No Hue? Hue!

After Hoi An, we continued to make our way up Vietnam.  Next on the agenda was Hue (pronounced like WAY with an H added at the beginning).  Since the train from Saigon to Da Nang/ Hoi An wasn't successful, we decided on a three-hour bus ride this time around instead.  We also figured out how to be smarter about getting to our hotel.  We weren't going to have another cab driver rip us off.

At the end of the bus ride, we ignored all of the dozen or so cabbies.  We grabbed our bags and just walked away.  We had no intention of walking to our hotel, but we did want to connect to WiFi and look at a map before catching a cab.  There was no way we were going to blindly trust another taxi to take us directly where we needed to go.  This time we didn't have anything to worry about because we happened to find an honest driver, but the peace of mind was more valuable than the money we could have lost to another crooked cabby.

Neil had been to Hue in 2007 on his earlier tour of the country, so he knew which sights we needed to visit.  After arriving at our hotel (Vina Hotel, which was totally mediocre compared to Vaia in Hoi An, but it did have a nice view of the Perfume River), we booked a tour of the historic monuments just outside of town.

Watching the catch of the day from our window

Hue was home to the Nguyen dynasty and was the imperial capital between 1802 and 1945.  Each emperor built an elaborate tomb for himself to reflect his power and personal taste.  Although it sounds a bit morbid, these tombs are the main attractions in Hue.  The tour we booked took us to three of the tombs plus two temples, a historic home and the citadel.  It was a lot to pack into one day, and we enjoyed some parts more than others.  Here's a visual diary of the day...

The first part of the tour involved taking a dragon boat along the Perfume River.  How cute are they?!

Our first stop was a historic home in the classic style for the area.  It was pretty cool except that all of the English speaking members of our tour decided it was clearly just a ploy to give money to the guide's buddy.  It also didn't help that before we entered, we were told the admission price, which wasn't included in the tour price.  What the guide didn't tell us was that the man standing out front collecting money was a beggar and not associated with the house, so we ended up paying double.  Not that we're opposed to some charity, but it would have been nice if the guild had mentioned it.

Next up was the Thien Mu Pagoda, the official symbol of Hue.  Even though Vietnam isn't officially a Buddhist country (or even officially religious), this pagoda is an important symbol to the people.  Because I can't explain it better than Wikipedia, "the temple also houses the Austin motor vehicle in which Thich Quang Duc (a Buddhist monk) was driven to his self-immolation in Saigon in 1963 against the Diem regime. It was the first of a series of self-immolations by members of the Buddhist clergy, which brought the plight of Buddhists to the attention of the international community."  It's not the happiest of things to visit, but it's culturally important.  Just go with it.  

Now it was time to visit the tombs.  Again since Wikipedia is the best source of information, I'm just going to leave you in their hands (check the Tombs of the Emperors section).  Instead I'll provide the pictures...

Tomb of Minh Mang

Tomb of Khai Dinh
This tomb was my favorite.  Just check out those statues!  It was a really funny mix though.  The outside area was super stark with the serious-looking man servants, but the inside part was full of colorful mosaics.  I could have spent all day taking pictures of those guys!  When Neil was here in 2007, it was a super dreary day, so the pictures he had shown me didn't do it justice in the sun.

Tomb of Tu Duc
This one was Neil's favorite.  According to him, it's a sprawling oasis, and Neil does like a good park.  Tu Duc was the poet emperor, so this setting really reflects his personality.  The grounds were much larger than the first two, but the buildings weren't nearly as well preserved.

After the tombs we headed to the citadel (it was a really long day).  At this point, the other English speakers on the tour left, so our guide officially switched to Vietnamese for the remaining guidees (it didn't seem to bother him that we were still there and didn't understand).  Since it had been such a long day and no information was being directed our way, we learned very little about the citadel.  You can read about it on the same Wikipedia link, or just look at some pretty pictures.  The choice is yours and yours alone.

As it turns out, tour day was the only nice weather we had the whole time in Hue.  It was the rainy season, but the weather there wasn't like anywhere else we visited.  In Cambodia, it rained every single day.  It was usually just a big downpour in the evening, and then it would stop.  In Hue though, the weather was consistently dreary.  It could rain at any given moment and last for hours.  A mist hung over the city, and the sun is hard to come by.  It didn't help that the leftovers of a typhoon also crossed our path causing power outages.

