"Hue (hway) is steeped in 3,000 years of history and is built on the banks of the Perfume River. We have time for a visit to the Citadel (and a few other goodies) before the 4:25 pm flight to Ha Noi, Vietnam's capital".
Today saw a change in the original plans to allow for a half-day tour of Hanoi due to a change in the original flight schedule which disappointed some who otherwise will have no time left at the end to explore Ha Noi. Nevertheless, we got to a lot more of Hue. No rest for the wicked on our rest day, once again we are up for a 6:30 am breakfast prior to getting into the tour bus that takes us to the Citadel, a walled city encompassing the Forbidden Purple Palace, home to a series of Emperors, their wives, parents and in-laws, a hundred plus concubines, eunuchs and mandarins. Our group was the first there on a very drab, dreich day (of which there have been several) but we did add some colour (photo). From there we went to a large Pagoda, from which one of the Buddhist
monks died by self-immolation on June 11th, 1963 in protest against the (South Vietnamese) government's policy of persecution of Buddhists and lack of religious freedom - this event is regarded as one of the major factors resulting in dissatisfaction with the regime, leading to the civil war of re-unification with the North in which America tried to prop up the extant regime in the South.
Next up was a cruise back into town on a tour boat on the Perfume River (characterized by mist, mud and not the kind of perfume you mght like!) The main amusement during this 30 minute interlude came from watching the ladies negotiating the purchase of silk pyjamas, pants etc Jean came out the best with a pair of silk pyjamas for which she paid the grand sum of 7,000 VDG (less than 50 cents) see photo later.
Then off to a back-alley hole-in-the-wall cafe (with only three tables) in none to hygienic conditions for several rice cake delicacies. We then returned to our hotel to check out and headed to the airport, but since we had plenty of time Binh toook us out to see Thai Dinh's mauseoleum, a grand multi-tiered affair, characterized on one level by Terracotta statues, and in the tomb itself by en bas ceramic artwork. It was paid for by taxing the populace 30% pa for 20 years! Carrying onto the airport for the next 5 kms we drove through a region of thousands upon thousands of buddhist tombs of varing styles and complexity. The English translation of the area is aptly "Sad City" - it is said that "everyone is dying to get in there"! (I know, groan!!)
We caught our 4:25 pm Vietnam Airlines A321 Airbus and were pleasantly surprised to find it warm and not humid in Ha Noi.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Day Ten - Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 - Hoi An to Hue
Still raining, but despite we cycle out of Hoi An 18kms to one of the World's largest Marble factories, located naturally enough close to Marble Mountain, whee there are five quarries, each incredibly producing different coloured marble. Onward thereafter into Danang, past Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman designed golf courses and high-end resort after resort (where will all the clients come from we wonder) ... to be c ntinued
Monday, November 8, 2010
Day Nine - Tuesday, November 9th, 2010 - Day off in Hoi An
Last night the rains returned and continued throughout the night. We had an excellent multi-course meal in a restaurant overlooking the river, which had large illuminated Vietnamese icons floating in it, all lit up. We had to move inside on account of the rain. Hoi An is famous for its regional specialties and we were fortunate to experience many of them.
The following morning (ie today, Tuesday) Binh took us on a walking tour of the city, during which we visited the oldest house which had marks on the wall indicating previoushigh-water marks - seems it is not unusual for the entire ground floor to flood on a regular basis. Afterward many of us repaired to the Cargo Club for coffee and "Patiseries" mmm! Hoi An is renowned for its shopping, so it would come as no surprise that the group made a serious contribution to the local economy - including silk pants, gents dressing gowns, prescription sunglasses and a haircut!
Back to the Cargo Club for dinner by which time the river was overflowing its banks, and it continued to rain thoughout the night.
The following morning (ie today, Tuesday) Binh took us on a walking tour of the city, during which we visited the oldest house which had marks on the wall indicating previoushigh-water marks - seems it is not unusual for the entire ground floor to flood on a regular basis. Afterward many of us repaired to the Cargo Club for coffee and "Patiseries" mmm! Hoi An is renowned for its shopping, so it would come as no surprise that the group made a serious contribution to the local economy - including silk pants, gents dressing gowns, prescription sunglasses and a haircut!
Back to the Cargo Club for dinner by which time the river was overflowing its banks, and it continued to rain thoughout the night.
