Onwards to Hue

The next stage of our Vietnamese adventure began with an early morning (!) bus pickup. We were off to Hue - the imperial city some 100 miles from Hoi An. In many countries 100 miles isn't considered that long a distance, but in Vietnam that equates to a four hour bus ride.

Normally I wouldn't discuss the bus ride but this was something quite spectacular! We chose to go by private coach, which only cost about 4 dollars each, but it was totally worth it. We got on the bus to find that it was a sleeper bus, with bunk bed style seats - they were amazing! I got a top bunk at the very front of the bus and seriously, that was the shortest four hours of my life! I don't think I'll ever get used to normal buses again: they just lack the comfort and style of these sleepers!!

We made it to Hue around 11am and boy, were we sorry to leave the comfort and air conditioning of that bus. We were dropped off at a bus station on the south end of Hue, and little did we realise just how in the middle of nowhere that was. There were plenty of taxis waiting around but we wanted to grab some lunch and a few snacks and beverages for our hotel before heading out there, so we shouldered our backpacks, grabbed our paddy hats and our handbags and set off walking completely unguided through the surprisingly large city of Hue.

In retrospect, that might have been a mistake. I'm guessing we walked for about half an hour, maybe more, in 35 degree humid heat along a very busy main road where all the shops were basically selling motorcycles. Not the best way to enjoy a new city. Eventually (thankfully!), we came across a market and then a shopping centre, and had a very pleasant lunch at (you guessed it) KFC. I'm not gonna lie - we were getting a bit sick of Vietnamese food by that point - how many noodles can one girl eat? We picked up some beers and snacks and then hopped into a Mai Linh taxi (only take these!) to our hotel.

Pool from one angle

Our hotel, Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa, was about 15 minutes drive from the centre of Hue, and didn't have an awful lot going on around it. Didn't matter though, because once you stepped into this resort it felt like you had reached paradise, and why would you want to leave paradise? It reminded me of a smaller version of a resort we had once stayed at in Phuket - all lush trees and stepping stones, rustic buildings, beautiful swimming pool and butterflies...everywhere. I saw more butterflies at this resort than I think I have ever seen in my entire life combined, and they were so beautiful!

If it had been up to me I would never left the pool's side, but the weather had better ideas and on our first full day there, after a morning of sunbathing, the sky clouded over and we headed into the city to check out the Imperial Citadel. It ended up being quite a long walk to get from the drop off point to the city itself - the best part was certainly when we crossed the bridge over the Perfume River and got to feel that amazingly refreshing breeze - but we were certainly glad to have paid this place a visit. It doesn't cost much to get in, and it's totally worth it: the Citadel is one in size not just in name. We were expecting something the size of the Citadella in Gozo, which is partly in ruins and takes about 15 minutes to walk around. This place though was an actual city - we were in there for about three hours and it felt by the end like we'd walked several miles - good way to exercise I guess!! And of course all the calories were put back on because we then went to a pub for a few Hue beers, and then to an Indian restaurant for dinner (We really needed a change from the Vietnamese food).

Entrance to Imperial Citadel

Pool with underwater bar

The next day was our last day in Hue, and it dawned bright and sunshiny, and our hotel extended our check-out time until 1pm!!! So we spent a good six hours swimming and relaxing by the pool - it was absolutely fantastic. I was so gutted to leave this place, but we had a flight to catch to Hanoi, so we grabbed our paddy hats and set off. Goodbye Hue!!

Breakfast pho in the VERY HOT sun