Day 3 in Hue, Vietnam

I started my third and final day in Vietnam at the beach. I rented a scooter with a few friends - and this time I even drove it myself. I received a brief instruction (I didn't even know how to start the thing ;) ) and off we went. I was already used to the traffic and driving style of the locals in Ho Chi Minh, where things are a lot more chaotic, so I definitely felt confident navigating the traffic in Hue. The most difficult part was starting, which was a bit bumpy at the beginning and made it hard to maintain my balance. So, I tried to stop as rarely as possible, which wasn't difficult since red traffic lights are handled differently here than in Germany.

The beach is about 40 minutes outside the city and - contrary to my expectations - it was extremely empty, to be precise, we were the only ones there. That didn't bother us at all, so we jumped into the water. What's noticeable is that despite it being the sea, the water isn't particularly cold but just right for cooling off. However, the waves are very high and can carry you away, so we were very careful not to go too far out.

Afterwards, we decided to visit a tourist attraction and drive to the abandoned water park about 10km outside the city. The site is somewhat controversial and the real reason why the water park closed in 2004, shortly after its opening, isn't clear. Since then, it's been left to nature and officially closed and inaccessible to the public. We rode there on our scooters and were immediately intercepted by two locals who asked us to park the scooters. We even got a stamp, so it can't be that forbidden after all ;) Many tourists pass by us and give us tips on where to enter and what to watch out for. So, we set off on a narrow path through trees and bushes. When we reach a fork in the road, we take the second path from the right - supposedly the best one. We move very carefully and quietly and then we hear it: the security guard on his motorcycle. We quickly jump into the bushes and hide, staying there for 20 minutes without moving, until we can only hear the motorcycle in the distance. Then we jump out and run down the path - until we see the famous dragon head, from there we are safe.

Some tourists pass by us and we start talking. They got caught and had to pay an 'entrance fee', but they weren't kicked out. It quickly becomes clear that the water park can't be that forbidden ;) It would have been beautiful, but now it's decaying more and more. There even used to be an amphitheater here.

After 2 hours, we finish the tour and return to the scooters, sharing our experience with the tourists who have just arrived.