Hue and sick

Unfortunately will most likely just have one post for Hue. I've found myself sick with a cold. Last time I was this sick was when I was traveling around China this summer. I was sick for easily about 45 days then before I was able to get myself to the doctor. That was 45 days since the moment I started feeling off until the moment I started feeling better. 

Hoi An to Hue

I woke up today and was able to chat with some of the other guests at breakfast.

From there, one last ride into town to get some gifts that I had seen, I won't say what they are though.

Then I boarded my transit. I had arranged the transit through my hotel in Hue. I had an English speaking driver.  We first stopped at the Marble Village in Da Nang, which effectively was just a place that sells marble. Then onto Marble Mountain. I spent about 30-45 minutes walking around the mountain and seeing the various religious sites.

Then it was off to the Hai Van Pass, at the top of which was an old US bunker and some type of Chinese fortification or gate from long ago.  It used to be that the only way to get between the two cities was to take the pass, which is quite winding. However, recently a tunnel opened that cuts the time down significantly and actually makes the whole road a lot safer.

From there it was onto Lang Co beach where I ate the baguettes the hotel in Hoi An had sent with me. Then it was on to Hue, with an arrival around 230.

I checked in and chilled and then headed out to a local restaurant called Risotto for dinner which was practically next door to my hotel. 

Christmas Eve (My Son)

So Christmas Eve Day. I had arranged a tour through my hotel to visit My Son.  Which is not pronounced how we think it should be in English. It's kind of more like "may shan", which means beautiful mountain in Vietnamese.

I really wanted to go to My Son. I loved the site, my tour was awful and the guide was even worse.  For one, they were 1/2 hour late picking up everybody. Once we arrived at the big bus,  because yes were were on a bus will well over 50 people on it, I learned the worst part to come. The tour guide. The gentleman leading the tour had good English, but his voice was like nails on a chalkboard for me. And he repeated words and information over and over again.

Roosters, dogs and Hoi An

Monday night going into Tuesday I spent the night on an overnight train from Saigon to Da Nang, which is the nearest train station to Hoi An, where I am now. I was in a so called "soft sleeper" meaning there were only 4 beds in each compartment. Despite being the most expensive option in the train I swore at various times of the night I hear a rooster crowing and a dog barking.  And I wasn't the only one. 

Hoi An is known as the Lantern City

Mekong Delta

On December 21 I took a day trip to the Mekong Delta with Les Rives. I opted for this because it involved a boat instead of trying to travel by bus to the Mekong. It was also less of a touristy experience and more of an "authentic" experience. 

Houses on Stilts along the river in Saigon

Cu Chi Tunnels and a water puppet show

Yesterday I booked a trip out to the Cu Chi Tunnels.

 In the Vietnam war these tunnels caused the US troops immense troubles. The troops ended up using Agent Orange to destroy the jungle that was above the tunnels, which as a result has caused innumerable health problems among the local population. Agent orange is odorless and tasteless so the people didn't know when they were imbibing it or eating it.

Day 1 in Ho Chi Minh/Saigon

For as late as I got to bed last night I slept miserably. I finally forced my butt out of bed and all the rest of that stuff sometime after 9 AM. Went downstairs to talk to the hotel people about getting a SIM and a map and finding out where the crucial essentials could be found (breakfast and an ATM).  I also arranged a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels for tomorrow and to see the water puppet show. The tunnel tour is super cheap $5 USD, so I'm thinking there will be a few shopping stops. 

Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) Central Post office

Vietnam

I finally arrived in Vietnam.

Last year I had to cancel this trip when life happened.  I knew that there was a variety of options for where to go for Christmas but ultimately I knew I would be closing a door by being able to make this trip.  Dad would have wanted it.   When I first came to China, my first trip was to Cambodia. I kept a bit quiet about this. Not because dad had fought in the war or anything, but because he had had many buddies who hadn't. After the trip he told me that he had never thought he'd have a daughter who would voluntarily go to Cambodia.

This time around it was him who suggested I should go to Vietnam during the trip last February that got cancelled. I felt that that was his okay that he was okay with it.

So I headed to the airport right after getting out of work yesterday and checked in along with a few colleagues.  We ate pizza at the airport for dinner and parted our ways.

Now I'm a believer in the rule of threes that things tend to happen in threes. First off: we had to take a bus to get to the plane, in what seemed to be the furthest area from the terminal. Second: once we landed we once again were taxi'd to have to take the bus to the terminal in what seemed to be the most remote area of the airport.  Third: once in the terminal the VOA computer had been down for 2 hours. Luckily I had paid for a fast track service but it still took longer than desired. Ugh.

Though on a touch of good news, all the info I had been reading said the visa was $45 USD, but I only had to pay $25 USD on arrival.

Finally got to my hotel around 11 PM last night and was asleep sometime after midnight. Big day exploring today.