Lead Me By The Hand

Aunt Claudette and I travelled to Hue yesterday, by way of Saigon. Although the journey was only 6 hours, it seemed to take all day. After a lovely breakfast at the Amara, we headed out and arrived in Hue to a whole different world.
(Travel Tip: We booked on Tiger Airways, a budget airline which was very nice. I had not booked our excess baggage online, and had I, I would have saved us SGP15 per person, about C$10. Otherwise, the price was great!)
(Travel Tip for Traveling with Claudette: Keep all tickets for things yourself, and ensure she has all documentation required with her and handy and you know where it is a few hours prior to needing it. She said I should have taken a picture of all her worldly goods spread across the floor in the SGP Budget Terminal in an effort to locate her Vietnam visa. Thanks to the counter person for being so patient.)

Now back to the adventure. We arrive to a humid, overcast Hue, 34 degrees, where I had arranged for a driver to collect us at the airport to bring us to the Orchid Hotel, where we will stay for 2 nights. In a word, it looks like Mexico. Dusty streets, gates in front of the 2 and 3 story cement houses, chickens and dogs running around, bare footed happy children.

The second thing that strikes us in the traffic. BIKES everywhere! Literally everywhere. On the streets, on the sidewalks, in the gardens, and all over the road. Our plans to bicycle around the old city and to the pagoda - scrapped.

We check into the hotel, which has really nice service and the room is pleasant. We decide on a quick shower and then we'll head out on foot to explore the tourist area a bit. My aunt showers first, and then I hop in to cold water. I HATE when there is no hot water in a hotel. I quickly rinse and then as I am brushing my teeth and deciding how to broach the subject and if the lack of hot water warrants a hotel move tomorrow, I notice this.

(My suggestion will be that they tell White guests that you have to turn on the hot water before you shower :)

Off for our walk and dinner. What a hoot! Vendors everywhere, restaurants everywhere, traffic everywhere. Cyclos everywhere, shoe stores and garment stores everywhere. We strolled along for a bit and then I had read about a Vietnamese restaurant with a nice view of the Perfume River. Not so much. Claudette and I are greeted with a completely dark room when the elevator doors open! We end up eating on the ground floor, outside, with a view of the river, and the food was OK. I tried my first and last glass of Vietnamese white wine. I took a picture to commemorate the event.

On our way back to the hotel after dinner, we had to cross the street, no easy feat here. A cyclo driver asked us if we wanted a lift, which we didn't, but it took us so long to decide when to cross he finally took me by the arm and lead me across the road! Somehow, I felt this was symbolic to my trip to Vietnam...