Huelter Swelter

This will be a short post as we only had one night in the ancient city of Hue (pronounced who-eh) and yeh you probably guessed it from the title… it was incredibly hot. We arrive at “Hue lovely homestay” and are greeted by the friendly sisters that run the place and their excitable six month old pup called “Happy”.

Alex is feeling a little worse for wear as she recovers from her various ailments so I leave her comfortable in the air conditioned room and take a walk along the river. It’s coming to the end of the Reunification holiday, marking the anniversary of when North and South Vietnam was reunited again after the bloody 30 year struggle. Locals take pictures by the riverside and use the huge bridges as a backdrop while they wear traditional outfits and pose happily.

In the evening we head out for dinner at a place recommended by our homestay, as an added bonus if we show the loyalty card they gave us, we get free springs rolls! Even though we’re on the edge of the infamous pub street it’s a relaxed atmosphere and the food is surprisingly good. We walk back along the river where the calm and jolly locals have been replaced by energetic hawkers trying to sell us boat rides, mango slices or whatever else they’re trying to flog. Like in most places a simple “No thank you” will put them off, even if it does buy you a slight dirty look!

Serious Flagging

The next morning it’s time to explore the historic Imperial City. Alex has been to see it before and considering the heat and her condition we agree it’s best that she stays behind to rest up. As I leave the homestay, the mercury is already hitting 40 degrees at 9am. I cross the bridge to the imperial city and unsurprisingly I’m the only person doing it on foot. Dozens of scooters zoom past along with various coaches and Grab taxis. I take a few pictures of the outer grounds and buy an entrance ticket, assured there are English guides inside the city gates.

Of course as I pass through the security barrier there are no guides in sight. I later discover the way to get a guide is to hire one of the electric vehicles (imagine a stretched out golf cart) and they come with a guide that may or may not speak English. Wanting to avoid any haggling or awkward translating I decide to self guide around the grounds. Without a guide I can’t provide much more information than this is where the Vietnamese royalty lived until 1945 when they were overthrown and forced to abdicate their power and possessions to the state. What I can provide is a photo dump of the beautifully restored buildings and peaceful gardens of this estate:

Returning to the homestay and I am a ball of sweat. The heat index (temperature+ humidity) has hit 54 degrees and the novelty of being in this ridiculous heat has definitely worn off. Luckily our homestay hosts have been kind enough to extend our check-out time so I’m able to shower and cool off before we need to leave the room. Alex is feeling a bit better and wants to at least do something in Hue. I have a quick lunch of pho (noodle soup with green leaves and pork) for the tender price of £1.20, we seek a brief respite in a coffee/chocolate cafe and then we’re off to the nearby Thien Mu Pagado. We’re fortunate to arrive at the temple just as the monks begin some sort of prayer/chant/meditation and watch as they chant and hum along while another hits a large bell for percussion. Again there’s not a huge amount to say here so the pictures will have to do:

We ask the Grab taxi to drop us within the outer walls of the ancient citadel so Alex can see some of it for herself.

With time to kill before our sleeper bus leaves we enjoy a tasty vegetarian meal surrounded by multiple fans attempting to keep us cool!

That’s the end of this short and sweet post. Next stop… the wilderness of Ninh Binh.

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Adventure – Exploring the ancient citadel.

Excitement – Monk chants. Free food. Happy the dog.

Trauma – Pretty sure I had heat stroke at one point. Weird additional charges on Grab AFTER we gave the driver 5 stars and a tip. A local driver offering me a ride for x4 the price of Grab then looking miffed when I refused. Having to hide in the aircon from feeling so done in and missing the Imperial City (Alex)