17.04 - Day 20 - Hue, Vietnam
Friday 17th April
Hue, Vietnam
Temperature Min 24, Max 34
15,794 steps
At 6am I walk out of Tam Tinh Vien to the nearby seven story pagoda, a few monks going about their business clearly used to an occasional tourist tripping through. It's nice and warm and then the sun emerges and it's instantly very warm already this time in the morning. Back through the village and kids are being taken to school in clean white uniforms and bright red ties, some walking, some cycling, some on the back of scooters. Some spot me from an upstairs balcony within the school and after shouting 'What is your name' at me I have to wait when I ask them the same question as all eight respond with 'My name is ...' . And then repeat the same process with ages. It's just rural enough and off the main road enough for me to now be a point of interest to the locals.
Jean has breakfast ready - he's up at 4:30am every day to go to the market twice and the fresh fruits, bread, jams and coffee are delicious. Rather than rush around a number of mausoleums (there are several in the vicinity as Hue a is a former capital city) and the Citadel, we opt just for the latter attraction, instead taking a morning walk following my earlier tracks.
It's a truer exposure to rural Vietnamese life and again people seem intrigued and pleased to see us especially Seb. Sienna crafts a probable story on the history of Buddha based on the images on two walls edging the pagoda, before we head back past the stall of coloured incense sticks to the market where cane juices are eagerly obtained (10,000 Dong, 50 cents).
Back at Tam Tinh Vien there are some rounds of Pontoon before Pawpaw and I borrow two bikes to find some Banh Mi shaped lunch. Jean warned us that locals taken early lunch and sure enough we struggle to find somewhere at 1:00pm - even as school kids venture home on their bikes shouting Hello at us. Eventually we source some Barnh Mis taking them and some fruits back. After getting slightly lost on the way back there isn't time to eat as Truong our driver has arrived at 2:00pm (as requested this morning) to take us the five kilometres into Hue to the citadel. Instead we eat outside in the shade before venturing in (200,000 / 40,000 Dong).
The citadel is contained within another thick walled compound, surrounded by another moat within the city, which itself is surrounded by a moat. It's four entrances are offset from the entrances to the city to improve defences. But Hue faded as a centre of power rather than imploded under attack and so many original buildings remain - it was still even in use by Emperors just over 100 years ago.
The area is filled with temples, shrines, pavilions and grand halls with lakes and gardens. There is plenty of red and gold paint, with a few especially ornate buildings adorned with glass tiles. When the last emperor abdicated in 1945 after his influence had waned, it was here he handed over his sword saying "I would rather be a citizen of an independent country than king of a slave country."
Sienna enjoys picking out which building she'd like to live in; one with another small moat and its own Island to play on in the moat. By the time we're in front of the nine large urns from the 1860s, the crowds have entirely dissipated as we head to closing in time at 5:30pm.
Our exit out the west gate brings us close to Mema and Pawpaw's dinner location from last night Les Jardins de la Carambole and happy to have one less decision to make on food, we head there, where I particularly enjoy a four course meal including crab soup, banana blossom salad, beef cooked in banana leaf, whilst Sienna and Seb enjoy a pizza and carbonara. It's all very tasty and good reward for our walking efforts this afternoon. Troung our driver is enlisted to take us back to Tam Tinh Vien adding to our tab with him.
