We have arrived in Hue!
As soon as we got off the overnight bus after a slightly uncomfortable ride (the bus driver kept beeping REALLY loudly throughout the night and the roads are very bumpy) we were surrounded by people asking us to come to their hotel. We were about to ignore this man, but as we were so tired we just went along to see his hotel. We were extremely lucky as this hotel happened to be the first mentioned in the Lonely Planet and was also directly opposite the tour guide operator also mentioned as the best place for motorbike tours. It was called 'Cafe on Thu Wheels' (Thu being the name of the owner). We ent there for breakfast when we arrived and have been hooked ever since. The food is cheap and really yummy- plus it's over the road and her babies are cute! We booked a motorcycle city tour of Hue straight away after reading the glowing reviews in her recommendation book- and we were not disappointed! We have caught the motorcycling bug and now can't get enough! There is a reason that Top Gear decided to do a show about motorbiking in Vietnam. The guides were proffesional and experienced, as well as friendly and chatty. They took us to all the most interesting places such as the Citadel (where we found the same bullet-ridden arch shown in the Top Gear Vietnam special) and the oldest temple in Vietnam (there was the car burnt by the monk who famously set himself alight in the middle of Ho Chi Minh city killing himself in protest against the war). We also went to another Pagoda that was not really for tourists, it was in the middle of a forset and all the local monks lived there. It was very interesting to see the differences between Vietnamese monks and Thai monks, because there were loads! The Vietnamese monks were not permitted to permanently leave the temple once they had entered under any circumstances but Thai monks are allowed to be monks for any period of time. The Vietnamese monks were also allowed to worship alongside the Nuns, something unthinkable in Thailand! Elodie was even allowed to walk around in a vest top and allowed near the living quarters- much less strict than in Thailand! To Zack's delight, and Elodie's horror, we were then involved in what can only be described as a scene from an action movie. On our way up to visit the old war bunkers, the drivers started shouting to eachother which alarmed us both. After getting off our bikes, we were immediately told to jump back on and we sped through the forest (Kevin it was honestly like mountain biking through Ashridge but on a motorbike at 30 mph- terrifying!). Five minutes of frantic mirror-checking followed and then we arrived at the tomb of Tu Duc. We were told that a lone tourist had attempted to follow us on our tour in order to visit the same places without paying for the guide- something the guides did not like at all. Our trip down the back streets and through the forest had been a successful attempt to shake him off. Cool or what? After we relaxed in the beautiful gardens of the tomb of Tu Duc we returned to the old bunkers where we enjoyed the stunning views of the river whilst listening to the first-hand stories of our tour guide. Our last stop was the Japanese covered bridge which was really pretty and helped all the old people years ago to carry the rice over the river from the fields. It is amazing to think that after two-hundred years the bridge has needed no restoration, despite being made out of what looked like wood (we weren't sure). We then got back on our bikes for a long ride down the empty highways in the sun, the mountains and rice paddies as our backdrop.We had a lovely dinner and treated ourselves to crepes with sugar and lemon. Yum! They were really thick and fat.
The next day, we had a tour which took us to the Demilitarized Zone which stretches all the way to the Laos border. Unfortunately for us, it was a 5.30 start as there was a long drive ahead. Firstly we visited, the Vinh Moc tunnels which were used by villagers and border guards for safety against the American bombers (not suprising considering that the Americans dropped 7 tonnes of bombs per person!). We were able to go inside the tunnels with a guide who showed us rooms such as the maternity room (where 7 babies were born during the six years that the people were in the tunnels) and the Meeting room which although no bigger than Zack's bedroom could fit 50-70 people on the floor. It was hot and cramped and hard to believe that people stayed in there for that long! Elodie couldn't stand 10 minutes of it and got very frustrated with the woman in front of her who stopped to take photos of EVERY room we passed even though they were all identical. Bomb craters were all around on the surface and we were told that the tunnels had had a lucky escape on several occasions. There was also a museum with lots of photos which were very interesting and showed pictures of the villagers who had lived in the tunnels and who are still living in a nearby village today. We then went to the Khe Sanh combat base where Zack enjoyed looking at the planes and helicopters whilst Elodie herded some chicks that were running around in the grass in an attempt to get a photo. On our way back we went alongside the Ho Chi Minh trail and stopped at parts ot have a look. We also stopped to look at some of the views of the 'Rock Pile' a rocky mountain top that was used to land helicopters in emergency situations. When you see the photos you will understand how crazy this was. We had our final meal at 'Cafe on Thu Wheels' and were so tired from the last two days that we went straight to bed.
Elodie- Joanne your book made the overnight bus that much more bearable! I hope you and family are having a lovely time in America :D Grandma A- Thanks for your comment Grandma, hopefully I will come back in one piece! Look after L.G. she needs lots of cuddles now that everyone has gone. Love you xxx\
Zack- Mum Dad and Kits - will write an email tomorrow morning for you. It has taken us this long just to write the blog! We are a bit behind! Having a relaxation day by the pool tomorrow to recuperate. xxxxx
