Hue/Hoi An/Nha Trang

After checking out Hanoi area we went over to Hue. It used to be the capital, but shifted to Hanoi once geographically strategic defense took a second seat to being a center of economy. What makes the city cool are the tombs of the former monarchs, and the old royal Citadel. The citadel was impressively large and the grounds were huge, but many of the structures appeared to be in disrepair and crumbling. I guess the structure isn't old enough to get the funding it needs to be properly maintained and restored, but in a few hundred years Im sure it will look pristine. :) It has the classic city wall lined with watchtowers, cannons, and a moat, and looked quite difficult to invade without modern artillary and airpower.

We also checked out the three most impressive tombs. They are palaces unto themselves, two of them spanning areas over a km. The first one was the largest, comprised of several buildings seperated by scenic gardens and algae filled pools. It had the feel of a park. The second one was the most architecturally brilliant, a single building with three terraced levels, the walls lined with reliefs and the grounds filled with statues of dragons and soldiers. At the top of the tomb was a room even more impressive room with beautiful mosaics made up of broken pottery being cemented in the wall to create some impressive scenes. It must have taken forever. I really enjoyed the irony of one part of a mosaic, an image of a pot made of of pieces of a broken pot. The third tomb looked like it was an amazing place to live at one time, but had fallen into a state of cracked stones and moss covered dissaray, which lent it a still pleasing aesthetic. With a little imagination you could picture the old aristocrats and courtesans walking around the pathways.

After Hue, we went to Hoi An. This was a very laid back city, a huge change from the madness that was Hanoi. The food here was fantastic, and they had excellent bakeries, a rarity in Asia. We spent a couple of days here walking around being propositioned by tailors who wanted to make us things. I probably should have got something made, but carrying a backpack makes me want to be even more minimalist than usual.

After Hoi An we checked out Nha Trang, a beach city. It rained the whole time. It was dissapointing, and the book read there, "Cities in Flight" was equally dissapointing. Apparently Miss Universe comes from there, but we didn't see her, she is probably off with the Silver Surfer saving the galaxy.

Next, off to Ho Chi Min city!