Hue and Hoi An (1)

About halfway through. I arrive in Hue around 5 o'clock, I had anticipated 10 o'clock. The bus drives through the city, and I could have easily gotten off there, but the driver goes to his bus depot instead. So I take a taxi back. It's raining, and the hostel is closed at this hour, but I reach someone by phone who opens it for me. Check-in and a little more sleep. The downtown area is also in the hands of tourists; I can hear them celebrating from the bars. In the hostel, there's an old man who seems to be part of the owners and constantly smokes and listens to music very loudly. So far, I'm not particularly impressed with the place. The day is pretty much a wash. I walk a bit through the city, along the Perfume River, which is brown but probably beautiful blue otherwise. At the market, I buy rubber shoes and definitely pay too much for them. Khanh says you can easily haggle down by 50%. Maybe I'll try my bargaining skills later. I write in my blog, go eat something, and try a massage at a better salon. The slightly sturdier masseuse did a good job; I feel pretty wiped out afterward. The intimate area here is somewhat smaller than I’m used to.

New day and I have to adapt to the weather. So, rubber boots on, neon-colored protective cover around my backpack, and umbrella in hand. I must look the part. Off to the Imperial City of Hue, the former capital of Vietnam. A very large complex that was in use for a long time until the communists deposed the king. I have the audio guide and I'm definitely out for about 3 hours. Many gates, temples, residential buildings, and administrative buildings for the royal court. Everything is there: eunuchs, concubines, artists, scholars, and so on. Intrigues and stories. Everything is very ritualistic and heavily loaded with meaning, very interesting architecture. These gates always have 3 entrances and served to allow for social segregation. The king could enter through the main gate, and the other classes/genders had their gates as well. Germany is mentioned as a supporter of the restoration efforts. Towards the end of the monarchy, there was a strong orientation towards France and the West. On the way back, I eat Bun Bo Hue, a beef noodle soup. Everyone said I should eat it; it wasn't my thing. I was in a place where locals eat; the soup was made with liver and some undefined beef parts. I think I've been adventurous enough with food on this trip. A few more vocabulary words: beef is bò, chicken is gà, and fish is cá, with the pronunciation of the last two being almost identical. I check with the tour providers to see what else I could do. I wanted to go to the Phong Nha Cave. Everywhere is closed due to flooding and landslides. So I'll be leaving Hue tomorrow. There's still one thing to do: go to an abandoned water park. My Grab driver was a super talkative student. In the evening, I meet Tieu for salted coffee and dinner, again a very nice connection. There's Nam Lui, fried pork skewers in rice paper with peanut sauce.

The next destination is Hội An; I want to go to a hostel run by Martin from Jena. We're the same age. He booked a bus for me in advance, and I am at the right place half an hour before departure. The man is quite surprised and says the bus left 10 minutes ago. Two other travelers are in the same situation. Loud phone calls, and the man drives us to the bus, about 20 minutes away. Exactly the hustle I need in the morning, but at least no one wanted money from me. Same scenario as in Hue, the driver passes by the hostels to go to his depot, and you have to take a taxi back. The timing is frustrating, not the one euro. The hostel is nice; Martin's wife greets me warmly. In the afternoon, I stroll along the beach, which has suffered quite a bit from the weather. Swimming is not allowed, and there are very few people around. A woman tries to sell me some stuff and tells me how expensive everything is and shares some of the terrible things from her life. I’m rather hardened and don't believe it. We go back, and Martin, his wife, and I eat burgers in Bikini Bottom. Martin is much more left-leaning than I am; he has lived on the island and was active in the JG. Someone in the neighboring house of the hostel passed away a few days ago. All day long, sappy karaoke plays at maximum volume. The other hostel residents said that has been going on for a few days. You can see the flood here and there; some shops are closed. And many activities are currently not possible.

Sunday, 23.11.2025. It's raining; I guess I have to wait this out for a few days. In the morning, I game, and in the afternoon I have booked a cooking class. We're making spring rolls, rice pancakes, salad with beef, and Pho Bo. It was not bad at all. First, we went to the market to shop; then we were shown how to peel rice and process it into rice milk and rice paper. First, the beef broth was prepared, which takes 2 hours (actually 4). It was a small group, and everyone had fun cooking. As a showpiece, you could flambé the beef. Exciting, but I wouldn't repeat it at home. In the evening I met a Vietnamese for vegetarian food in the old town. I have no idea how he makes a living as a clothing store seller, but he has traveled a lot in Europe. Nice guy. We drink hot chocolate with cocoa from Vietnam. I'm considering skipping the flood areas and flying to Phu Quoc Island. But do I want beach, 30 degrees, and sun?