Hue

Whilst we were in Hanoi, we decided to try out the overnight sleeper bus to take us down to Ho Chi Minh City via several stops. We'd seen some of these parked empty when we were up in SaPa - Helen had a special name for them.

Initially the bus didn't turn up on time, although a guide did and she hailed down a couple of taxi's that we all had to squeeze into and then transfer our luggage between the two vehicles - it was all chaotic. The cabs then took us about half a mile to where the sleeper bus was waiting. Our luggage was then loaded onto the bus and as we got on, it seemed to be pretty full already. We were then told this wasn't our bus but we were to stay on it to be ferried to the next transfer stop. More people got on along the way, so we were standing, packed in the two aisles between the beds. This lasted for about half an hour until those of us without bunks were herded off the bus, our suitcases ceremoniously taken out of the luggage hold and we were left standing on the side of the road in the dark. We were waiting for some time, chatting and nervously laughing with Blighty spirit with our fellow passengers until another coach finally arrived. Then, what we'd not already noticed was a significant number of locals, who had been standing in the shadows of some local buildings were all of a sudden elbows out and pushing and shoving to get on the sleeper. We did manage to finally get on, and soon were able to laugh about it. The journey itself wasn't as bad as we'd prepared ourselves for with a couple of loo breaks, but even though we were able to lie down, the poor suspension on poor road surfaces made for a fitful nights sleep.

Sadly, when we arrived it was damp and cold, but our room was ready which meant we could shower and get out and about straight away.

As the weather was poor we decided to book on a trip but unfortunately part of it was one of those tourist shopping opportunities, although we did get to see some conical hat making.

We also got to see josticks being made all in the same shop!

The trip really centred around visiting tombs though and there were plenty of those - Tu Duc, Minh Mang, Khai Din, and Thien Mu Pagoda.



At the end of the trip we caught a dragon boat back down the Perfume River before trudging home in the damp.


As ever, the rain can make such a difference to a visit, but Hue is famous for The Citadel and it's an impressive place regardless of the weather.

Sadly, with all the wet, damp and cold together with no heater in the room (but lashings of blankets), Helen caught a cold, so we decided to move further South in the hope of better weather.