Post 1 – Vietnam pre-trip ramble #1

Post 2 – Vietnam pre-trip ramble #2

Post 3 – Farewell Redding

Post 4 – It’s going to be a long flight

Post 5 – First day in ‘nam

Post 6 – Saigon walking tour

Post 7 – Danang

Post 8 – Marble Mountain/Hoi An

Post 9 – China Beach

On the spur of the moment we decided to blow out of Da Nang and head to Hue (pronounced Whey) by car.

Because of what has been generally lousy weather so far, this is our first sunrise of the trip taken over China Beach Da Nang.

During our two and a half-hour drive from Da Nang to Hue, we  saw some amazing sights and clicked a few from the car window.  Amazing but common…

On one particular stretch of road, this bottled yellow liquid was for sale everywhere.  We think it’s some sort of Vietnamese Tiger Balm.

On the way to Hue (don’t forget to say it right;)) it started pouring rain which didn’t slow anyone down even a little bit.

This woman didn’t seem to mind the rain at all.

Here’s the view of Hue from our hotel window.

So now we’re convinced that we do NOT blend in.  We were walking down one of the little streets in Hue on our way to dinner when a Vietnam grade school teacher chatted us up and proudly wanted to introduce us to “authentic local food”  ”Lee” was a harmless old boy so we let him lead us to this kiddy-chair street-stall restaurant, the very one that we had just walked by and laughed at.

I nearly died laughing when he made up a spring roll (barbecued meat of some sort on a stick and sliced veggies wrapped in a piece of rice paper) with his filthy and crusty bare fingers and proudly offered it to Jessica.  TO EAT!  Wow!  Dude, you really don’t know my wife do you?  So we’re both starving, she’s just about to be ill, I’m laughing almost uncontrolled, and we’re turning down his good-natured gesture saying that we’re really not that hungry.  To save him face though, we each went about making our own.   Well, Jessica had just finished hers when over in the “kitchen”, you know, the area with the milk crate, firewood pile, and  cucumber peelings, she spotted a giant rat having its way with the evening’s fare.  OH MY GOSH, the look on Jessica’s face was a priceless moment indeed.  I will never forget it for as long as I live.

After our “local” dining experience, we went to a place called Little Italy for Pizza and beer.  We don’t know if it was “rat-free”, but hey, at least we couldn’t see them!

More of Hue next post.  C & J