Not so awesome Hue

We reached Hue at 10 in the morning. I met a lovely girl from Sydney and we decided to explore the city together after freshening up and checking in.

Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam in the old days. The town has still retained its olden touch. There are beautiful citadels and tombs all over the town. This is the thing: When you see the first tomb you are super excited, you see & appreciate every detail in the construction, you are curious about how the king fought the war and you take great interest in the history behind the architecture.  But when you have seen about 3-4 tombs/citadels, you cant be bothered with the details of where the king pee-d or what his favorite food was or how many concubines he had. Its all the same story. 

Anyway, we walked through the whole city and saw all major tombs and citadels. While it was nice and peaceful, the city dint have much vibe. The roads in Hue are very french like and it was way too romantic for two girls backpacking Vietnam!

We came back to our hostel at 8. There, out of nowhere I met an Indian German girl I saw in my room in HCMC with her german friends. We both were delighted to meet again in Hue and she introduced me to her friends and we decided to go together for dinner. 

The German girls have to be the coolest girls I've met on the trip. Yes, we all know the Germans are bloody brave travelers and they are the second most common thing you see in Vietnam, the first being motorbikes :P Geez, they're everywhere! I had a great time chatting & joking around with the girls.

My bus to Hoi An was at 12 next morning, so checked out did all the formalities and was ready to leave. Got on the bus and met a Brazilian couple - the usual, we start sharing our stories.

Its funny how travel changes a person. If you were having a coffee in Melbourne or Sydney sitting alone and if someone comes and strikes up a conversation, we'd all think what a weirdo/loser the other person is. But when you are traveling, you see a someone sitting alone, you go straight to them and have a conversation like you already know them. It is not that difficult meeting people at all ....unless you really ARE a weirdo!

 

Surprise surprise, our bus breaks down - every one is frustrated but the driver is fixes it soon - Ok in 45 minutes which is supposed to be quick as per Vietnamese standards.  We reach Hoi An. I dint have a booking for Hoi An and was hoping to just rock up there since that is what most backpackers seem to be doing. I did the same thing but my luck, no vacancies. Luckily, my Swiss friends from Hanoi had given me their hotel card so I went to hotel. I meet the sweetest receptionist.  Meeting her turned out to be the highlight of my trip in Vietnam! 

 

More about Hoi An in tomorrow's post.