Hue

Cyclos.
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13 hours after leaving Hanoi on an overnight train we arrived in Hue, feeling very jaded after a very bumpy night.  Hue was a welcome relief after Hanoi but extremely hot, very laid back and not so crazy.  After dropping our bags at the hotel we took a cyclo to the Imperial Palace which was modelled on Beijing's Forbidden City, certainly alot of history here, and much destruction from the American bombings which destroyed much of the buildings making up the palace.  That afternoon we hired pushbikes and rode around the city of Hue, and later with the group took a cruise on the Perfume River and visited Thien Mu Pegoda, built in the 17th century it is the oldest monastery in Hue.  The evening consisted of a beer on the river and dinner at a locat restaurant.

Enterance to the Imperial Palace.
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Our second and last day in Hue we visited 2 of the most famous Imperial Tombs the first of Emperor Tu Duc who reigned from 1847-83, enclosed by high walls and featuring pine woods and a lake side pavilion where the emperor fished and holidayed.  The second Tomb was of Khai Dinh who ruled from 1916-1925, this tomb is unlike Hue's other tombs, being a mix of Vietnamese & European elements.

Tomorow 19 April we head to Hoi An.