My time in Hue (way) started innocently enough. I took a 4 hour train ride along the coast from Danang. It was the perfect way to travel. 80% of the time the South China Sea was directly outside my window. The times it wasnt we rode through rice paddies, and small villages. I arrived around 5:30pm on Saturday night. I took a 10 minute taxi ride to my hotel, and got settled. My hotel is $19/night, and is awesome. Upon entry I was greeted at the door, Mr. Adam we have been waiting for you. They brought my a cold towel, ice water and a plate of fruit. They then took me to my room. I dropped my stuff off and headed out since the sun was setting and I wanted to watch it set over the river. After getting a few photos I started walking the streets and settled in at a bar called Gecko. Shortly after I was seated a group of 4 Vietnamese girls from Hue got seated right next to. We started talking, and they, like all Vietnamese are all so very welcoming. You would think they might shun Americans, but its quite the contrary. After a few minutes another of their friends joined them, Mr. Chau. When Mr. Chau sat down he ordered a beer for himself and the girls. He didnt know me, so he had no obligation to include me in the order. After he was seated we got introduced and quickly became friends. I ordered another round for everyone, including Mr Chau. A little while later I excused myself to use the toilet (no one knows what a restroom or bathroom is in Asia, toilet is the vernacular). When I returned Mr. Chau said, Mr. Adam i am very sorry I did not order you a beer when I first sat down. I didnt know you were friends. I told him no big deal, dont worry about it. When the bill came Mr. Chau paid for everything. The girls and Mr. Chau then took me to the best place in Hue for a Bon Mi sandwich sans corriander. All the girls had motorbikes, so I hopped on the back with Thao (Tao). We went to a park where a woman sets up shop on a little stool with a cooking apparatus on the ground. The sandwiches came, which were delicious, and I asked for the bill. Oh we already paid, dont worry. The girls told me that tomorrow they would pick me up at 8am for breakfast. OK I said. Wait 8am on Sunday? Yes we usually up by 6am. Mr. Chau called his driver, and gave me a ride to my hotel. The next morning at 8am sharp I was picked up by motorbike and taken to a Vietnamese breakfast. They do not do eggs and bacon in Vietnam, though you can get that if you want. I was treated to a noodle soup with pork and vegetables. Again I was not allowed to pay. From there we went to a coffee shop and again I was not allowed to pay. After coffee the girls took me to the ancient tombs of past Vietnamese Kings. When the sun is shining, which is most days, girls dress like the Taliban to prevent the sun from reaching their skin. The masks they wear on their face are no so much about preventing air pollution from reaching their lungs, as it is about keeping the sun off their skin. In all of Asia they admire lighter skin, vs. dark tanned skin. So not only is the sun a health concern it is also a matter of beauty. We went to the tombs and had a blast. Hanging out with Thao, Yao, Ha, an Anh was like hanging out with sorority sisters that just reunited for the first time in years. Though I could not understand a lick of what they were saying, I could feel it. It was like that poem Jabberwocky, the words of the poem are all made up, but you can sense what it is about. I could tell they constantly teased one another, and laugh they all the time. Before we made it to the tombs, Thao stopped at a roadside incense stand, so I could learn to make some incense, and buy some to burn at the tombs. The process is quite simple. You roll a stick in some goo, then roll the gooed stick in the incense powder of choice. I chose cinnamon. Then you put the stick in the sun to dry and you have incense. To make an already long story short, we went to lunch after the tombs and they finally let me pay. We then met up for dinner a place famous for interesting shrimp dishes. Today, they picked me up for dinner and we had vegetarian food, delicious. We then went for cocktails along the river and Anh stopped to get some fruit. We also ordered a pizza, and had some specialty pork brought straight from Singapore from Has husband, Anthony, who arrived last night. We then ordered a pizza. They eat non-stop here. Finally, we went to a dance bar and drank and danced before they dropped me off at my hotel. Tomorrow I leave Hue for the Phong Nha Caves, but promised to come back here on Friday for two days before I head to Hanoi for my last week in Vietnam. Ive made a lot of amazing memories on this trip. The memories that are my favorite always involve people I met along the way. Thao, Yao, Ha, and Anh have made my time in Hue so memorable. They are the epitome of Vietnam. There are smiles everywhere you look here. Vietnam was ranked recently as the 5th most happy country on earth, and it is so apparent when you share a meal, drinks and laughs with the wonderful people that live here. When I return to the states I am going to go out of my way to make a tourist or recent immigrant feel as welcomed as these girls made me feel here in Vietnam. We are all ambassadors of our country. I feel like it is my duty to represent America well while Im traveling. i try to smile a lot. Be polite. Ask questions and compliment the people and country I am visiting. I should be doing the same while in American to any visitor.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 17:09:02 +0000
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