Da Nang - Hoi An - Hue

Again, a full day of travel. On they way we stop by the Tay Son Family historical home. I guess they are considered heroes to the Vietnamese people. I will have to read up on it more when I get back to the states.

We go to the ancient town of Hoi An. I can't really say too much about the ancient city because Joe was the only one that went to see it. All the girls wanted to shop on the streets, so Ho and I had to accompany them. Someone has to hold all the stuff they buy.

We travel on some crazy mountain roads. They seem perfect for drifting, until you see that one side is a mountain wall and the other side is a freakin' cliff to the ocean below. The small barriers don't seem like very much protection for our huge bus. Our driver passes everyone, everywhere. Uphill, downhill, around blind corners, nothing stops him. There are several moments we are scared for our lives.

We get to Hue in 1 piece and head out for our first taste of the city, real Bun Bo Hue. I had such high hopes for it but again, I was whelmed.

We take a cruise on the famous Huong (Perfume) River. I don't know what they are talking about, because I smell nothing that's even close to perfumes. The river is calm and we get to hear some traditional Hue music. Since my Vietnamese is weak and the Hue accent is really strong, I understand nothing.

We visit the Nguyen Imperial Palace the next day. It is what an imperial palace should look like, with a moat, high walls, and large throne room. It's hard to imagine that Vietnam had a king until 1945. The palace is young, compared to most people's imagination of what am Imperial Palace should be.

We also see a couple of the previous king's mausoleums. They are big and gaudy, but nothing really interesting happens there except I get the biggest coconut I have every seen. The thing is bigger than my head and garners laughter and pointing everywhere I go with it. Money well spent in my book.