It's raining again

With the window open and a view over the rooftops of Hue, which have to withstand the rain that has been getting stronger or weaker since yesterday, there is time to write down the last experiences of our journey from the bed.

Our hotel is located in the middle of a district dominated by market activity.

The distinct smells of meat and fish, cut fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices, exhaust fumes, and people passing by and rushing past from all over the world mix with the haze of various street food stalls in the tropical air to create an extraordinary blend.

We have set up camp here for two more days to gain insight into Vietnamese high culture.

After 14 hours of travel time on the Reunification Express - the biggest challenge of the trip for me, as it meant giving up a shower and proper toilets - we reached the city of Hue, which is inhabited by 350,000 people.

As usual, we were greeted at the train station by a line of taxi drivers, street vendors, and guides - though not as pushy as in Hanoi. I approached a friendly Vietnamese man and, luckily for us, he turned out to be part of a small useful network, which included a small shop at the train station. Here, we were provided with a delicious breakfast, including the best tea yet, and important information - we also arranged for transportation from Hue to Hoi An for the day after tomorrow.

The Alba Spa Hotel lived up to its promises. We checked in and just wanted to shower and chill. We planned our next adventure together: a sightseeing tour from the "River of Perfumes".

Therefore, we booked our adventure tour on the riverbank, with a concerned look at the sky, consisting of a boat tour, scooter ride, and temple visits.

The little trip took us to the tomb of the musically inclined King Lang Tu Duc, which he had set up as a refuge and retreat during his lifetime. The park-like complex with the modest name "Park of Modesty" served as inspiration for the modest king to write his countless modest poems, some of which were surely written under the "Gate of Modesty".

After a small verbal altercation with a Vietnamese vendor over an alleged borrowed umbrella, from which we stubbornly emerged as the victors, we roared back to the wild and adventurous dock in pouring rain, where our boat family with their two young children was already waiting for us.

The next destination was the "Pagoda of the Heavenly Mother", a monastery complex that can be traced back to a legend. According to this legend, a white-haired woman in a red robe predicted the construction of a monastery at exactly this location. Prince Nguyen Hoang followed this prediction and built the highly meditative ensemble on a hill overlooking the River of Perfumes.

The long day and nonexistent night took their toll, to the point where I felt like falling asleep while standing up. We satisfied our huge hunger at the hotel and then headed to the spa area with a jacuzzi and massage.

8:45 PM local time, we searched in vain for the crime scene in the media library – futile, as we had to realize due to the 6-hour time difference. Time to sleep.

In the meantime, the second shift began in Hue. Excavators were excavating and singers were singing incorrectly in a karaoke bar. We let them carry on...

(Stefan)