putting my hat back on as I went, and back through the gate. I continued my walk north until I hit the northern wall. Again a bright yellow outer-gate could be seen. I headed west and past said gate. I was now at the northern central part of the citadel. My plan was to continue to the western wall to complete a loop before investigating the middle, more touristy, sections. As I walked I looked through two gates to my left which is when I saw the royal pavilion. I went through one of the gates, which had seen better days, to be confronted by a large field with two red pavilions. I looked around these pavilions, plus water gardens, before heading back out the way I had come.

I couldn't make it all the way to the western wall due to a water garden being in the way. I finally started to head south and looked through a gate to the right of me. The gate was the familiar golden yellow colour with three doorways. I went through and found a very beautiful garden. From a birds-eye view you would see a squared moat; within the center stood the main temple. The usual Chinese curved bridges were located at three points of the moat. The edges of the moat slopped inwards with stones on all banks. The building wasn't that different to the others, the usual Chinese style building, but with the moat and the white bridges (plus trees) it looked very beautiful. I was surprised that, so far, I hadn't bumped into any other tourists since the main gate … not one. Sure the weather was bad but I knew there were tourists within these four walls and I wondered if tour groups ventured this far north.

Finally I bumped back into the tour groups … which was rather annoying. I was lining up a photo of the eastern outer-gate when, without warning, a huge tour group of old people came bumbling around the corner and stood right in the way. I stood there and waited, and waited until the 'over 80's tour group' waddled past me. I made it back to the southern wall where, before visiting the main temple, I went through another golden yellow gate and had a look around a beautiful, two building temple, with a stone courtyard in the middle.

The time was now midday and I found myself with my back against the main gate. Looking north I could see 'Thai Hoa Palace'. I crossed a beautiful white bridge and made my way in. For the first time since entering the citadel my ticket had to be checked. I got my wallet out and handed my ticket over to the ticket officer. It took the officer a fairly long time to clear me; probably due to the fact that I had purchased my ticket three hours ago and so, many numbered tickets superseding mine had already come through. Eventually the guard let me go and I found myself within a huge, mainly empty, wooden room. With not much to see I made my way to the back of the temple where a DvD presentation, on how the city who have looked, was playing. I watched the DvD twice; firstly to concentrate on the English subtitles and then to focus on the CGI'd images. The Imperial City of Hue would have looked very impressive in it's day and, if I had a TARDIS, this would certainly be on my 'wish list' of destinations.

It had taken me four hours but finally I had seen the Imperial City of Hue. For me, I would say that this citadel was just as interesting as the temples of Angkor and its a crime that the French, and American, armed forces destroyed 80% of the complex. When I was in Hiroshima, it was documented that the Americans decided not to drop the atom bomb on Kyoto due to 'important historical buildings'. Why the same rule didn't apply here I do not know.

I headed out for something to eat before making my way back into the main part of the citadel. As the time was 2:30pm I had a couple of hours to wander the streets. I went this way and that and found streets that were for tourists, and ones that weren't. The buildings were the standard mix of South East Asian sheds and concrete structures. The rain was still coming down, but I was still able to smile and say hello to a few locals. My feet were wet – I think I have holes in my shoes – and so I decided to head for my hostel. Once there I booked onto a tour, to the old Vietnam War de-militarized zone (DMZ), for tomorrow.

I got changed, put my socks up to dry, before having something to eat and finally going to sleep. My tour tomorrow starts at 6am and so I need an early night.

Toodle Pip!

Hue is not Hoi An

Wednesday 23^rd March 2011

MP3 track of the day: Suite two – Band of Brothers

Weather: The temperatures perfect in Hue, however its raining quite heavily. I wasn't expecting the weather to become so wet considering the time of year and my location. I guessing that, due to Hue being stuck between the sea (on it's eastern coast) and a huge mountain range (on it's western boarder) that these geographical elements have some part to play. The temperature can stay, but I wish the rain would disappear.

GOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM

My alarm went off at an annoying 6:15am. I was still half asleep and so, getting ready, proved more difficult than normal. I joined Kim for breakfast, around 7:00am, and then we both waited for our 7:30am coach to Hue. Looking at the sky it seemed as though Hoi An was due a shower; I felt quite lucky considering the warm weather I had during my staying here; I hoped that the weather wasn't going to follow me to Hue. 7:30am came and there wasn't any sign of a coach; two Danish girls were also planning on catching a coach to Hue, however they had been told that their coach would pick them up at 8am. We presumed that it was probably the same coach and that we had been told the incorrect time. No worries, we would just wait an extra thirty minutes.

Just after 8am a rather haggled looking Vietnamese guy, came into the hostel, asking for all people heading to 'Hue'. The Danish two, Kim and I all got up and went to follow him out of the hostel. The hostel owners said good bye and see you soon … If I had my way I would be back tomorrow. Our 'pick up at our hostel' wasn't quite the same as other 'pick ups' I've had. The reason it was a little different was because there was no coach and, instead, we had to walk ten minutes to a meeting point where other backpackers were waiting. It wasn't long before a coach came and we jumped on board. It was a sleeper coach, and pretty full too; fortunately I found an empty window seat, pulled the chair into a up-right position, and sat cross legged looking at the view.

It wasn't long before we made our first stop at Da Nang. There isn't anything to see in Da Nang however it's a major transport hub and the closest airport to Hoi An. Many people got off here. As we traveled further north, towards Hue, the scenery became more dramatic and more beautiful. You had the usual rice paddies, leading to the coast on one side of the road, and beautiful tropical mountains on the other side. It was heaven and, with the low clouds, they gave the an 'eery' feel to the view. Those clouds weren't innocent, within them they brought a major down pour that occurred every so often. All the way, up and down the mountainous coast, rain fell from the skies and then stopped, just as suddenly.

Instead of going over the mountains we did eventually end up going through them. We went through a huge tunnel and, once out on the other side, the view became strangely familiar. I hadn't been here before, but Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have. On Top Gear's 'Vietnam special' the fat, short and long haired one stopped to admire a Vietnamese view. Clarkson said the view was a symbol for what Vietnam was; the mountains, the rainforest, the big construction bridge and the little fishing boat. Well, I was traveling on that bridge he mentioned and I could see where Clarkson and Co had stopped. I agreed, the view was pretty good.

We eventually made it to the outskirts of Hue. It was here that the coach stopped and gave us two options. We could stay on the sleeper coach and the termination point would be Hue's bus station, 3km out of the city center. Our second option was switching coaches to one that would take us to the city center. The choice was pretty obvious; I got my things and changed coaches, along with most of the people on-board. It wasn't until we had switched, and set off, that our new bus attendant (who was extremely rude) told us that this service cost an extra 10,000 dong. Now 10,000 dong is only 33p and so I paid it, slightly annoyed that this 'additional fee' hadn't been explained earlier. A Spanish girl would not pay the amount due to the fact that her tourist agency (who she had purchased said coach ticket from) had told her that she would be dropped off at her accommodation, within Hue, for no extra charge. Well, a huge row opened up between the assistant and this girl with the assistant telling the coach driver to headed to the bus station to drop her off. Once there the girl wouldn't move insisting that she was to be dropped off within town, at her accommodation, for no additional fee. The assistant wouldn't budge and was about to call the police … we had a, rather noisy, stalemate. Time went on and eventually another woman paid the 33p so that we could get going. I admire that this Spanish girl had stuck to her guns, however this is South East Asia. Being told one thing, and something else (usually costing you more money) happening, is the norm and you have just got to accept it. I don't like it, however if you don't accept it you'll either end up not getting anywhere, or having the most stressful traveling experience of your life. Also remember it's only 33p. Top Tip: the best thing that I have discovered is that, when booking transport, don't opt for any additional extras at your final destination ... tour agencies will tell you anything to sell you a ticket. Optional extras, that are apart of the purchasing contract within your starting location, usually get fulfilled; however, once you're five / twelve hours away, the tour agencies know your not coming back and so don't care.