Day Eight - Monday, November 8th, 2010 - Quang Ngai to Hoi An
"We will sample a slice of rural Vietnamese life as we take a lovely side road out of Quang Ngai. On the way we will pass through My Lai, where you will have the opportunity to visit the memorial site. We will also cycle through a fishing village and a lively local market. The day finishes on a delightful little road into thevery attractive and historic town of Hoi An (on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites since 1999)."
VIETNAM IS DROWNING
As we left the Central Hotel in Quang Ngai it was raining heavily. The rain persisted throughout our visit to My Lai making a depressing site even more depressing. This is the site of an event in US history that FDR might have called "another day that will live in infamy".
The My Lai Massacre:
From the guest service directory of our hotel in Hoi An comes the following;-
"My Lai (or Son My) are various names of Tinh Khe, a village that lies along the seaside of Son Tinh district in Quang Gnai province and the villagers are hard-working, simple-minded peasants who love peace. Nevertheless, early in the morning of March 16th, 1968, a unit of the US Army suddenly entered into the village and (over the course of the next 4 hours) murdered 504 innocent civilians who were mostly women, children and babies. After that they destroyed the entire village and when that horrible morning was over My Lai (Son My) was engraved in human hearts as a very painful feeling that we will never forget!".
News of the massacre was slow to leak out to the rest of the world, but when it did it so negatively impacted world opinion that the event is considered to have begun the end of domestic support of the war in the US. Only Lieutenant William Calley was found guilty of infamous conduct - Those who ordered the massacre were never brought to justice!
VIETNAM IS DROWNING
As we left the Central Hotel in Quang Ngai it was raining heavily. The rain persisted throughout our visit to My Lai making a depressing site even more depressing. This is the site of an event in US history that FDR might have called "another day that will live in infamy".
The My Lai Massacre:
From the guest service directory of our hotel in Hoi An comes the following;-
"My Lai (or Son My) are various names of Tinh Khe, a village that lies along the seaside of Son Tinh district in Quang Gnai province and the villagers are hard-working, simple-minded peasants who love peace. Nevertheless, early in the morning of March 16th, 1968, a unit of the US Army suddenly entered into the village and (over the course of the next 4 hours) murdered 504 innocent civilians who were mostly women, children and babies. After that they destroyed the entire village and when that horrible morning was over My Lai (Son My) was engraved in human hearts as a very painful feeling that we will never forget!".
News of the massacre was slow to leak out to the rest of the world, but when it did it so negatively impacted world opinion that the event is considered to have begun the end of domestic support of the war in the US. Only Lieutenant William Calley was found guilty of infamous conduct - Those who ordered the massacre were never brought to justice!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Monday, November 8th, 2010 - Photos from Chris
Binh greeted all of us at HCMC airport
At the start of cycling - a group photo
A very pretty Vietnamese girl at the beach
An example of the welcome awaiting us in our rooms.
George and Janet being taken for a ride out to the snorkeling boat on the Nha Tran dayoff
Richard Oddy, Mr Phuoc, Tri, Binh and Son - our team of "fearless leaders"
Aphrodisiacs anyone?
Son, one of the van drivers, is out of the van checking the depth of a puddle prior to driving through it!
Binh, our versatile leader serenading us.Day Seven - Sunday, November 7th, 2010 - Qui Nhon to Quang Ngai
"Today's ride is on a fabulous backroad through several little villages and a range of scenery. The road is mostly flat with two small climbs. On reaching the highway we will drive to Quang Gnai, on the way passing through thesmall town of Sa Huynh, a pleasant fishing backwater perched on a broad curve of palm-fringed, golden sand. Speckled with blue fishing boats, sleepy Sa Huynh is a convenient and relaxing place to rest en route to points north".
WE LEAVE THE MONSOONS AND ENTER THE RAINY SEASON
Well, things didn't quite work out that way - for two reasons. Firstly it p ----- ed down rain all day till we reached Quang Gnai, but also we received a message via the blog for John and Kumiko to call home urgently, with the unhappy need for them to abort their trip on account of not one, but two, family emergencies - made even tougher since Kumiko having just recovered from "the trots" (thank you, Cipro) John, too, had just spent a busy night on "the throne". With the excellent assistance of "the Crew" it was arranged that they would "cab it" to Nha Trang, fly to HCMC, overnight there then fly back to BC the following evening. So sorry John and Kumiko - we miss you already and our prayers are with you. This, of course, necessitated retrieving their bikes from "the truck" that was already headed up the highway in advance - so, all in all, not a good day.
