Tombs and temples of Hue

In Vietnam, travelers can purchase an open bus ticket that lets you travel to the major cities on whatever days you choose. The cost is $55, which is a pretty good deal considering the distances covered and number of cities the route runs through.  The first stop on our open bus ticket is Hue, south of Hanoi. It is a long bus trip, lasting about 15 hours. I'm used to long bus rides because of Africa, but this seemed brutal. Luckily for this leg of the journey they offer a sleeper bus so you can sleep on the way to your destination. A great idea in principle, not so good in practice.

You are required to remove your shoes upon entering the bus, which go into a provided plastic bag.  On the bus there are three rows of reclining seats with two layers. Jordan and I were in the very back on the top. It was so bumpy, we thought we were going to get tossed out of our seats in the night. It was very difficult to sleep.

We finally reached Hue after several delays, at 11am. After a quick lunch at a local restaurant (I'm still a little leary of street food) we hired motorbikes and had them drive us to the various tombs, pagaodas and temples in the area.  My driver for the day was Tien. We got along great, he told me he loved me and offered to marry me within hours of meeting him. If only the men back home were so forward, perhaps I should move to Vietnam...

The first tomb, Minh Mang, was set into the side of a mountain and in my opinion was the most beautiful. There were dragons everywhere. Not all my friends may know this, but I've always liked dragons, so I was in absolute heaven.

The Tomb of Tu Doc was on a much larger scale, with many small buildings to explore throughout the grounds. There are pine trees everywhere and it is beside a beautiful lake. The air is thick and humid and moss grows upon the lesser tread stones.

The Thien Mu pagoda is a 21 meter high octagonal tower that overlooks the Perfume River. Each tier is dedicated to a manushi-buddha, a Buddha that appeared in human form.

Finally we were dropped off at the Citadel. It is the former imperial city and is located on the northern bank of the Perfume River. I couldn't get over how large the entire site was.

Within the Citadel is the Imperial Enclosure which houses the forbidden purple city. The city was reserved for the private life of the emperor. I could have spent days exploring the gardens, palaces and ceremonial halls. the entire site was stunning.  It was heavily bombed during the war, but has still managed to endure. Amazing.