For 10,000 dong, being dropped off at my hostel was pretty good value, even thought I couldn't stand the bloke. The big yellow ' Hue Backpackers' sign wasn't hard to miss and so I went in. The reception staff were lovely and checking in was a breeze (plus I got to keep my passport). One lady showed me to my dorm, which was called 'Carnival'. As I walked in it was very clean with the usual bunk beds. That was until we turned the corner and I found that, my bed, was a huge double-bed just for me. What I had done to deserve this big, conformable, bed I don't know; however the Vietnamese lady saw my look of amazement and said ' maybe you get lucky tonight' and laughed. I don't think so love; over the last week I've slept in an over crowed dorm, a coach and a guesthouse with an annoying mosquito … all of this bed was for me.

I dumped my stuff, got out my coat, and went downstairs. I picked up a map and ate lunch within the hostel's restaurant. Lunch was a little expensive, however the portions were huge; I ordered a 'noodles with chicken and vegetables' and just managed to eat it all. While chucking my lunch down my throat I met a girl from London and we chatted about our traveling experiences. I also inquired into how much the train, from Hue, to Hanoi would cost. For a soft sleeper it cost $38.00 whereas the coach was only half that price. I did fancy taking the train for the next leg of my journey, as the scenery is supposed to be fantastic; however as the latest train leaves at 5:00pm (getting into Hanoi at 9:00am the following day) I would only get three hours of daylight viewing time (DVT). Also 'Highway One', the main road within Vietnam, mirrors the train line and so it's possible I would get the same view, though not the same comfort, for half the price. I would have to think about this.

It was still raining outside, however I was itching to have a wonder. My original plan was to venture out and have a look around the urban area on the southern side of the river, which is where my hostel is located. It soon became apparent that there wasn't much to see around here; the buildings were the usual, concrete looking, structures seen anywhere within South East Asia and miles away from the beauty of Hoi An. I therefore ventured north down to the riverfront, walked through a park, and crossed a bridge into the citadel. Before reaching the ancient part of the citadel I had to pass even more concrete structures and cross another bridge. Finally I made it and, my first impressions, weren't that good at all. The main tourist enclosure, which held all the gates and temples, was for tomorrow. For now my plan was to wonder around the streets within the citadel itself. I found the same concrete structures – though not as high – as I found within the other parts of the city. During the Vietnam War the Americans thought that the ancient city of Hue was a North Vietnamese base … and so they bombed it. They bombed it so well that they left only twenty, of the original 148 buildings, (built within the 17^th Century) standing. This I suppose explains why most of the buildings here are, well, dull. I therefore headed to the tourist part.

The ancient, square shaped, citadel of Hue reminded me of the Imperial Japanese palace within Tokyo … only not as well maintained. Four Chinese / Japanese style gates are located on each wall with a moat running around the perimeter. Due to the weather being so awful I decided not to pay the entrance fee in the hope that, tomorrow, the weather might be better. I decided to walk all the way around the ancient walls. Luckily there was a path running between the moat and the walls; this kept me away from the road and provided a little piece. The only problem with this path was that it was tiled, making it quite slippy in the rain. I didn't take my camera as the rain was falling and the skies were white with clouds. I finished my tour and decided, due to the rain and my feet being pretty wet, to head back across the river. Before turning back to my guesthouse I went to the train station to find out that, even though tickets are cheaper if purchased directly, it still didn't match the coach price.

It took me thirty minutes to arrive at my accommodation where I got dry, ate, chilled and checked the weather for the next five days. Heavy rain each day … oh joy. Weather reports are always wrong and so, with that in mind, I decided to head for an early night hoping tomorrow mornings weather will be worth the sacrifice of a missed evening in the bar. Even though the weather is bad here there's no point in moving on too early. I checked Hanoi's weather and it's just as bad. In Sappa, in the far north-western mountains of Vietnam, it's been snowing. Snowing in South East Asia, who would have thought.

Toodle Pip!