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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“The citadel itself is an interesting structure resembling greek fortifications, with beautiful ancient Vietnamese ... ” |
Exhausted from the overnight bus trip - my first ever so I really wasn't used to it - we took it easy for the first few hours in the ancient former capital before venturing out to hire scooters to explore the citadel. This time we rented a moto each, and I took a crash course by riding rings around the town centre - initially I was too afraid to wade into the traffic to make left turns, but once I figured out all the gears and controls, I quickly gained confidence to "ride like an Asian" - weave in and out of the bicycles, motos, fruit carts, cyclos, rickshaws, cars and the odd bus, toot the horn frenetically and run every red traffic light.
Hué was the home of several emperors in the Nguyen dynasty, from the early 1800's until 1945, when they ceded power to Ho Chi Minh following the retreat of the Japanese in World War II. Unfortunately, a lot of the beautiful citadel was bombed by either the French or the Americans during the Indochinese walls. Several of the buildings were either ruined or had disappeared completely.
The citadel itself is an interesting structure resembling greek fortifications, with beautiful ancient Vietnamese architecture contained within the crumbling walls. Inside, are several structures used only by the emperor and his family, dubbed the "forbidden purple city." Apparently, only eunuchs were allowed inside as they posed no threat to the royal concubines. After some hesitiation, Adam was convinced that it was now safe for him to enter!
We tried to visit one of the emperor's tombs - an exhilirating 6km ride away from town - but we arrived just as it was closing for the day. Returning to town, we set out to find a Japanese restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet, only to discover it had been turned into a construction site. Fortunately, across the road in the impressive-looking Imperial Hotel, there was a sign out front indicating that they had their own Japanese restaurant on the first floor.
Wary that it would be pricey, we at first examined the menu only to discover that the prices were lower than most Sydney sushi trains. Inside, we had the most delicious meal - and all for $40 US, including beer and sake! We had smooth-as-silk sashimi, beef fillet in sesame sauce, prawn salad and tempura udon, with green tea ice-cream for dessert.
previous travel blog entry
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