I just got into Hue today (that rhymes in case you didn't know). Its raining here and i expect that to continue- todays motorbike driver laughed at my hope of sun- its the rainy season. There seems to be a lot to see around Hue. I am most excited about a nearby pagoda which my on of my favorite Buddhist writers entered as a novice monk. It looks to be a beautiful place, sitting on a lake and surrounded by pine trees.
The food seems to be getting better as i make my way north- the weather colder and wetter.
Not knowing where you are seems to me to be among the best and worst aspects of travel. After walking towards what i thought was the city center for a while this afternoon i gave into one of the many motorbike solicitations. On the way back from dinner i had to check my map about 12 times. Vietnamese street names are not always marked and when they are they are easy to confuse. i almost prefer my compass to a map. The map which my hotel gave to me is drawn by hand and strangely does not name the street of the hotel- theres a dot instead. i thought that was funny.
i had a personal triumph in hoi an- finding the cheapest beaded trinket i could find, haggling the price then cutting it apart and using one of the beads to secure an ukulele string which had pulled through the bridge. my uke is as good as new. i may be the only one who cares about that, but i really do.