At this point, we had been traveling non-stop for nearly a month.  We were exhausted, and the weather was working against us.  Bad news from home really put an end to much more activity.  Our last day was pretty miserable.  The typhoon left our hotel struggling to keep generators running, and I could only get sporadic updates from family as a result.  Clearly we weren't going out in the rain and wind, but we were also worried about out flight to Hanoi that evening.  Luckily, the storm cleared up in the afternoon, and the Hue airport only has three gates.  Getting flights back on track was presumably easy, and our plane left right on time.

I hate to say it, but I probably would have been happy to only spend a day or maybe two in Hue.  The tombs were interesting for the most part, but the city didn't have much more to offer.  It wasn't the best use of our time, but relaxing in the hotel and watching the storm roll through was a nice change of pace.  In hard times and bad weather, a comfortable bed can do a lot for one's spirits.

Tailor Shops and Ancient Homes

What could possibly take us away from the sun and sand at Cao Dai beach?  Tailor-made clothes, that's what!  We had an appointment for a follow-up fitting back in town.

The Ancient Town portion of Hoi An is filled with tailor shops.  Seamstresses are ready and willing to make anything you could possibly want.  If you know what you're looking for, any of the shops will make an exact copy from a picture you found online or in a magazine.  For those without a game plan, shop keepers are more than happy to show you examples.  Each shop contains at least a dozen mannequins showing off dresses for women and suits for men.  If you're still not sure, next up are the binders filled with magazine and catalog examples.  Whether you think you want a dress, suit, coat, evening ware or office attire, there's a binder for you!

After picking out an item (or seven) to have made, it's time to start thinking about fabrics.  Once you have materials, a tiny woman starts taking measurements you didn't even know you had.  For Neil, the woman looked like she was reaching up for hugs when his shoulders and collar numbers were taken.

Twenty-four hours later, you need to head back to the shop for your first fitting.  I don't think the Hoi An magic sewing elves get to sleep at all.  Another 24 hours later and you have a whole new wardrobe.

On our first full day in Hoi An, we decided to start shopping around for tailors.  We were quickly met with a weird situation though.  It appears that one of the girls from our hotel's reception desk informed her sister that we were on our way from the hotel to the Ancient Town and looking for a tailor.  We were intercepted on our walk by a girl looking for two Americans wearing clothes matching our outfits.  After an excited greeting, she led us for several blocks until we reached the tailoring stall in the city's market where she works.  After several minutes of looking at samples and being very confused as to how we got there, we decided it was time to move on.  We were looking for somewhere a little more professional.  Plus we didn't want to pay the customary marked-up price that would be the receptionist's commission for sending us to the stall.

Instead, armed with our tablet and determination to find some fashion, we continued our journey to find a proper tailor.  We asked a couple more shops about prices and materials before deciding on the one officially recommended by our hotel (no sister-commission necessary).  Unlike most other shops, this one had a strict no bargaining policy.  Even though we didn't get a rock-bottom price, we knew the quality was much better than other shops we visited.

They agreed to make a copy of a navy blazer I found online, and Neil decided on a three-piece suit with a white dress shirt he found in a binder photo.  We knew we were in good hands there, and we're almost entirely confident our clothes won't fall apart after the first wearing.

Sharp-dressed man

While wandering around Ancient City over the next days, I was talked into two more dresses and a copy of a pair of brown leather riding boots I found on dsw.com.  While the boots turned out perfectly, the dresses resemble home sewing projects if you look too closely at the stitching.  I don't think they'll be winning any Grand Champion ribbons at the Hamilton County 4-H Fair any time soon (trust me, I know my way around non-winning sewing projects).  They do look nice, but I definitely am afraid of them falling apart.

Whole new wardrobe 

To be fair to Hoi An, there is much more to the city than tailor shops and a lovely beach. The Ancient Town is hundreds of years old with buildings to match.  The entire area has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its importance as a historic port city.  It's a great place for a long stroll and some people watching.  It helps that all the people you're observing are blindly happy about their fashion purchases too.  To make things even better, cars and scooters are only allowed to drive in the Ancient City for a few limited hours each day, so walking here is far less treacherous and quieter than most Asian cities.

