Our last night train together as a group and we were somewhat calm and quiet through sheer tiredness and the heat of the day:
Unfortunately, on the train we were too late to 'shotgun' the speakers from a neighbouring cabin to listen to our iPod. Luckily, Kate remembered an article she had read where someone had blown up a balloon and placed their headphones over the balloon and the vibrating air within the balloon created a speaker. However, we were without a balloon. Being the ever resourceful teacher I thought of the next best thing - birth control:
Verdict: there are much better uses for a condom!
After forgetting to set my alarm following Georgie's 21st, I woke up late with a minor headache, dry mouth and in desperate need of water. Faced with these challenges, I still managed to crawl out of bed for breakfast and walk in the searing heat to The Imperil City.
The flag tower and the sacred cannons:
Ngo Mon Gate:
Thai Hoa Palace:
The Forbidden Purple City:
Dien Tho (The Queen Mother's residence):
There were even elephants in The Imperil City. At first I was rather excited but then I realised they were chained to a tree, used for tourism and didn't really have a great life - they seemed unhappy too:
Georgie, a true English rose, celebrated her 21st birthday in style starting with an amazing birthday cake, courtesy of Chen, followed by a rather late evening dancing the night away until the small hours of the morning:
Once again, we boarded our bikes and whizzed through the bustling streets of Vietnam. This time, my driver was relatively calm until the race back to the hotel during rush hour! A great and memorable way to see some of the many sights of Hue.
Thien Mu Pagoda (Pagoda of the Celestial Lady):
Next, we visited a lady who made incense sticks - over 1000 a day! She made it look so easy but it was quite tricky to get the right rhythm!
Then, a stunning view of the valley of the Perfume River:
Minh Mang's Mausoleum:
Next, we were taken at speed through the narrow side streets of Hue to visit a nationally recognised traditional crafts lady who makes conical hats even thought she has only one arm:
Finally, it was a mad dash to the beautiful country-side before the rain set in to view the serene rice paddies:
I fell asleep on the coach from Hoi An to Hue and woke up just as we started to climb the Hai Van Pass with some stunning views:
