Train journey from Nha Trang to Hue was quite scenic especially during one part when we had a view from the mountaintop all the way to the fields n beaches below. That's simply breathtaking n makes u just wanna stop for a dip in the blue sea. Other strange n wonderful things we learnt on the train are: the ticket is inclusive of meals. Don't follow the Lonely Planet guidebook which says u can buy stuff from a cafe compartment. No such compartment exists. Whatever they served u, just eat the damn food or starve. So we had a bowl of porridge at 6:00am while some people had noodles. And around 11:00am, it was rice with different side dishes. Someone tried exchanging the dishes but the serving lady scolded that person so we all just kept quiet n ate what we could. Another wonderful learning experience was that after u ate, throw the dishes/utensils out the train window. That was what the cleaners did when they were to lazy to collect them back to their station. Oh yeah! And a precious commodity were the plastic drinking bottles n soft drink cans. Children n women would climb the train at each stop begging to be given these.
We arrived at Hue in the afternoon and sampled some of the local food like crispy pork skin/minced shrimps on sticky rice/flour cakes etc.
After checking into the hotel, we went for a stroll through the town. Hue is famous as an educational hub of sorts. We saw one of the famous national schools where folks like Ho Chi Minh studied there, then there were the missionary establishments including one of St Xavier's - reminds me of when I was in school ... more than a decade ago now that was. Wow! That's a scary thought, huh? I am sooooo old. Sigh!
Then we went across the river that was famous because of a fight during the Vietnam war between the North n South. After that we passed by the Purple Palace but it was closed. So we went through some souvenir shops before ending the night at Morin Hotel . As no river cruises were available that night on the Perfume River, this was the best bet for local entertainment. So we were the only Asian in the hotel dining area - it was shaped like a park with lanterns everywhere - a mix between East n West with a traditional folk performance. The food was a mix between normal Vietnamese/Western & Hue food - buffet style and all for USD5 per person. Rather good value for money. The entire place was packed.
The notable yummies include:
1. Springroll - fried n steamed
2. Vietnamese New Year Cake -fried sticky rice with stuffing
3. Hue Fried Cake - looks like a huge flour urn - rather sweet n nice
4. Miscellaneous grilled items
5. Soups
6. Sticky rice
V13 - HO CHI MINH.
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