For a very low fee, vouchers can be purchased to visit several culturally significant sites around the town, including ancient homes and assembly halls once used by various guilds.  Select homeowners open their doors to visitors to step back in time.  I can't say I envy some of the land owners though.  Each year the Thu Bon River, which flows through Hoi An, floods to varying degrees.  With some frequency the waters rise as high as the homes' first floor ceilings.  One home that backs up to the river has markings on the wall showing the heights of the worst floods in recent decades.  They also show off their pulley system for moving heavy furniture up to the second floor for preservation.  I'm not jealous of that task.

Assembly hall courtyard

House's backdoor overlooking the river

Even though we spent five days in Hoi An (longer than anywhere else on this trip so far), we easily could have stayed longer if we didn't have other places to be.  The small city is just a pleasant place to visit.  I don't know how well our suitcases would have dealt with a longer stay though.  I may have failed to mention a pair of last-minute sandals made to replace another pair that had recently broken.  It was a complete necessity!  I swear!

How do you say no to a display like that?

Lodging and Beaches in Hoi An

Oh Hoi An!  You are so adorable and have so much to offer.  You were exactly what I needed after the worst train ever.

After staying at a one-star hotel in Saigon, we decided to upgrade a bit and go for a three star in Hoi An.  The Vaia Boutique Hotel was just delightful.  We arrived around noon, but that didn't stop us from immediately going to sleep after stuffing our facing with complimentary bananas.  Since we didn't sleep or eat well on the overnight train, we desperately needed sustenance and a nap.  Next order of business was bathing.  Who knew the train could also make me feel so very dirty?

I couldn't tell you way, but the toilet had its own glass enclosure

With all our immediate needs met, it was now dinner time (also known as 4pm).  We decided on the closest option available, Orivy.  When we walked up, the open-air restaurant was completely empty except for a couple of puppies.  We eventually found a server and a delicious dinner.  It was delicious enough that we went back two more times.  We may have also signed up for a cooking class there (unfortunately, a restaurant-family emergency cancelled the class, so we'll never know how to make Hoi An specialties).  Every meal we had there was wonderful, but each time we were one of only two tables.  

Restaurant puppies!

We had planned on staying in Hoi An for four nights, but ended up booking an extra night because we loved it so much.  We quickly learned that Hoi An had a lot more to offer than just good food and recovering from terrible train rides (although there was plenty more eating to come).  Let's start with the beach.  Next time we'll talk about the Old City.  

About five kilometers (or three miles for those of us who find kilometers to be nonsense) east of our lovely hotel was a nice long strip of sand called Cao Dai beach.  Included in our accommodations was the use of bicycles.  Neil and I made the easy trip twice, but on the first try we had to stop and ask for directions.  Our hotel staff had told us that the beach was only three kilometers away.  Again I don't understand kilometers, but we were pretty sure we had been peddling for a lot longer than that.  The hotel where we stopped assured us we were on the right track, so we kept on going.  Turns out we were only about two more minutes away.  After some more confusion over where to park our bikes, we had our toes in the sand and our eyes on the South Sea.  

Views along the way

Time for a short diplomacy lesson.  Back home we would usually hear this body of water called the South China Sea.  In these parts though, it's just called the South Sea.  China does a really good job of claiming a whole lot of water and islands east of Asia.  The surrounding countries tend to disagree with their assertions.  

Anyway, like most of our trip up to this point, the weather was super hot and humid, so the cool sea water felt amazing, especially after our bike ride.  We arrived early enough that the beach was still pretty empty, but the locals were ready for us anyway.  A couple of rented beach chairs with an umbrella cost about a dollar, which seemed like a worthwhile investment.  

The sand was soft and stretched for miles.  When you enter the sea, you can walk for about 100 feet before finding more than knee deep water.  Other than the occasional tourist on a rented jet ski, only small fishing boats occupy the space beyond walking-depth.  On our first outing, the water was very calm, but a storm out at sea brought bigger waves the second time around.  The waves weren't scary, just enough to make splashing around more fun.  After several hours, we decided the sky was getting dark enough that we should probably hop back on our bikes and get back to the hotel.  

Although weather cut our second beach trip short, our first trip was intentionally short, because we had very pressing business to attend to in town.  This leads us to our next installment of Hoi An coverage.  Stay tuned to find out what could take us away from a perfect day at the beach... 

Time to head back