Monday, September 27, 2010
Arrived at the hostel around 2:30pm and jumped in the shower. Felt so nice to get clean. Then I dropped off my laundry and spoke with a couple people before heading to the citadel. It was already 4pm, but I figured it was my only chance to explore Hue. As I walked along the Perfume River I felt rejuvenated about my travels. Hue seemed like a great city and I had a new bounce in my step. I walked through one of the ten gates through the 2m-thick walls into the Citadel (Kinh Thanh), located on the north bank of the river. On the road I met an unfriendly German couple who were also looking for the Imperial City. Some locals tried to point us in the wrong direction but I didn’t listen. We walked by the Nine Holy Cannons and saw the Flag Tower standing tall in the distance. The couple was strolling along and didn’t really seem interested in talking, so I walked ahead and lost track of them.
It was fairly obvious where the principal entrance to the Imperial Enclosure stood when I saw the enormous Ngo Mon Gate, reminiscent of the style in the Forbidden City. Once again, I was told the Enclosure was closed, but when I approached the ticket desk, I purchased a ticket with an hour to explore the grounds. As soon as I entered I was satisfied that I hadn’t listened to other peoples recommendations to skip the Enclosure. The thin gate in front of me was carefully decorated, each square with a different design and columns which were carefully carved.
I strolled past the Thai Hoa Palace and into the Hall of the Mandarins, named so because they were used by the mandarins as offices and to prepare for court ceremonies. One of the halls has been partially restored to its former glory but the other was under construction. Freshly painted doors leaned up against the wall, a sign that there is ongoing work. Next I came upon a pile of ruins, formerly the Forbidden Purple City and now a bunch of overgrown stones. The structure had been destroyed during the wars. It got me thinking, why is leveling these buildings during wartime any worse than tearing them down. The Chinese destroyed so much of their own country’s historical sights and temples during the Cultural Revolution. Now, that may have been their own choice, or at least the choice of Chairman Mao but why is it so different from someone else demolishing a beautiful landmark? At present, we try so hard to preserve for the future when in the past we destroyed during fighting. Made me wonder how many other amazing structures have been dismantled over time and what the world would look like if civilizations had conserved the lives of those who came before them. Anyway, just a thought.
On my way out of the Enclosure, I asked a guy to take my picture and we started chatting. John, is a 46 year-old ski instructor in Whistler and travels during the off season. He was coming south to north and had some suggestions for my trip. We walked together back to the backpacker part of town and he stopped with me on the way to enquire about DMZ tours through Stop and Go Café. They were recommended in my books because they offer DMZ trips with war veterans. It was kind of expensive, so John told me he’d join if we could find two more people. I asked around back at the hostel, but apparently $25 is too much (especially when the hostel has one for $11) and I couldn’t manage to convince anyone. I actually think they thought I was strange, but oh well.
It was already 7:30pm, so John agreed to join me for dinner at a restaurant on my street which I’d read about in my books. We ordered the Imperial meals, which are basically tasting menus, so I got to sample 9 different items, most of which are unique to Hue. It was too much food, but most of it was delicious. The food plus my beer cost 160,000 dong (about $8). I only mention the price because food is so inexpensive here. You can eat a filling meal for $2, maybe $3 or $4 when you add in a drink. It’s pretty amazing. And bottled water is cheap too, usually only costs 25 cents. By the end of dinner, I was exhausted (having been up since 4:30am) and ready to get rid of John. He’s a nice guy but he doesn’t stop talking (and I know I’m a talker). I thought to myself, there is no way I want to do a DMZ tour with this guy tomorrow, so I told him I was going to book the cheap one through my hostel.
The tour leaves at 6am tomorrow, so I’m getting in bed early to get some sleep. It’s been such a looong day.
Sounds like all is well - getting excited for you to go to Thailand so you can see all the things Mark and I were supposed to see and report back!
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