The day was not without its interesting moments, however. After leaving Quy Nhon, we enter an area of sand dunes where the government in its wisdom has constructed a four-lane divided highway with a very wide boulevard. With the natural vegetation removed, sand has drifted onto the highway such that a front end loader is busy trying to clear a path. We pass a solitary and deserted factory with a "For Lease" sign out front. For 20 kms we are the only vehicles. The wonders of central planning!
Finally the new highway comes to an end at a village specializing in bonsai production. We have observed some amazing bonsai at the Cham Tower, the Seagull hotel and elsewhere. It is an everyday item in the is part of Vietnam. At lunch we chat with a group of 10 Aussie (motor)bikers who are coming down from Hanoi. They advise it's been nothing but rain for the past three days. Not good!
We continue busing to the Central Hotel in the town of Quang Ngai, definitely off the gringo tourist route.
The highlight of the day is when Binh, our senior guide, serenades us with his guitar and western and Vietnam songs (including one he composed himself) after dinner in the hotel.
WE LEAVE THE MONSOONS AND ENTER THE RAINY SEASON
Well, things didn't quite work out that way - for two reasons. Firstly it p ----- ed down rain all day till we reached Quang Gnai, but also we received a message via the blog for John and Kumiko to call home urgently, with the unhappy need for them to abort their trip on account of not one, but two, family emergencies - made even tougher since Kumiko having just recovered from "the trots" (thank you, Cipro) John, too, had just spent a busy night on "the throne". With the excellent assistance of "the Crew" it was arranged that they would "cab it" to Nha Trang, fly to HCMC, overnight there then fly back to BC the following evening. So sorry John and Kumiko - we miss you already and our prayers are with you. This, of course, necessitated retrieving their bikes from "the truck" that was already headed up the highway in advance - so, all in all, not a good day.
The day was not without its interesting moments, however. After leaving Quy Nhon, we enter an area of sand dunes where the government in its wisdom has constructed a four-lane divided highway with a very wide boulevard. With the natural vegetation removed, sand has drifted onto the highway such that a front end loader is busy trying to clear a path. We pass a solitary and deserted factory with a "For Lease" sign out front. For 20 kms we are the only vehicles. The wonders of central planning!
Finally the new highway comes to an end at a village specializing in bonsai production. We have observed some amazing bonsai at the Cham Tower, the Seagull hotel and elsewhere. It is an everyday item in the is part of Vietnam. At lunch we chat with a group of 10 Aussie (motor)bikers who are coming down from Hanoi. They advise it's been nothing but rain for the past three days. Not good!
We continue busing to the Central Hotel in the town of Quang Ngai, definitely off the gringo tourist route.
The highlight of the day is when Binh, our senior guide, serenades us with his guitar and western and Vietnam songs (including one he composed himself) after dinner in the hotel.
Day Six - Saturday, November 6th, 2010 - Nha Trang to Qui Nhon
"Today's ride is in two sections - In the first part we drive out of town to visit an ancient Cham Tower before turning off the highway to cycle along 40 kmof coastal road to the town of Tuy Hoa for lunch - the area around Tuy Hoa is the rice bowl of the province and you will pass many rice fields, shrimp farms and coconut palms. In the second part we then take a delightful minor inland road up a long green valley on which you will be the only westerners!"
A CHAM TOWER AND SEA HORSE SAKI.
We leave Nha Trang by bus, stopping to visit an historic Cham Tower outside of town. Since the Cham haven't been around since the 17th Century, I guess all Cham stuff is historical. We drive about 60 kms north, passing rice paddies, Buddhist and Christian cemetaries, army bases and Viet Cong war cemetaries. AH1 is considered way to dangerous to cycle, so we start our ride on a parallel road at the fishing village of Ca. We go through a landslide zone just outside Ca and plough our way through red mud that cakes our newly cleaned bikes and makes braking somewhat dicey. (Not to worry; our wonderful crew would spend the evening cleaning them off again). Our ride from Ca to Tuy Hoa was pure delight. Passing through village after village, we meet up with a zillion school kids, all riding their bikes, Some ride what we've started calling the Vietnamese tandem: two kids on a bike and the back rider with his toes inserted in the flip flops of the up front rider, so both are pedalling. We see our first freight train on the narrow-gauge HCMC-Hanoi line. Apprently the tracks have been cleared and the bridges repair north of Hue where extensive flooding occurred in October.
