The sleeper train arrived in Hue at around 11am. It was glorious hot sunshine, which was better than the cloudy humidity in Hanoi.
We quickly dumped our bags at the hotel (which was very nice! Possibly the nicest of the trip!) and headed out for lunch. We ended up at a place called Golden Rice and it was really nice. I had a mango smoothie and chicken with lemongrass. I always feel healthy and eat loads more fruit and veg abroad!
Later on, we went on a motorbike tour around Hue. I’m not going to lie, I was crapping myself. I’d never been on a motorbike before and was having visions of accidents, especially after witnessing the traffic in Vietnam! I very nearly chickened out! I actually sat on the bike and then jumped off again screaming ‘I can’t do it!’ Some of my fellow travellers were really patient and tried to calm me down. The advice I got was ‘lean with the driver’.
Luckily, I enjoyed the tour and it actually ended up being one of the highlights for me. I could have happily stayed on the bike for hours exploring the countryside. The first few minutes were a bit nervewracking but I soon settled down. Some of the busy roads, a roundabout and some of the off-road bits were interesting!
We visited loads of places including a mausoleum, Bunker Hill, an incense place, the Japanese love bridge, a Buddhist temple and a museum with the most amazing lady working there! She was about 80 but had a zest for life! She had a fabulous time trying to explain everything to us all and flirting a bit with the group leader! She was fab!
My driver was called Ko and obviously found me hilarious! Every time I screamed in his ear, he laughed!
I’m very glad I did the tour though. It was a great way to see Hue. It’s really pretty and I saw lots of places that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
We finished the tour with a traditional dinner at a home. The food was amazing! We had pumpkin and peanut soup, pho (obvs), caramel tofu and pork, morning glory, Jackfruit salad and pineapple for pudding. Delicious!
The next morning, we visited the Imperial Citadel. It’s very impressive. Our guide was very knowledgeable but I think he thought we had a deep understanding of Vietnamese history – which I don’t! He asked us loads of questions about the citadel and emperors and we didn’t have a clue!
After our morning tour it was back on the coach for the drive to our next stop – Hoi An!
Emily's adventures 