Hue

From Danang we went four hours North by train to Hue, the former capital city of Vietnam, home of the Imperial City, and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Scenery during the train ride ranged from stunning ocean views while crawling along the side of limestone cliffs to endless green rice fields tended by farmers wearing conical hats. We were on the East side of the train - perfectly situated to watch the landscape pass by.We only scheduled a day in Hue so quickly dropped our bags off and rented bikes to pedal out to the town. It was a perfect evening; cool breeze, nice bikes, and not much traffic (by Vietnam standards). We were able to cycle from our hotel to the outer walls of the Imperial City in about ten minutes and spent about two hours riding just outside the inner walls and people watching. Several soccer games were played throughout the fields within the the compound - the young energy and old buildings felt like a college campus. The lurking presence of old war vehicles displayed within a fenced museum and knowledge of fierce battles between French and American forces made us both feel, however, like we were treading through haunted grounds.We stopped at one of the gates to take a picture and overheard an American gentlemen graphically describing, in first person, battles that took place at the imperial city during the Tet Offensive. Both of us were intrigued by his enthusiastic retelling of the events, but felt awkward eavesdropping so we moved on. As with most of our travel in Vietnam, it is that sort of encounter that complicates the experience. After biking around for a few hours we hared a set menu of Hue's local cuisine at a restaurant featuring live local music. The candlelit dinner was a perfect end to a great day.

We were up the next morning at six and back on our bikes to see Tu Duc's Mausoleum - about five kilometers South of town. Getting up early always pays off because there are very few tourists up and about yet. No exception that morning; we were pretty much left to ourselves to wonder through the miniature version of the imperial city. Most of the stone structures were built around 1800 and still in use as recent as 1945, but they already looked like medieval castles.After the mausoleum we returned to the Imperial City; this time to explore the inner walls. Originally constructed in the early 1800's with 128 buildings, only 20 remain after battles in 1945 and 1968. The city is slowly being reconstructed by specialist in hopes to preserve the history and, I'm sure, to promote tourism. The structures remaining were fairly dilapidated, but still invoked an impressive image of what it must have been at one time. Again, it was odd to imagine the fierce battles that raged throughout the city walls. Also interesting was the increasing Chinese influence in both character and construction of the buildings. We're curious to see how it compares to the imperial city in Beijing.We could have spent several more days in Hue, but already booked our onward tickets to Hanoi. The overnight trip was much different than our first from Saigon to Danang. Instead of sprawling out in our own soft sleeper cabin, we shared a hard sleeper with four Vietnamese. The lack of space was too much for me so I hid in my bunk and read the entire time. Nicole, attempting the more social option, sat with them and chatted about the country. They absolutely lit up with excitement when she asked them to help her learn some Vietnamese words! Our roommates rewarded Nicole's curiosity with a couple hunks of mystery meat (even after eating the grey cubes we have no idea what it was) with her dinner. I could tell she wasn't pleased with the gift, but she powered through and ate it. Very impressive. I had fun watching from my perch.The train arrived in Hanoi a little before 6 this morning. Not quite as rested after this trip, we're going to take a day to settle in and get our bearings. Our hostel is situated in the middle of a lively street market - great for people watching, but a bit obnoxious with all the motorbike horns.