After lunch we bus to a small fishing village where the main product is sea horse saki, said to be an aphrodisiac. Bingh buys us a bottle to sample later that evening. It is now 4 pm and we still have 28 kms of cycling to Seagull Hotel in the town of Quy Nhon. We meet lots of hills, a head wind and increasingly heavy rain. It's a race now to get to the hotel before dusk, which comes abruptly at 5: 15 pm. Several of us encountered "bad actors" on the road - little kids like to shout "Hello!" at us; bigger kids try to "high-five" us, but a bunch of teenagers are intent on messing more seriously with us. The two fellows on a moped harrass June, and later on the same two decide to assist Gary up one of the hills! Eventually we run out of light and the vans begin mopping up riders one by one. Mike, Jean and Faye made it all the way to our hotel, arriving after dark. The Seagull Hotel is a four star located on a beautiful 10 km crescent beach that would not look out of place in South Beach or some other such-like resort. Magnificent rooms with service to match. Unfortunately some of our number did not get to enjoy it due the suffering the dreaded "trots". Drinks and dinner downstairs in thebar/restaurant, followed by an invitation to Jim and Chris' room to experience "Seahorse Saki" that is purported to possess Aphrodisiacal qualities, but the general feelimg was that it had the reverse effect (what is it with these Geologists who are seemingly embarked on the quest for the elixir of libido?!). Marg says next day that in her opinion it tasted vile. Such lack of taste, says Chris.
A CHAM TOWER AND SEA HORSE SAKI.
We leave Nha Trang by bus, stopping to visit an historic Cham Tower outside of town. Since the Cham haven't been around since the 17th Century, I guess all Cham stuff is historical. We drive about 60 kms north, passing rice paddies, Buddhist and Christian cemetaries, army bases and Viet Cong war cemetaries. AH1 is considered way to dangerous to cycle, so we start our ride on a parallel road at the fishing village of Ca. We go through a landslide zone just outside Ca and plough our way through red mud that cakes our newly cleaned bikes and makes braking somewhat dicey. (Not to worry; our wonderful crew would spend the evening cleaning them off again). Our ride from Ca to Tuy Hoa was pure delight. Passing through village after village, we meet up with a zillion school kids, all riding their bikes, Some ride what we've started calling the Vietnamese tandem: two kids on a bike and the back rider with his toes inserted in the flip flops of the up front rider, so both are pedalling. We see our first freight train on the narrow-gauge HCMC-Hanoi line. Apprently the tracks have been cleared and the bridges repair north of Hue where extensive flooding occurred in October.
After lunch we bus to a small fishing village where the main product is sea horse saki, said to be an aphrodisiac. Bingh buys us a bottle to sample later that evening. It is now 4 pm and we still have 28 kms of cycling to Seagull Hotel in the town of Quy Nhon. We meet lots of hills, a head wind and increasingly heavy rain. It's a race now to get to the hotel before dusk, which comes abruptly at 5: 15 pm. Several of us encountered "bad actors" on the road - little kids like to shout "Hello!" at us; bigger kids try to "high-five" us, but a bunch of teenagers are intent on messing more seriously with us. The two fellows on a moped harrass June, and later on the same two decide to assist Gary up one of the hills! Eventually we run out of light and the vans begin mopping up riders one by one. Mike, Jean and Faye made it all the way to our hotel, arriving after dark. The Seagull Hotel is a four star located on a beautiful 10 km crescent beach that would not look out of place in South Beach or some other such-like resort. Magnificent rooms with service to match. Unfortunately some of our number did not get to enjoy it due the suffering the dreaded "trots". Drinks and dinner downstairs in thebar/restaurant, followed by an invitation to Jim and Chris' room to experience "Seahorse Saki" that is purported to possess Aphrodisiacal qualities, but the general feelimg was that it had the reverse effect (what is it with these Geologists who are seemingly embarked on the quest for the elixir of libido?!). Marg says next day that in her opinion it tasted vile. Such lack of taste, says Chris.
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