Monday 16 December 2013

13/11/13 - Thap Ba to Hue

We got up early and decided to have another hour in the springs before breakfast. A great way to wake up slowly, and I managed to sit in the hotter water for a bit longer for some reason. Breakfast with the funny chef and then just as we were about to leave the heavens cracked open and an almighty monsoon downpour started. Bugger. We waited a while in the restaurant which has a palm-frond roof watching the downpour with stary eyes before we decided that it was not going to get much better and we might as well just do it. By the time we left it was much lighter rain, fine for cycling in plus we only had 30km or so to get to Hue so no biggie.

We had pre-booked a hotel in the centre of the backpacker area called Hue Nino which had great reviews, and was only £8 a night including breakfast. We arrived soaked as the rain continued to find a tiny place squeezed right down a couple of alleyways. The girls welcomed us at the door and after we removed our luggage they gave us a welcome drink and some fruit and had a chat - well practised hospitality.

The rest of the day we spent wandering around our end of town, avoiding streams and lakes on the road as the downpour carried on. We had dinner on a second floor balcony and watched the throngs of tourists in huge buses arriving and milling around or being driven everywhere on Cyclos (pedal taxis). Johanna did a little bit of shopping and I put my trousers into a seamstress to get repaired properly as they had ripped in Spain and I had repaired them myself. We planned to see more of the town tomorrow as the weather should be better by then.


http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2002806/elevation_profile

Route Link


Back on the AH1 we saw Uncle Ho

This time he seems to have been illustrated by Terry Gilliam

The North Gate into Hue


We found a Garden - Beer

They had a good selection - this Trappist brew cost £3

Refreshing after all the boring lager in the last month!


Rice porridge in banana leaf with shrimp paste


Dutch tourists pour in


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