Hue

After Hanoi, we had two nights/ one day in Hue. We arrived there via an overnight train from Hanoi, which was definitely not as nice as the one we took from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, nor as comfortable, but we made the best of it. I shared a cabin with Leia, Shaun and Lynda, and we passed the time played the card game Hearts for 3 hours. Even though I was the one getting criticized for telling people the (right) rules, I ended up losing! Sleeping that night was difficult, as the train was loud.

We arrived in Hue around 830, got vans to our guest house, had breakfast and then met our motocycle drivers and Vietnamese guide, Tam, who were taking us around the area for the entire day. It was such a spectacular activity, not only because traveling around via motorcycle ensured that we saw a lot all in one day, but also because I never knew how fun it is to ride motorcycles!

Our guide Tam was extremely animated, great at English, and really well educated. I learned an extensive amount about Vietnam's history before the French colonized. I also really enjoyed hearing about his personal stories about growing up during the American War. He pointed out the fields that he and his 10 brothers and sisters played in while bombs dropped less than a mile away, and how his mother would get furious with them when they were not back in the bomb shelter quickly enough. He also talked about his current life today, and how much corruption there is the government, but they all live with it because the economy is booming. He showed us pictures of his two kids, and when we asked him if he wanted more, he replied that he can't have more because of the family planning laws. His wife is a teacher, so she works for the government; if they have another child, she will not be fired, but will be "punished" by being transferred or not receiving pay raises as she should.

After our day of motoring around the city, I had an early night as we had to get up early the next morning to head to Hoi An.