Hue
HEY HEY HEY!!!!! Taxi?! WEED?! COCAINE?! BOOM BOOM?????? In the city of Hue you are a walking wallet. On just a 5 minute walk to get my laundry done I got asked a dozen times if I wanted a service I didn’t request. Even after you decline the first 10 times, if they see you again the question will be asked. To be fair I’m a solo traveler so I’m likely an easy target for these guys but god damn it was exhausting. Once you get past this, the town itself is adorable, it’s clean and well kept with many food options, art installations littered throughout the town, and the main attractions are all about 20 minutes away by motorbike. I spent 4 days in Hue and got to see Hoang Than Hue (Imperial City) Hieu Lang de Minh Mang (Minh Manh’s tomb) and Lang Khai Dinh (Mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh) as well as some other honorable mentions I’ll get into. There are also long stretches of beach just outside of town, I would recommend staying outside of town to avoid the sales men and have a bit of peace, to each their own.
Imperial City - First let me say, if you’re looking for epic shots, this is the place, dress to impress because the amount of gorgeous backdrops is mind bending. Patience is key to get a photo all by yourself but if your spot is busy just move on and come back, there are so many places to shoot. Cost of entry is 200k VND or you can cherry pick other attractions and get a 2day pass for 420k which is what I opted for. The palace itself is almost 200 years old, it’s huge and some areas are under renovation, the moat alone is 10km long!!! I spent about 4 hours cruising and taking photos. There is an audio tour that would probably be worth the money and likely to give lot more insight on what you’re looking at. There is just so much here, but its also nice to let your imagination run wild. How many concubines were bedded in this garden I’m walking through? Who was tired of who's shit and trying to get them exiled? What grand gestures and unbelievable treasures were laid at the feet of the Emperor here? Ahhh so much history I’ll likely never know!! Its always astonishing walking these kinds of places and seeing what ancient engineering is capable of. We are so capable when we have purpose.
The next morning it was a little rainy, but the show must go on, so to the tomb I went.. to be honest it was fairly underwhelming as the main quarter wasn’t accessible but still scenic and peaceful, I think a lot less people actually venture out to these other attractions. A quick hour here is all you need but there are plenty of nature to appreciate. The absolute show stopper was Khai Dinh’s mausoleum. My initial thought was wow they must have been a beloved emperor, the amount of detail and sheer magnitude of everything was over the top, but with a bit of research reveals he allowed the French to tax his citizens significantly more in order to fund this tomb! And the rumor is he spent more time with his body guard in his quarters than any of his courtesans. It is pretty though I’ll give him that! I took my time here finding cool angles and trying to wait for people to be out of frame to take a photo, while just taking in the beauty of this intricate porcelain and glass tomb.
My next stop was Standing Buddha temple, there were monks praying at the base when I arrived. I sat in the back, respectfully listening and saying a few prayers of my own. I’ve been traveling for so long and only recently have I begun finding my peace. For me that comes from within.. I’m excommunicated by my sisters, my friends and family are an ocean away, I don’t know anyone in Vietnam that I could reasonably say they could help me in a pinch… but I’m comfortable with myself and being on my own. I value my time alone now.. Someone asked my with aimless travel how do I fill my day? Truth be told I wish there was more time. I am so busy even though I have no real responsibilities! I’m constantly trying to learn more and fill my cup, that’s what makes me feel like I’m moving forward. I spent about an hour here meditating with the chants of the monks and made a quiet exit. To round off my trip I stopped off at an abandoned dragon statue. Its important to note if you’re heading to the abandoned waterpark or the dragon statue there are grifters trying to receive “donations” for parking and a bicycle rental. Likely I could have ignored them and continued on but I didn’t want anything to happen to my scooter, so pulled up the satellite image on google maps to see how to access the dragon without having to park there. Viola! Found it about 60 seconds down the road. This was an other great area for a photo shoot. I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking for today.
