Hello from Hue!

hey guys!

Here we are in Hue (pronouned "hway") after a 14 hour sleeper bus ride from Hanoi. The ride itself was ok though bumpy, and I didn't sleep well (as always...I am not a great car or plane sleeper!). I did manage to come across probably the smelliest bathroom though at a gas station on our way (OK gas stations are not the best place to judge a bathroom...). it was a weird half-wall with a ledge and a drop where you could do what you needed to do. I thought I was going to throw up in my mouth. Anyways, on to more positive things! The hotel we are at is great, clean, has an amazing hot shower and is a good deal at $12 for a room. Even better considering tht we spent about the same amount for a dorm bed in a ten-person room in Hanoi!

Yesterday after some lovely pho (beef noodle soup...I could eat it allllllll day!) for breakfast we went with our super fun friend Neil to check out Ho Chih Minh's mausoleum in Hanoi. Hồ Chí Minh was prime minister (1945–1955) and president (1945–1969) of North Vietnam. "Uncle Ho"s body was embalmed at the mausoleum despite his wishes to be cremated. they did a good job though he looked pretty artificial. He was in a glass case and the entire area was well protected with guards. From there, we walked the grounds and visited Ho Chih Minh's house where he chose to live instead of living in the presidential palace because he was apparently a humble man. We later walked to the temple of literature, which was constructed in 1070 to honour Confucius and later to honour the high scholars of Vietnam.

We went on an adventure looking for this one place that has been serving the same delicious monkfish dish cooked in butter with veggies and herbs for over a century. This restaurant only has one dish. We went to one place, which had the same name but served different dishes, and it seemed pretty expensive...so we found another place across the street that was the right place. After eating our meal we expended an unneccesary amount of brain power figuring out how much each owed. I don't know if the server/owner (?) got sick of us but she basically gave us back the money so our delicious meal was free. It was odd. We took our hard earned money and went to a French café for cake and treats. I am throwing my healthy diet out the window and totally embracing the fact that I am on holidays and will eat to the point of discomfort until I get back to being more structured with diet and exercise when we go back home.

We finished off the day checking out a water puppet show. Water puppetry is a unique art which has it origin in the delta of the Red river in the tenth century. Modern, water puppetry is performed in a pool of water with the water surface being the stage. The puppeteers stand behind a screen and control the puppets using long bamboo rods and string mechanism hidden beneath the water surface. The puppets are carved out of wood and often weigh up to 15 kg. The theme of the skits is rural and has a strong reference to Vietnamese folklore.

We are in Hue for a couple of days; today likely touring around, tomorrow probably a day tour of tombs and the citadel, day after maybe a cooking class before heading off to Hoi An likely for Christmas. I hope you are all doing well!

M xoxo

Clockwise from top left: breakfast street food; Ho Chih Minh's mausoleum; in the temple of literature; water puppets; and rocking out with a scholar in the temple of literature.